Clever, sappy

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 1998)

In this "historical" movie, Shakespeare is imagined as a young playwright in England falling in love with nobility, which prompts him to write Romeo and Juliet.
One of my favorite things about the movie were the references to Shakespeare's other plays and his time period. For example, when Shakespeare sits down in the psychiatrist's chairs, he's thinking about "words, words, words" (a reference to Hamlet). Also, Shakespeare talks to a young boy who loves blood and finds his name to be John Webster (writer of "The Duchess of Malfi" and other plays).
However, though the few references were quite clever, I didn't really feel there were enough of them. Though many of the jokes would be lost on a lot of the audience, fans of Shakespeare would really appreciate them.
Also, I think the movie shifted from being a clever period comedy with biting satire into a sappy love story and then leaves me with a mixed feeling at the end (in some ways, following the progression of Shakespeare's own plays.) Still, the sap does get a bit overwhelming at times. Rating: 7.