All-Time Favorites: Shakespeare in Love

I am a theater geek. On top of that I'm a Shakespeare geek. One of the best experiences I've ever had was taking an acting class at the Globe in London when I was studying abroad there. I don't even care that it's not the original Globe, it's basically an exact replica and whatever, to be on that stage reciting Desdemona's lines from Othello, well it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I didn't care that it was 2004 and not Elizabethan England. I didn't care that my audience consisted of my mostly disinterested classmates, half of whom were feeling the effects of a pre-show pub crawl. I was completely swept up in being a part of a Shakespeare show on THE GLOBE STAGE. (I'm not trying to be braggy in any way, it was just so cool.) Enter Shakespeare in Love. It had already been one of my favorite movies because it's just excellent (more on that later), but I think it reached All-Time Favorite status after my experience at the Globe. The movie is about putting on a Shakespeare play! At the Globe! And not just any Shakespeare play, but Romeo and Juliet of course. (I know, I was in Othello, but I was also in Romeo and Juliet my senior year of high school and cliche or not, it's my favorite.) The main plot is an incredible love story but the subplot of the inter-workings of a theater company, and the actual process of putting on a show is also so, so great. And quite honestly, fairly true to life. Things go wrong; companies run out of money; actors get bronchitis. These things all happen so often and yet, the show goes on.

There are lots of wonderful pieces to this movie. And in my way, those that I have chosen to spotlight range from completely shallow to more substantial. First, I have to get this out of the way. Gwyneth Paltrow is GORGEOUS in this movie. Particularly her hair. Her hair is so princess-perfect; it's honestly all I've ever wanted my hair to do since I saw this movie.

I mean really? It's long and flowing and curly and looks naturally beautiful even though it probably took hours to create this hairstyle. I love it so much.

I mentioned the supporting cast earlier and it too is phenomenal. Geoffrey Rush as the down on his luck theater owner is hilarious and his interactions with both Shakespeare, played by Ralph Fiennes and Fennyman, the money man played by Tom Wilkinson are awesome. Then, there is Ben Affleck, who at the same time was starring in lead roles in movies like Armageddon. I think it's so great that he took this supporting role, the role of Ned Alleyn, a career actor and total divo (that's male diva to the lay person) and he killed it. He is so amusing and spot-on as an egotistical actor, who wants everything to revolve around him at all times, that I have to believe he had a lot of fun playing this part, as no doubt he has probably had some divo moments in his own career, or at least witnessed some.

Plus, how cute is he in Elizabethan garb? So cute.

Also, Judi Dench, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for a role that gave her just 6 MINUTES of screen time, is the best Queen Elizabeth I ever. Sorry Cate Blanchett, I love you too, but just look at this:

That is one scary and awesome queen right there. I would pretty much do whatever she said, which is why she is so freaking awesome.

Then of course, the main plot, the love story between Shakespeare (Fiennes) and Viola (Paltrow) is so beautiful and heart-breaking. The way their romance shapes the story of Romeo and Juliet as Shakespeare is writing it makes it so interesting and honestly, makes me love Romeo and Juliet even more. To think that Shakespeare could have based his most powerful love story on his own life's love story is pretty amazing, even if it's also fiction.

The movie is the total package and it's no surprise to me at all that it one an Oscar for Best Picture, among its 6 others. It is funny, poignant, aesthetically beautiful, well-acted and entertaining from start to finish. I basically ugly cry every time I watch it and also laugh out loud at numerous points. If you love Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare or long pretty hair, you should see this movie. It's a can't-miss.

*Oh! And Colin Firth plays the BAD GUY! It's so great to see him in this role too, even though he'll always be the Mr. Darcy of my heart. He is so easy to hate in this movie, which makes Colin Firth a superb actor because I usually love him so much. OMG you guys for reals, if you haven't already seen it, go buy this movie right now. BUY it, don't rent it because if you rent it, you'll just want to buy it and then you've wasted a rental.