A film review by Jeffery Sanders

Copyright © 1999 Jeffery Sanders 

Have Fox Searchlight Pictures bought themselves a positive review by giving me an official soundtrack CD and a beautiful William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream notebook?

Nope. Are those devilish filmmakers laughing to themselves right now thinking "Lord, what fools these critics be!"? Probably not. Because memorabilia or no memorabilia this is still an immensely entertaining film and would have gotten a positive review anyways. I am familiar with Shakespeare (or at least more familiar than the average 15 year old) and profusely enjoyed last years Shakespeare in Love.

I am not a huge fan of all of his plays, however. In fact some of them are duller than a documentary about the life-cycle of the Canadian prairie dog. A Midsummer Nights Dream is probably Shakespeare’s frothiest and most accessible play. It’s a wonderfully funny romantic comedy. Unlike some other literary "comedies" it actually contains a few good laughs. Thank God director Michael Hoffman knows this and plays it for the light fun that it is.

When I read the play last year in grade eight (that’s grade eight, NOT eight grade! I’m Canadian and damn proud!) I was surprised by how easy it was to follow and how much fun it actually was, especially to act out. The play is about a quartet of lovers, a hilariously inept theater troupe, and a batch of mischievous fairies. To go further into the plot would mean a synopsis, and I wrote enough of those in grade eight. I’ll try to make this simple:

Hermia (Anna Friel) is beloved by Lysander (Dominic West) but also by Demetrius (Chritian Bale). Hermia loved Lysander but not Demeterius. Demeterius is loved by Helena (Calista Flockhart) but Helena is hated by Demetrius.

Meanwhile the King of the Fairies, Oberon (Rupert Everett) is in the middle of a spat with his wife Titania (Michelle Pfeiffer) over an Indian boy. Oberon sends his right hand fairy, the waggish sprite Puck (Stanley Tucci) to get a flower that was shot by Cupids arrow and is now filled with love dew. The love dew, when placed upon the eyelids of those asleep causes them to fall in love with the first person they see after awakening.

Oberon decided to use the juice so as to help the four lovers and to get back at his queen. However, being the rogue that Puck is, complications arise. This is standard stuff and most people are familiar with the story. Shakespeare has always had a knack with subplots and in Dream they involve a working class theater group (including Kevin Kline) getting ready to perform at the wedding of royalty (David Strathairn and Sophie Marceau). A more well informed viewer may get the most out of it but even un-Shakespeare educated pre-teens will be entertained. There’s a lot to be entertained by.

The Director, Hoffman, takes some small liberties with the play but mostly keeps it true to the original. All his changes however are welcome and some of them work brilliantly. There are tons of great laughs in the movie, even more than in the comedy hit, Analyze This. In fact, most viewers will be surprised by how loud they are laughing at a work more than 300 years old. Some of the good laughs are due to slapstick humor, though, but most of them are straight from the Bard. The last Act, in particular, is a riot. The movie defines the term lush. Rich sets and gorgeous costumes abound, as do some pretty nice special effects. The effects work may not be revolutionary, but it does the job exceedingly well for a Shakespeare adaptation.

The actors, few of which known for their Shakespeare, are almost all terrific. Standouts include Calista Flockhart, who is great although her character is strikingly similar to her own Ally McBeal, Kevin Kline, who goes for laughs all the way, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who looks stunning and acts well too.

Anna Friel does an excellent job with Hermia, a usually bland role. The part gives her a lot of opportunities to show off her ample cleavage. Stanley Tucci is does a fine Puck, although he could have definitely been a better Oberon than Rupert Everett, who just bugs me in almost any role. The fact that a gay actor is playing the King of the Fairies is kinda cute, though. Sophie Marceau, a talented actress, does not have the vocal capabilities for Shakespeare as her thick French accent mars what few lines she does have.

In any case, A Midsummer Nights Dream is a great adaptation. Hopefully it will find an audience because it has the power to entertain almost anyone of almost any age. It’s a great motion picture, and a wonderful date flick. If you like Shakespeare in Love, see the real thing and don’t miss A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

8.5/10

Running Time: 100 Minutes | Rated PG-13 | US Release: May 7th