[The following is a guest post from abovethetitle.]
“Romeo and Ethel, the Pirates Daughter.” Thus begins the conceit of one of history’s most groaned about Best Picture winners…and perhaps my favorite movie of all time. It’s a simple but clever premise that imagines what would have happened if William Shakespeare, all heartthrobby and called Will, experienced writer’s block. Gwyneth Paltrow, in the prime of her time as Miramax’s muse, plays the lady love who snaps him out of it…and also cross dresses as a man to get the lead in the play Shakespeare ends up cranking out. Lady T and I might get some flack for including Paltrow not once but twice on our lists but they are our lists dammit! “Shakespeare in Love” changed the way I watched movies (and consequently the way I watched the Oscars) and while Gwynnie is oft-mocked these days for GooP, appearing on “Glee,” looking generally lifeless during public appearances, etc., I won’t forget the magic of Viola de Lesseps.
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I don’t care for her personally, but I loved her in this. And I loved the movie. I walked out of the theater after seeing Shakespeare in Love, and announced to my group of friends that we had just watched the Best Picture of the Year. No one believed me, but I would not allow them to shout me down. I knew it, as I was watching the film. It was funny, yet moving, and the dialog was amazingly clever. You didn’t have to be a Shakespeare geek to get the jokes, but being one made the jokes even funnier. I don’t understand why people groan about this movie winning Best Picture. It WAS the best film that year, and it is still an amazing film all these years later.
I loved this movie too! I didn’t see it until years after it came out and I enjoyed it greatly. I am glad it won the Oscar and am still trying to get the spouse to see it. He scoffs at Gwyneth movies but she is a good actress in many of her roles.