Love's Labour's Lost
A New Spin on the old Song and Dance.
With Kenneth Branagh (Wild Wild West, Celebrity), Alicia Silverstone (Blast From The Past) and Nathan Lane (At First Sight, Mouse Hunt) leading a stellar ensemble cast, Stanley Donen and Martin Scorsese present a sexy, glamorous and fun 1930's-style musical that's earned terrific critical acclaim! The King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola - Mansfield Park, Face/Off) and his three best friends think that they've sworn off love in the pursuit of intellectual enlightenment. But when the Princess of France (Silverstone) and her beautiful attendants arrive for a diplomatic visit, their high-minded plans are turned completely upside down! Then, as war rages and secret passions burn, loyalty and devotion are tested like never before! Also featuring hilarious Matthew Lillard (She's All That, Scream) and the classic songs of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and more -- go back in time and allow yourself to be swept away by this wonderfully entertaining motion picture treat!
Member Reviews
Bard goes Broadway - armadillo
In the end t'would appear not e'en the labour of love is lost or misplaced in this production wherein Branagh and company cleverly combine if you will three genres: the Shakespearian play; the Broadway musical; and the in-theater news reel-cum-gossip column; fashioning a feast for the eyes and ears fit for king and court.A wonderfully enjoyable Shakespearean musical. - estefan
Combining William Shakespeare's text and Cole Porter's songs to create a beautiful musical comedy, Kenneth Branagh really went full out with this one. Though the casting is questional at times (Matthew Lillard and Alicia Silverstone just don't mix with Shakespeare, I'm afraid), they all sing well and the musical numbers are a joy to watch. Branagh is very good, but it's Nathan Lane and Timothy Spall that steal the show with their hilarious turns. And, of course, the script and songs are great and have a nice, whimsical quality to them. The best moment is definitely the abosuletly incredible "There's No Business Like Show Business" number, though the film seems to slow down after that point. Nonetheless, if you're a fan of Shakespeare and musicals in the vein of My Fair Lady and The Producers, this is the one for you.An Ambitious Idea... - cathyottawa
...Branagh sought to marry his love of Shakespeare with a homage to old Hollywood musicals in this, his fifth movie based on one of the Bard's plays, and it almost worked, but wasn't quite there.
It is strange to have these actors talking in Shakespearean English, only to start singing old standards like "I Get A Kick Out Of You". It's a little jaring in the first half of the film, and gets a little better in the second half.
Part of the problem is, these actors aren't dancers, so the dance numbers are kept extremely basic. It gives it the look of a highschool musical. Adrian Lester is the only one who looks like he might have been a professional dancer, and he has a nice number. And actually Branagh himself is pretty good.
The singing is reasonable for the most part (with the exception of the aforementioned "I Get A Kick Out Of You". Ugh.)
What I didn't like about Branagh is he seems to be playing exactly the same character that he did in Much Ado About Nothing. He also tries to capture the same tone, but what worked perfectly in Much Ado didn't quite translate here.
Branagh seems to have been inspired by Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet, using the same technique of newsreel footage to move the story along while keeping the audience up to speed. It works well.
Pity he didn't hold off on this movie for a year, and first seen Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, where he could have learned how better to pay tribute to the old style of musicals, while still modernizing them in a way that's fresh and fun.
"A" for effort, "C" for execution.
Member Reviews
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Bard goes Broadway - armadillo
In the end t'would appear not e'en the labour of love is lost or misplaced in this production wherein Branagh and company cleverly combine if you will three genres: the Shakespearian play; the Broadway musical; and the in-theater news reel-cum-gossip column; ...A wonderfully enjoyable Shakespearean musical. - estefan
Combining William Shakespeare's text and Cole Porter's songs to create a beautiful musical comedy, Kenneth Branagh really went full out with this one. Though the casting is questional at times (Matthew Lillard and Alicia Silverstone just don't mix with Shakespeare, ...An Ambitious Idea... - cathyottawa
...Branagh sought to marry his love of Shakespeare with a homage to old Hollywood musicals in this, his fifth movie based on one of the Bard's plays, and it almost worked, but wasn't quite there.
It is strange to have these actors talking in Shakespearean ...