A visually delightful but curiously flat adaptation...
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07/04/08
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
68
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:50
Rotten:24
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Faultless production and shining performances display the Bard's talent propitiously.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of a love-tangled quadrangle shimmers with sumptuous cinematography and a truly stellar cast that includes Kevin Kline, Michelle... [More]
Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart
Director: Michael Hoffman
Reviews for A Midsummer Night's Dream
Top CriticInjecting the film with fun and pathos, Kline makes a superb Bottom; it's his play and he acts it to the hilt.
02/09/06
Top CriticSporting a shamelessly commercial all-star cast and textually shorn to make a comfortable, diverting two-hour flick, it's the lack of intellectual pretensions that finally makes this version so endearing.
03/03/02
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03/24/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/18/08
I remain skeptical about the ability of even the best American actors to read Shakespeare's lines without giving the impression that they are enduring very painful cultural root canal work.
04/27/07
A rambling and disjointed play that tries to blend plotlines involving unrequited love, fellows putting on a play, and of course, fairies.
01/01/00
Often less spellbinding than it wants to be.
01/01/00
The director made a lot of odd choices in this film that take away somewhat from the magical feeling of the play...
01/01/00
'Magic' was the one thing this movie desperately needed.
01/01/00
If you’re looking for romantic fizz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes out of the pack like a can of flat soda.
01/01/00
As a movie, unfortunately, it doesn't quite jive.
05/22/03
This Midsummer Night's Dream shows how high the bar has been raised by Shakespeare in Love. The allure and cleverness of that film, not to mention its far more Shakespearean spirit, make it a hard act for a hodgepodge to follow.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe film is never a chore to watch, but others have done better by the Bard.
11/06/02
Dangles uncertainly between mannerly devotion to Big Will and susceptibility to a recent cinematic pandemic, the update.
01/01/00
The story itself just isn't that exciting or, for that matter, very interesting to mainstream viewers.
01/01/00
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08/07/08
Overheated, tedious!
01/01/00
In spite of the cast, this is a competent but unexceptional version of one of Shakespeare's more popular plays.
01/01/00
Unfortunately, despite the wonderful locations, sets, costumes, and strong acting, this adaptation has a strange lack of magic or chemistry between players.
06/23/02
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