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A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:50
Rotten:24
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Faultless production and shining performances display the Bard's talent propitiously.
Synopsis: Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of a love-tangled quadrangle shimmers with sumptuous cinematography and a truly stellar cast that includes Kevin Kline, Michelle... Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of a love-tangled quadrangle shimmers with sumptuous cinematography and a truly stellar cast that includes Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, and Sam Rockwell. Relocated from Athens to an Italian villa, the film follows the romantic misadventures of four would-be lovers; at the beginning of the film Helena loves Demetrius who loves Hermia who loves Lysander, but all of that undergoes a change when the four young people chase each other into the woods and wander into the domain of Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the Fairies), and the mischievous magic of Puck who possesses a flower that causes people to fall in love with the first person they encounter. Into the hilarity and confusion stumble a hapless band of laborers rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding. One of the band, Nick Bottom, a humble weaver, is given the head of donkey and then, through the power of the flower, wins the love of Titania herself. After a dizzying whirl of magic, mayhem, and a million minor follies of the heart, everything is sorted out and everyone finds, at last, their match. [More]
Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart
Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci, Anna Friel, Christian Bale, Dominic West, David Strathairn, Sophie Marceau, Roger Rees, Bernard Hill, Bill Irwin, Sam Rockwell, John Sessions, Max Wright, Gregory Jbara
Director: Michael Hoffman
Director: Michael Hoffman
Story: William Shakespeare
Producer: Leslie Urdang
Composer: Simon Boswell
Reviews for A Midsummer Night's Dream
A playful, sexy piece of work -- just what the Bard might have conjured up for a movie adaptation of his beloved spring-fever comedy.
A decent enough Shakespeare film, but with the toned-down comedy, there's nothing to make this interpretation stand out...
Has a seductive, genuinely dreamlike feel that invites total surrender to its spell.
A magical world of wonder and delight, full of memorable performances and hearty laughs.
Combines some of Hollywood's finest acting ingredients but comes up with little more than leftover hash.
It's a charming, frothy frolic that captures the enchantment and delight of Shakespeare's most magical comedy.
Aside from a handful of shining performances and strong scenes, this Midsummer Night's Dream lacks the steady direction essential to any successful Shakespeare adaptation, leaving the players to flounder like the fools we mortals (often) be.
If there's a reason that this film rises above the comic tomfoolery, it's that Kevin Kline takes his character of Bottom and performs true magic with it.
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