Rating: 
Summary: Pablum for the pseudo-literate
Review: The allegedly ingenious and highbrow humor of this film is based almost entirely on the gimmick of contriving to have "real life" references for things ultimately stuck in Shakespeare plays, and then a cute idea in SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN. Here it just seems stupid. What really drove me nuts was certain members of the audience were laughing hysterically every time it happened. Yet there is no real cleverness applied to the technique, merely the humor of recognition. I felt the audience members were laughing excessively in order to prove how "literary" they were for recognizing the HAHAHAHAHAHA !!!! You see WE know NOW that it became Romeo and Juliet ! Get it ? And it was MARLOWE ^V who might have written Shakespeare's plays - who gave him the idea for the final title. Get it ? GET IT? Neither do I.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely my favorite movie of 1998
Review: This movie was very nearly perfect on every level. The sets are fantastic, the costuming is first rate, and the dialogue is beyond compare. Snappy, witty dialogue is what makes comedy for me much more than physical comedy or stupidity (which seem to be the order of the day). If you are looking for a great movie that honors the tradition of Shakespeare and keeps you laughing with some of the best dialogue I've seen on screen in years, you will love this film. It is more than deserving of every single award that it won. If you miss this movie, then you will have truly missed out.
Rating:
Summary: Joyously beautiful!
Review: Words almost aren't enough to express the profound joy I experience each time I see this film. For anyone who loves Shakespeare...who loves the theater...who loves the written word...this film is a celebration of art, love, and life. I cry at the end every time, not because it's sad (although it is, sort of), but because it's just so wonderful. This film is more than a romance, more than a comedy - it's a love letter to the arts, thrown gloriously up on the screen for us to marvel at. Ok, enough gushing - Go out and see the film and judge for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: education is the key...
Review: I just have to say that as graduate student in literature, I thought this was one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a long time. It is so rich with allusions to Shakespeare's works, including plays and sonnets, that one must see it several times to catch them all. Each time I see this movie, I hear something new...which is what great "literature" is intended to do. Joseph Fiennes' rendition of Shakespeare is superb, the costumes are truly period costumes, and the bawdiness is perfect. No, it is not all historically accurate, considering that we don't know enough about Shakespeare's life to make it so, but it wasn't intended to be accurate! But there have been allegations for centuries that Marlowe is the true author of Shakespeare's works. Obviously, you SIL haters are thoroughly uneducated in the realm of Shakespeare. I'm sure those who gave this movie very little time and bad reviews also thought that the Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes version of Romeo and Juliet was good. Now that was a bad movie.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: OK, SPR and Elizabeth geeks. Get over the Oscars. Who cares what is called "Best Picture"? How many of them have you agreed with, anyway? Shakespeare In Love is one of those movies that I will watch time and time again. I put it up there with "Godfather" "Schindler's List" "Duck Soup" etc. etc. on my top 10. (p.s. not a chick. love action films. deal with it.)
Rating:
Summary: Never was a story of more joy.
Review: My words, words, words, can do no justice to this clever play. Those unfamiliar with his work may not enjoy as well as those of us who are. This play brings new life to the crusty ol' bard and can revive interest, or bring new interest for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute masterpiece ....
Review: Everything about this movie is wonderful. The actors, the scenery, the screenplay, maybe a few scenes that could have been cut but easily forgivable. I know that many Shakespeare scholars detest this movie for the liberties it takes with his name and works - I myself am an avid lover of Shakespeare, and am well aware of the liberties the filmmakers took, but I saw nothing in this film that would "drag his name through the mud" as I heard one critic say. Personally, I loved the way fact and fiction were expertly interweaved. I truly think that this movie will bring Shakespeare alive for many who had never thought anything about him before.
Rating:
Summary: Great tribute to Shakespeare.
Review: I'm amazed at the number of people who use the argument of "historical inaccuracy" to break down this movie. Here's some news for you : THIS IS FICTION ! Now that we've got this cleared, we can move on to what this movie really is : a fast-paced, romantic, extremely funny tribute to Shakespeare. Tribute, not adaptation, as some others on this side have suggested. I'm not a great Shakespeare-adept, but if this is what the original experience in the theatre must have been, I wouldn't mind going back in time a few centuries.
Rating:
Summary: shakespeare would have loved it
Review: Shakespeare himself would have LOVED this film. You know it...
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely, Unquestionably Amazing
Review: WOW...I'm sorry if you hated it, I am more sorry if you didn't understand it...but this movie was absolutely enthralling and I highly recommend it for anyone who never understood the full capacity of Shakespearean language and style, because this movie brought it to life in ways I've never seen before. It deserved all the awards it got, and more. I have never been so swept away before... bravo!
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