Shakespeare in Love (1998)

A very whimsical romantic comedy that was better received than it deserved to be, especially with the abominable Fiennes in the lead (originally intended for Daniel Day-Lewis when Julia Roberts had hoped to star). This film was a long time in the making and not entirely worth the wait as, essentially, the plot isn’t much unlike any other romantic comedy. Fortunately, Tom Stoppard helped convert the script into a witty, literary in-joke with clever comparisons between ‘then’ and ‘now’, and backed up by many visual gags. Despite the all-star cast, it’s really just a light film for female literature students.