Love's Labour's Lost

I am pretty sure I was the first person to rent this from the library since 2000. Y'know, just because Shakespeare wrote it, doesn't mean it needs to be produced today. Sure, seeing Hamlet for the hundredth time is a bit much, but this play is them scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I don't like Branagh. His can-do attitude towards Shakespeare rubs me the wrong way. Well, it wouldn't normally (I'll always maintain that Strange Brew is the greatest Hamlet adaptation ever), but people gave him money to make these things. Things. Plural. More than once. How much experience do you have with the comedies? Only one? Okay! Here's 13 million dollars, go film the most archaic one available! Cast no Shakespearean actors!Make it a musical! Gangbusters!

What the hell even is this? The basic idea to do a Shakespearean play as a 20th century musical is solid enough (I mean West Side Story turned out pretty well). Even choosing to stick with the original dialogue could work. But this is the the wrong play to do it with. The characters here aren't even fleshed out enough to be caricatures in a musical. Without an emotional core, the film is just kind of all over the place. The inclusion of so many minor characters only makes things more disjointed.

That was a hell of a lot of fun! Weird and indulgent and silly, which seems, in its own way, very Shakespearean. It probably went over the too-goofy line a couple of times, and the ending is a bit odd - but then, that's what you get for adapting sequel bait when the sequel is a lost play. Still, massively enjoyable.

Well you can't really blame the writer for this! - Nathan Lane does his best to save this and when he appears he succeeds. But this has a self-indulgent streak which overpowers the humour. All in all it feels more like an episode of Friends - not great

I never would have thought of this as a musical! But, Branagh manages it and it's hilarious! Though I'm not a huge fan of this Shakespeare play, I still think Branagh is amazing and it's worth watching just for that!

53.500

A clever & amusing idea and little else, if i knew the play well, or a lot of hollywood musicals i might have been more delighted. The acting is variable which adds little to the charm.

I love Shakespeare, I love Cole Porter, and I love Kenneth Branagh. It might drag a bit towards the end, but I love and own this movie.

Endearing until the epilogue which is surprisingly sombre

49.625

Another decent adaptation.

Cher from Clueless performing in Shakespeare's worst comedy. It's absolutely painful, and I recommend it mostly as a cure for insomnia.