Number 18: Shakespeare in Love (Best Picture Ranking)

Just like Chicago, Shakespeare in Love would be much higher if I would rank these movies by how many times I have seen them and how much I love them. Usually, Shakespeare in Love gets a lot of hate for having won the Oscar over Saving Private Ryan but, as you can see from the high position, I consider it an absolute masterpiece, a true treasure chest full of wonderful performances, a magnificent script and an irresistible atmosphere of enjoyment, wit, comedy and drama.

It tells the story of young Will Shakespeare who is suffering from a writer’s block until he meets the young and lovely Viola who dreams of becoming an actor in a time when only men were allowed on the stage – and his tragic love for her inspires her to write his masterpiece Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare in Love is a movie where simply everything works – the screenplay is easily one of the best ever written and combines the work of Shakespeare with all the ingredients of an unforgettable love story. Joseph Fiennes was certainly robbed of an Oscar nomination (seriously, why did this happen? He didn’t even get a nomination at the Golden Globes!) as he carries the movie with ease and charm. His Will is a romantic hero but also flawed and very human. Gwyneth Paltrow is a ray of light as Viola and creates a charming and lovely heroine. Judi Dench steals every scene she is in as Queen Elizabeth I while Geoffrey Rush, Imelda Staunton, Tom Wilkinson and Ben Affleck give outstanding support.

Besides the screenplay and the acting, all the technical values shine, too. The score is one of my favourite ever and beautifully underlines so many scenes. The costumes and the art direction make Shakespeare in Love breathtaking to look at and the cinematography knows how to capture the world of theatre with elegant poise.

Shakespeare in Love is a movie that is perfectly entertaining and moving at the same time, letting the story develop just right while always providing moments for laughs or tears. The scenes of Will and Viola making love and reciting their lines intervened with scenes of the rehearsal in the theatre are breathtakingly beautiful.

Overall, Shakespeare in Love is not about an important social issue or anything like that but it’s as perfect as a romantic comedy can be – it’s witty, amusing, charming, full of passion and love and unforgettable in its plot and acting.