Rollicking, Crative, and Fun

Rating: 9/10 (26 February 2007)

Whether there is an iota of truth in this film (it's very doubtful there is), it is a wonderful creation. It sets the bards longing in the Elizabethan period, where life was short, theatre was king, and competition for attention was everywhere. Christopher Marlowe was no Shakespeare, and he met a tragic death, so let's see what happens when you throw the two together. Take all the lessons about the period and the Globe, have those young boys playing female parts. Have Shakespeare riding a roller coaster of depression. Take Gwyneth Paltrow's character, absolutely stunning. Throw them into the hopper and let it happen. Many more articulate people can comment with a great deal more scholarship than I have. But this movie is one of a kind and very refreshing and very, very satisfying. It has humor, tragedy, and a nice edge to keep it from being a fantasy.