Shakespeare in Love: Movie Review By Joe Lozito

I want to say that "Shakespeare in Love" is a near-perfect romantic comedy, but I can't find a flaw to make it near-perfect. I wanted to say that its flaw is that it is clear that the main characters are perfect for each other from the beginning of the film, but this movie is much too smart for that.

The film was co-written by the playwright Tom Stoppard, who is no stranger to Shakepeare. While his "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" turned "Hamlet" literally on its side by examining it from the point of view of two characters who are little more than plot devices, "Shakepeare in Love" has license to turn what is now the legend of William Shakespeare on its side. The writers manage to plant enough clever references into the movie to keep die-hard Bard-philes happy (how many now-famous lines did "Will" actually hear just by walking down the street?), while keeping the film light enough to make it accessible to most anyone (check out the opening scene as Will goes to a 16th century therapist). The film's screenplay doesn't end at clever wordplay, there is cross-dressing, mistaken identity, and the "haunting" of one character by a "ghost". The characters are placed in situations worthy of the Bard's own comedies.

It is this film's startling intelligence and the wonderful performances by all those involved that make it soar above any romantic comedy in recent memory to the fairy tale heights of a film such as "The Princess Bride".

Gwyneth Paltrow, too often wasted in movies that require her to be fought over by suitors, is finally given a role in which she can positively shine. As Viola Lesseps, a woman determined to perform on the male-dominated stage of the late 16th century, she provides the muse that Joseph Fiennes' blocked Bard needs to pen "Romeo and Ethel: The Pirate's Daughter" - the working title for what will become the greatest love story of all time.

Mr. Fiennes is also given the chance to finally show the acting chops that were not on display in this year's "Elizabeth". He is not the only hold over from that earlier film. Geoffrey Rush, also in "Elizabeth" displays a heretofore unseen comic ability, and Dame Judi Dench steals every scene she's in as the virgin Queen herself.

It is clear that everyone in the film is having a great time with the material, and it is contagious. As the film leads to a touching climax which never stoops to a quick resolution, we have not learned so much about the Bard himself (the film is only loosely based on historical events) as we have about how much is missing from most of the cookie-cutter romantic comedies in theaters today.