More romance than comedy but a great write

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 1999)

I did not see this film in the cinema, waiting instead for the video release. My cinema goer friends all said I should go and see it, that it was funny and entertaining. The first half hour of the film was not particularly funny and I began to suspect that all the comment was hype. Thereafter, it drew me in. The combination of classical romance well acted and the beautiful interweaving of two Shakespearean plays with the simple plot became almost riveting. The principals are very good, and Judi Dench almost steals the show as the queen, but the writing on this one is really outstanding. In the end, it is more romance than comedy but an outstanding film.