Love's Labour's Lost

PG

Released Feb 14, 2000

1h 33m

Musical

Comedy

List

50%

68 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Kenneth Branagh continues to make sterling adaptations of classic William Shakespeare plays with this romantic musical-comedy. "Love's Labour's Lost" takes place in 1939, when the King of Navarre and his three best friends make a pact to remain celibate for three years. When the Princess of France arrives with her three beautiful companions, their will, and honor, is put to the test immediately.

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Critics Consensus

Interesting idea, poor execution.

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Steve D

The story isn't much but it is fun. I thought Silverstone was a standout. Go figure.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Audience Member

While the film is not the greatest Shakespeare adaptation, The movie is a ton of fun, with great ideas, strong vocals, and good chorography. People will either love it or hate it. Me? I had fun, and i was entertained.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Shakespeare meets the American Songbook. What's not to like with an experienced Shakespearean director in Branagh..

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think you either love or hate this movie. I loved it! The Shakespeare play part of the movie is very abridged and the gaps left are filed in with faux newsreel footage and 1930's song and dance. Somehow it all works and brings you into the spirit of Love's Labour's Lost and makes this comedy (which is considered flawed and not one of Shakepeare's best) understandable and accessible.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Surprisingly light on substance. A Kenneth Branagh written-and-directed adaptation of the Shakespeare play. Set in WW2 for the movie, The King of Navarre and his three best friends have sworn off wine, women and song for three years, in the interests of studying. But then the beautiful princess of France, and her equally-lovely ladies-in-waiting arrive, and their oaths are quickly and sorely tested... Fun and funny at times but ultimately quite empty. It is short to begin with - about 85 minutes. Then you have the fact that this version is a musical and the amount of actual movie time is even shorter. In the end it just seems so full of empty schmaltz, fluff and padding. Reasonably moving ending though. On the subject of the music, I generally dislike musicals but the choice of music here is pretty good: George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Kern and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin. While I would still have preferred no musical numbers - it just wrecks any plausibility and continuity - it could have been a lot worse. Decent cast - Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, Alessandro Nivola, Natascha McElhone, Emily Mortimer, Nathan Lane, Timothy Spall - who put in solid performances. Don't know what Matthew Lillard is doing there though (note that I didn't include him in the "decent cast" list). He is conspicuous by his lack of acting skills and should stick to C-grade frat farces.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Weird and boring and clichÃ© and pretty stupid.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

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Kenneth Branagh

Director

Alessandro Nivola

The King

Alicia Silverstone

The Princess

Natascha McElhone

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Kenneth Branagh

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Carmen Ejogo

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Broad and wildly uneven, this Labour teeters on the edge of the amateur. Yet it's hard not to root for its moonstruck spirit, or to succumb to the panache of the pastiche.

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

Empire Magazine

It may not be 'hip', but it's definitely enjoyable and it's a shame that there isn't more scope for genuine musical talents like Lester to utilise their gifts in modern cinema.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Derek Elley

Variety

A luscious labor of love.

Jul 6, 2008

Full Review

Dennis Lim

Out Magazine

The result is good-natured enough to withstand both an uneven cast (Alessandro Nivola and Adrian Lester are standouts, while Alicia Silverstone and Matthew Lillard struggle gamely) and its own limited novelty value.

May 24, 2022

Full Review

Antonia Quirke

Independent on Sunday

The play emerges as silly, redundant, odd. It doesn't really emerge at all.

Nov 28, 2017

Full Review

Ellen MacKay

Common Sense Media

A noble experiment that didn't quite work out.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 1, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

Kenneth Branagh continues to make sterling adaptations of classic William Shakespeare plays with this romantic musical-comedy. "Love's Labour's Lost" takes place in 1939, when the King of Navarre and his three best friends make a pact to remain celibate for three years. When the Princess of France arrives with her three beautiful companions, their will, and honor, is put to the test immediately.

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Producer: Guy East, Alexis Lloyd, Nigel Sinclair, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Screenwriter: Kenneth Branagh, William Shakespeare
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Le Studio Canal +, Shakespeare Film Company, Miramax Films, Pathé Pictures, Arts Council of England, Intermedia Films
Rating: PG (Sensuality|Brief Drug Content)
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $284.3K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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