This movie reminded me why I was such a big fan of Tom Stoppard. "Shakespeare in Love" is a brilliant satire with warm, soft edges. This movie demonstrates to us that satire doesn't have to be cynical or cruel to be effective and funny.
Will Shakespeare in the movie is not the dignified bard of the dusty bookshelves. He is as energetic, quirky, and scatterbrained as any actor/artist/playwright. He searches for inspiration, he's petty in his jealousies, and vulnerable to both praise and criticism.
Viola quickly reminds the viewer of Juliet: She's young (though older than Juliet), in a hopeless love affair, and is blindly seeking some idealized version of romance. Fortunately, she is more level-headed than Juliet and, while lacking a happy ending, doesn't end the movie with a dagger in her breast.
There are some wonderful lines in this show--especially when the theater owners talk about the payment (or lack thereof) of the actors.
There is also a delightful mix of fact and fiction. In an intentionally unhistorical scene of Shakespeare with a Freud counterpart, he talks about his wife, four children, and banishment from her side. The use of "Wessex" (until recent times, the last Wessex was the one defeated by William the Conqueror) to skewer a stereotype without having to actually bring in a real person was brilliant, as was the cameo role by the young boy who would indeed grow up to be a playwright of a rather vulgar and violent nature.
All in all, this movie is a lot of fun and one of the better movies I have seen for a long time. We have purchased the video and watch it frequently (turning it off during the day at certain scenes which are inappropriate for the young child we have).
One warning: Don't go into this movie expecting a straight comedy, a straight historical movie, or a straight love story. It is light-hearted satire that has a lot to say about words and today's society.
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