Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Good prince and bad prince use local cavorting Italian peasants as their pawns in power games; much mistaken identity and wacky ``Three's Company'' situations.
Biased, pithy comments: So, it's a bad Shakespeare play (yup, he wrote 'em; see ``Merry Wives of Windsor'' for another example) that's done as well as you could do it in film. Branaugh can film the Bard and has assembled a great cast that is acting their little (generally British) hearts out. The only possible exception is Reeves, but we're willing to forgive him. Thompson is truly lovely, and Branaugh and she were still in love (in real life), so the sparks really do fly between them. I liked it, and I especially like that they cut down the overlong play into something light and amusing with beautiful settings, wonderful music, and an excuse to do Shakespeare right. Too bad Will didn't write a better play.
Other Notes: So, you kind of have to be color-blind to forget that Washington and Reeves are, like, of the same parentage, but maybe it was adoption. Or something.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branaugh, Denzel Washington, Kneau Reeves.
Directed by: Kenneth Branaugh