Judi Dench and Geoffrey Rush Are Great

Rating: 5/10 (6 April 2001)

While this film has an extraordinary performance by Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth the first and an hilarious performance by Geoffrery Rush the movie itself is scrambled. What is it? Comedy, Drama, Porn, I don't know. Joseph Fiennes is mediocre as William Shakespeare, he was better in "Elizabeth." Gwyneth Paltrow while she was excellent in "The Talented Mr Ripley" here she is nothing, who is she, who is her character. Her character is underwritten. There is a rediculous scene after a character dies involving Joseph Fiennes pointing at Colin Firth. The script by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman is just a jumble. Judi Dench and Geoffrey Rush lift this film to a 5 on a one to 10 scale.