Delight

Rating: 6/10 (14 April 2014)

This majestic, romantic movie imagines the inspiration and events surrounding the writing of William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare in love begins with a mid-career Shakespeare struggling with writer's block to create his new masterpiece. This film also paints a stunning portrait of life and theater in the Elizabethan era. The film's opening scene provides a striking image of the business of theater. For example the buildings, the budget, the script deadlines and the casting process. Not to mention the solid acting: All the actors embrace their characters, from the ink-stained fingers of Joseph Fiennes' Shakespeare, to the bold eyes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Viola. Joseph Fiennes is simply as mesmerizing as Shakespeare. However, the true phenomenon of the film is Gwyneth Paltrow. For she makes it perfectly believable that a character like hers could inspire one of the most inspired poets of all time. In addition, there's also the light sense of humor. Like Shakespeare's coffee mug "Souvenir of Stratford-Upon-Avon", or the priest cursing "Plague on both your houses" in the beginning of the movie. Either way, you can't miss a movie that speaks the language of love with such delight.