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Love's Labour's Lost

Play trailer Poster for Love's Labour's Lost PG Released Feb 14, 2000 1h 33m Musical Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
50% Tomatometer 68 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
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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Love's Labour's Lost

Love's Labour's Lost

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Critics Consensus

Interesting idea, poor execution.

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Critics Reviews

View All (68) Critics Reviews
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (162) audience reviews
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 cliché and pretty stupid. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Love's Labour's Lost

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Movie Info

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
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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