'Shakespeare in Love'

By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 25, 1998

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When William Shakespeare experienced writer's block (along with feelings
of sexual inadequacy) he would pay a visit to the Elizabethan equivalent
of a shrink for a quick session of psychoanalysis. So John Madden's
"Shakespeare in Love" would have you believe – and by the end of this
manic and enchanting fantasia, you will believe it.

Set in the bustling London of 1593, the movie could be called "The
Making of 'Romeo and Juliet,' " but when the dizzy story begins, the
working title of the playwright's rudimentary script is "Romeo and
Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter."

The plot, not to mention the unwieldy title, needs work, as Will (Joseph
Fiennes) only too well knows. Furthermore, the play's chief backer,
shady businessman Philip Henslowe (a hysterical Geoffrey Rush), is
having his own problems, having been forced to cast his talentless
dentist in a significant role in order to pay for much-needed work on
his rotting choppers.

Enter Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), a pretty young noblewoman
who's been bitten by the theater bug, an unfortunate malady in an age
when women were not allowed on stage and female roles were all played
by young men. With a boy's wig and fake mustache, she calls herself
Thomas Kent, auditioning for – and getting – the role of Romeo in the
as yet unfinished play. Will, meanwhile, falls in love with Viola when
he follows "Kent" home only to discover a lady in residence.

Wittily co-written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, "Shakespeare" is
filled with unabashed anachronisms. In addition to the psychiatrist
scene, there is a solicitous waiter rattling off "today's specials" and
a smirking dig at self-indulgent film credits. Purists may be initially
put off by such goofiness, but Paltrow and Fiennes are so good and the
script, referencing not only "Romeo and Juliet" but "Twelfth Night," is
so consistently intelligent that seduction is inevitable.

In the large and expert supporting cast, Judi Dench shines as a stern
but fair Queen Elizabeth, as does Ben Affleck as conceited actor Ned
Alleyn.

"Shakespeare in Love" is really two love stories: one a heady human
romance and one a paean to the art of the play, a special Christmas
present for anyone who is passionate about showmanship.



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