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Movies / On DVD / A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream

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A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

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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... 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 Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, and Sam Rockwell. Relocated from Athens to an Italian villa, the film follows the romantic misadventures of four would-be lovers; at the beginning of the film Helena loves Demetrius who loves Hermia who loves Lysander, but all of that undergoes a change when the four young people chase each other into the woods and wander into the domain of Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the Fairies), and the mischievous magic of Puck who possesses a flower that causes people to fall in love with the first person they encounter. Into the hilarity and confusion stumble a hapless band of laborers rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding. One of the band, Nick Bottom, a humble weaver, is given the head of donkey and then, through the power of the flower, wins the love of Titania herself. After a dizzying whirl of magic, mayhem, and a million minor follies of the heart, everything is sorted out and everyone finds, at last, their match. [More]

Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart

Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci, Anna Friel, Christian Bale, Dominic West, David Strathairn, Sophie Marceau, Roger Rees, Bernard Hill, Bill Irwin, Sam Rockwell, John Sessions, Max Wright, Gregory Jbara

Director: Michael Hoffman

Director: Michael Hoffman
Story: William Shakespeare
Producer: Leslie Urdang
Composer: Simon Boswell

[See More Credits]

Reviews for A Midsummer Night's Dream

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

A visually delightful but curiously flat adaptation...

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/04/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sporting 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.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/03/02
Leslie Felperin
Leslie Felperin
Sight and Sound

Injecting the film with fun and pathos, Kline makes a superb Bottom; it's his play and he acts it to the hilt.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sweet springtime surprise!

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

Has a seductive, genuinely dreamlike feel that invites total surrender to its spell.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Russell Smith
Russell Smith
Austin Chronicle
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Kline is so comfortable with Shakespearean language that viewers may forget they are hearing literature and simply enjoy Kline's revels.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Melissa Morrison
Melissa Morrison
Boxoffice Magazine

Sunny, fast and funny!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Gentle and lighthearted!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sparkling with moonbeams and wit!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

Often less spellbinding than it wants to be.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

The movie adds delicate beauty to what we already consider a rollicking Shakespearean comedy.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter

Thank goodness I saw this with a drama teacher - I thought something wasn't quite right, but my friend assured me plenty of thematic content was removed.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
07/01/01
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

A magical world of wonder and delight, full of memorable performances and hearty laughs.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Sandra Ramani
Sandra Ramani
Citysearch

Unfortunately, despite the wonderful locations, sets, costumes, and strong acting, this adaptation has a strange lack of magic or chemistry between players.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
06/23/02
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It has fun and makes you laugh.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/03/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Te movie comes awfully close to being a dream production.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Flockhart's delivery of the Shakespeare lines is faultless, her energy level charged, and her charm considerable as she pursues her beloved, Demetrius.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
01/01/00
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

Needs a flight of fancy to be truly memorable!

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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