Recommendation: 4/5 Stars  

The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.  

Plot: “The world’s greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.”–IMDB 

In a year where Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line were also nominated for Best Picture, I am flabbergasted that Shakespeare in Love walked away with the coveted golden statue. At its heart, it is a perfectly fine movie about a young Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) who faces blank white pages and is desperately in need of cash. But when I look back on the history of film, two of the other four films in this category have withstood the test of time and continue to influence.  

Perhaps there was something in the air during the fall of 1997 and winter of 1998 as Academy members began voting. Perhaps the fantastic costume design stole their attention. Maybe the dialogue of a bygone era enthralled them to no end. Maybe the Monica Lewinsky scandal made voters want to believe in love or it could have been the strength of seeing Shakespeare’s love interest, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, defy customs of the day, and hop on the stage. Whatever it was, they enshrined this film in history forever and ever.  

There are two main things that bothered me about this film. First, the speed at which the play Romeo & Juliet is constructed. Ideas hit the page one day and seem to appear on the stage the next, all without the luxury of a fully formed script. They make us believe this pace is so quick because Shakespeare is writing from a place of love and inspiration. This may be so, but the montages of time passing really bothered me. Second, even when the actors are not on stage, they all seem to overact. I cannot tell if this is some homage to Shakespeare himself or does it come from some belief of how thespians carried themselves during this period. Honestly, I cannot tell.  

With its obvious weaknesses out of the way, there is enough drama here to keep the average film lover entertained. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Viola De Lesseps, daughter of a man who has promised her to a man she does not love. Shakespeare is married himself. Neither of these revelations keeps the two from chasing what their hearts really want. The death of a fellow playwright serves as a moment of contention. There is also drama around the arranged marriage and the fact a woman is appearing on stage. Taken together, these points keep me engaged, and cover up the film’s most obvious weaknesses.

I have religiously watched the Academy Awards for nearly three decades. Without a doubt in my mind, this is the weakest Best Picture winner I can remember watching. If my job is to judge it by its romantic intent, then it is a completely decent and accessible picture. As far as one of the greatest movies of all-time? I am not so sure.

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

This website exists because of readers and supporters. If what you just read made you smile, please consider supporting the website with a monthly gift. Your support means everything and proves to the world that original content still matters.