A lot more fun than the central pairing of Fiennes and Paltrow would
suggest, thanks largely to Tom Stoppard's nimble cod-Shakespearian
script, which puts the Bard in a blue biker jacket and makes the
Elizabethan stage a running gag at Hollywood's expense. Fiennes is
less cringeworthy than usual - he's in his favoured period, after all -
and Paltrow keeps the simpering to a minimum. But it's the side
attractions that catch the eye: Affleck's vain Mercutio, Rush's
hustling theatre owner, Rupert Everett's fleeting Marlowe. And, of
course, Dench's Oscar-winning Queen - all 8 minutes of her.
