Sweet, funny, dramatic, and passionate. Just thinking about this movie makes me smile

William is struggling to complete his next comedy, "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" to fulfill a promise to theater owner Philip Henslowe (portrayed with the perfect combination of panic and resignation by Geoffrey Rush). One night, William sneaks in to a party with friends and meets the daughter of the house, Viola de Lesseps and falls in love with her from across the room. Further complicating matters, Lady Viola, tired of the constrictions of being a woman, binds her breasts and appears at auditions for "Romeo and Ethel," presenting herself as the son of a servant in the household and taking messages from Shakespeare to her "mistress."

The all-star cast includes Dame Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth, quintessential nice guy Colin Firth as Viola's betrothed, the unlikeable Lord Wessex, Ben Affleck as actor Ned Alleyn, and "Harry Potter"'s Imelda Staunton as the Nurse. Look quick and you can even catch sight of John Inman from "Are You Being Served."

A neat movie, a great story, lots of laughs, a total transport to a time far removed, and terrific acting by a handful of first rate people. This is a movie I put on when I need to get away for awhile. It immediately draws me into Shakespeare's world and keeps me there, laughing and empathizing, for the duration. Working the lines of Romeo and Juliet into the dialog is tremendous. The final performance of the play, as we know that the protagonist is about to be carried off to America much against her will, is absolutely wonderful. The brief appearance of Judy Dench as Queen Elizabeth puts the final touch on the whole thing. Apart from the wonderful work of the actors (and what a host it is!) there is historical accuracy that is remarkable. This could have been a paste up of any "old timey" scenery. It was, in fact, extremely accurately done from start to finish. So... Sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching, sometimes sad, but always engaging...Just what movies are for!!

This gem of a movie, for anyone who hasn't seen it, catapulted Gwenyth Paltrow to the public's attention on the strength of her double performances as a young lady bretrothed to a suitor she doesn't love, and disguised as a young boy to fulfill her dream of performing on stage (in Bard's time, young boys played female roles-the stage was "unseemly" for females).
Many of the laughs come from the references to Shakespeare's plays and background and the implication that this fictional story is responsible for his rise to prominance as an Elizabethan playwrght.

Colin Firth as her unwanted suitor and Dame Judy Dench as Queen Elizabeth I are magnificent as is the rest of the cast.
Be prepared to roar with laughter and merriment!

It would have 5 stars, but for Gwyneth Paltrow's bogus Brit-accent and phonier ingenue acting-- what does the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences really know about Elizabethan England anyway! Or, real acting for that matter! What makes this film fun and worth watching are the supposed contexts for the origins of well-known lines from Shakespeare plays, e.g., "a plague on both your houses," the funny desperation of Joseph Fiennes as an ink-stained, love-struck younger Will, and the excellent supporting cast of British (Aussie) stalwarts including: Martin Clunes, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton, Judi Dench (as a very short, aging Queen Elizabeth I), Tom Wilkinson as a brutish moneylender turned thespian, Simon Callow as the officious Master of the Revels, Anthony Sher as an astrologer cum psychologist, Ben Affleck, with a passable English accent as actor, Edward Alleyn, and a brief but winning cameo by Rupert Everett as Shakespeare's helpful rival, Kit Marlowe. Particularly fun are the little "inside jokes" salted throughout the screenplay, as when the young boy refused a role in the cast of "Romeo and Juliet" discloses that there is a female among the actors-- and the boy-- who likes blood and gore-- turns out to be John Webster, soon to be author of the blood-filled "The Duchess of Malfi."

I avoided watching this movie for countless years even though it was thrown in my face by every online movie rental organization. Left with nothing really to watch one weekday spent in a hotel room, with hesitation and reluctance, I began watching this movie. There are many quality actors in it and I have to say that unfortunately, Ms. Paltrow is not one of them. (And I do appreciate her talents immensely.) If you're looking for a somewhat, not too girly, romantic movie with plenty of opportunities to laugh, this is it. Bottom line is that I am pleased with my time spent watching this movie.

It is a funny thing. I've read much of Shakespeare's works. But I never really thought about William's life. We only ever see the one portrait of
the man (if he even existed.) So I guess my un-thought out assumption about him is that he was born a frumpy, bookish, middle-aged man who
sequestered himself away and somehow created those stories and wonderful words out of a vacuum. But "Shakespeare in Love" brings the man
to life as a handsome rogue and ladies' man who lives very much in the world and finds inspiration wherever he can (including from fellow authors).
We can never know Shakespeare's true life story, but this film truly breathes life into the character with the help of a superb cast. The movie does
for "The Bard" what "Amadeus" did for Mozart.