Good, but definitely not great.

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 1999)

After finally watching "Shakespeare in Love", I find myself not understanding what all the fuss was about. Sure, the costuming is excellent and the acting is very good across the board, but there really isn't anything here to elevate it above the status of an enjoyable romantic comedy.
What really stops "Shakespeare in Love" from being a great film is the lack of a real climax. The movie seems to be content with having a performance of Romeo and Juliet be its climax. While it is an excellent stage production, it really doesn't provide any of the tension or emotion that is essential in this scene that the film has been building up to. In fact, I found the entire movie to be lacking in this department; it doesn't involve the audience enough in what is happening.
It is because of this fact that one should not watch "Shakespeare in Love" with the intention of finding anything out of the ordinary. When it comes right down to it, "Shakespeare in Love" is certainly not a great film, and most definitely not the best one of 1998. It is, however, an entertaining and enjoyable romantic comedy that you won't want to pass up seeing.