Oscar-winning drama with stacked cast hailed as “absolute perfection” is leaving BBC iPlayer

Shakespeare in Love, the 1998 period drama starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes, will leave BBC iPlayer over the next couple of weeks.

The movie, which famously bagged the Academy Award for Best Picture, not to mention a Best Actress win for Paltrow, has been described as “absolute perfection” on IMDb.

Shakespeare in Love is currently rated Certified Fresh with a score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics have heaped plenty of praise on the Renaissance romance.

“Though set in the Bard’s 16th Century, Shakespeare in Love is hipper, smarter and cleverer than any contemporary romantic comedy in recent memory,” declared the Detroit Free Press.

“I was carried along by the wit, the energy and a surprising sweetness,” wrote the Chicago Sun-Times.

Miramax/Everett Rex/Shutterstock

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“You can’t miss with a movie that speaks the language of love with such hot-blooded delight. And in iambic pentameter, too,” raved Rolling Stone.

Set in London in 1593, Shakespeare in Love follows the titular poet and playwright. Plagued by a case of writer’s block, William (Fiennes) struggles to pen his new comedy, Romeo and Ethel, when he unwittingly encounters Viola de Lesseps (Paltrow), the daughter of a wealthy merchant who disguises herself as a man to audition.

“Soon, he discovers the secret of the talented young actor and rediscovers his muse,” the synopsis teases. “As Shakespeare falls in love with an unattainable noblewoman, the farcical comedy transforms into the timeless tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet.”

Universal

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Boasting a stacked cast, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck, Colin Firth, Judi Dench, Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Rupert Everett, and Imelda Staunton also star.

Speaking with Variety in 2019, Paltrow reflected on the film’s enduring success. “Honestly, it’s the screenplay,” the actor raved. “It’s so clever in the way it tackles Shakespeare and all the inside jokes of show business.”

Reflecting on the moment she read the script, Paltrow noted: “I just couldn’t put it down, it was perfect.”

Shakespeare in Love is available to stream on BBC iPlayer until 19 August.

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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.