A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare’s romantic comedy to life. When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic. Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.Imagine a work by Shakespeare reduced to one of those pretty, glossy coffee-table picture books that have only a dollop of text alongside its sumptuous photographs, and you might have Michael Hoffman’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This all-star version of Shakespeare’s comedy is gorgeously shot in Tuscany, complete with a magical forest, breathtaking landscapes, beautiful villas, picturesque villages, stunning period costumes–oh wait, there’s supposed to be a story here, too! Hoffman hijacks Shakespeare’s basic premise but doesn’t instill it with much more than surface shine and transplants it to turn-of-the-century Italy. Ergo, it’s left up to the actors to find the heart and soul of this classic play, in which the fairies of the forest play mix and match with four young lovers, courtesy of a magical love potion. Hoffman couldn’t ask for better (or better looking) actors to play Shakespeare’s dreamlike love games–Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Christian Bale, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Anna Friel, Dominic West, the list goes on and on–but he sure as heck doesn’t know what to do with them, aside from putting them in various states of undress. Only Flockhart (as the lovestruck Helena), Tucci (a sprightly Puck), Pfeiffer (dazzling and funny as the queen of the fairies), and especially the sublime Kline (as weaver-turned-donkey Bottom) seem to connect with their characters in ways that make this adaptation occasionally soar; the rest are inexplicably left to flounder. Hoffman does seem to set himself right with the film’s climax, when Bottom’s amateur acting troupe hilariously enacts the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe (it helps that the troupe includes Roger Rees, Sam Rockwell, and Bill Irwin). Those searching for a more in-depth exploration of Shakespeare’s farce might do better to look elsewhere, but if it’s gorgeous actors and scenery you’re in the mood for (along with an evocative opera soundtrack), and an all’s-well-that-ends-well ending, this Midsummer Night will give you pleasant if weightless dreams. –Mark Englehart
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March 5, 2010
#1
Oh no! They speak Olde Englishe. Therefore, I don’t get the dialogues and barely understand what’s going on. Only that it’s some love confusion intrigue nonsense by that Shakespeare guy again, moved forward to the turn of the century (not millennium).
It all is very dream-related and incredibly beautifully done. Kevin Kline plays his part well, and Anna Friel is sweet in »A Midsummer Night’s Dream« – But that’s all I want to grant this movie a star for.
Apart from that, stay away from the movie unless you need it to score.
March 5, 2010
#2
This movie was confusing, to say the least, because there were two story lines which had nothing to do with each other but they combined them into one movie. Until we saw everyone together in the end, the two couples shown earlier in the story had nothing to do with the couple shown later. If this had been written as two separate stories it might not have been as confusing. The historical language made the movie even harder to follow. You had to REALLY listen closely (maybe more than once) to the poetry in order to understand the point trying to be made at any given time. The language should have been updated, with some of the historical poetry added when necessary (when necessary would not be an everyday, ordinary conversation). Michelle Pfeiffer was definitely not one of the main characters but they used her to attract an audience which probably would have otherwise been non-existent. The movie was over acted, over dramatized and under-developed. The only people who would appreciate or understand this movie would be english teachers who taught Shakespeare, history teachers or serious “historical” poetry buffs who enjoy deciphering messages. If you have insomnia, this movie will cure that even if only for a night (or how ever many times you watch it). If you’re looking for an entertaining, romantic comedy, don’t look this way!
March 5, 2010
#3
I seen this movie last year when it came out in the Theater.”Matrix” was already showing,so we settled for this film. I love Michelle Pfeiffer,and Kevin Kline has always been one of my favorite actors. When the film started,I knew from the begining this was a mistake. If I had a choice,I’d rather have my Wisdom teeth pulled without novacane.I would have walked out of the film,but I was on a date and didn’t want to be rude.The happiest day of my life is when I saw,”The End.”If anyone wants life to slow down,rent this video.Two hours will seem like a week.
March 5, 2010
#4
The goal of this review is to say a few words about the movie (MSND) for those people who don’t live for the latest adaptation of a Shakespearean play. My wife and I made it through 10 minutes of this DVD before we had to shut if off. This just isn’t how we want to spend our “down time” on a Friday evening. I needed subtitles just to keep up with the dialog. We definitely were drawn to the MSND by the cast, all of whom had made movies we really enjoyed, but this movie belongs in an acting class (if you really believe great actors need to perform Shakespeare). Now we aren’t complete snobs about these types of movies. We really enjoyed Mel Gibson’s Hamlet, but I felt like I was back in high school while watching a MSND, trying to find the relevance of being exposed to this material. Maybe it gets better as it goes on, but unless you’re prepared to take notes and rewind to catch the dialog, I’d pass unless you’re a real Shakespeare buff.
March 5, 2010
#5
Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREam is a good movie. i think that the cast was amazing and the way the characters are portrayed are just as shakespeare would have casted it himself.