SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE:

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judy Dench.
Oh, that we could be transported through the mists and mysteries of lady time to the occasion and circumstance of the master wordsmith, who by the fruits of so marvellous imagination, hath transported us to every corner of the (then known) world. We have died in his words, our hearts pierced by true-love's arrow, our emotions wrenched by treachery, bravery, despair, hope ... at some time, and frequently at the same time, every human emotion.
Only a man of immense talent, a master of words, can so direct our emotions and imagination. A man, shuffled off this mortal coil nigh four times one hundred years, still remembered and revered, god-like, for the power of his work.
Director John Madden and screenwriters Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard have conspired to deliver us through those mists and mysteries of time, to the year 1593, to the Rose Theatre, north of London, to meet our literary god.
After a brief explanatory preamble to set the scene (reflecting the masters work) we meet Philip Henslowe (Rush), a businessman of little fortune, owner of the Rose, in delicate negotiation with Fenneyman (Wilkinson) to whom he owes money. Henslowe graciously concedes a partnership with the persuasive Fenneyman, a partnership in the latest masterpiece from the pen of London's second greatest playwright -- Will Shakespeare. We and the money-hungry Fenneyman are assured that the latest offering, from the as yet, not-so-well-known master Will, is a comedy, almost complete.
The moment of truth, the moment we have dreamt about, the moment we meet the awe-inspiring William Shakespeare, we find him, quill in hand, scratching ink on paper. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare Will Shakespeare William Shakespeare. Oh! Writer's block, thou cursed villain.
From the first second of Geoffrey Rush's appearance, Shakespeare In Love is totally engrossing. I cannot remember a scene or sequence from start to finish which even hinted at losing my attention. It is funny in the extreme without losing, for even a moment, the passion and power of the greatest love story of all time -- Romeo and Juliet. Indeed, the acting performances in this movie are worthy of acclaim from even the most ardent Shakespearian critic. Shakespeare In Love has not been nominated for 13 Academy Awards without good reason.
Check out the official Shakespear in Love website