Release Year: 1998

Genre: Drama, Romance

Director: John Madden

Writer: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard

Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush

William Shakespeare needs no introduction. 

He's one of those people we seem to be born knowing, like Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, or Taylor Swift. 

Today he exists more as an idea than as a person, but what was life like in Shakespeare's day? Where did he get the inspiration for his greatest plays, like Romeo and Juliet, Bad Blood, and Twelfth Night. (We think one of those is actually Taylor Swift's creation… she wrote Twelfth Night, right?)

Miramax and Universal released Shakespeare in Love at the end of 1998. The film was directed by John Madden (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and stars Joseph Fiennes (Ralph's brother, who puts the "fine" in Fiennes), Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ben Affleck as stage actor Ned Alleyn. Shakespeare established Paltrow's power as a lead actress. 

That's right, you can thank the Bard for Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, and Goop.

The film imagines Shakespeare's creative process as he struggles to bring Romeo and Juliet to life on stage. Let's just say it involves him using his, um, quill pen in a variety of different ways. 

Shakespeare wrote comedies and tragedies, and this film is a little bit of both. The romantic comedy entertained millions, even stodgy old English majors who complained about the film's historical inaccuracy… but still had to admit that Judi Dench was amazing as Queen Elizabeth I. (Let's face it, Dame Judi makes pretty much every film she's in better.)

The film earned the most Oscar nominations that year—thirteen, count 'em—making it as popular in 1999 as Shakespeare was in 1599. Oh, and it won seven of 'em, stealing the Best Picture trophy from Saving Private Ryan.

Shakespeare probably never imagined his plays would be performed four hundred years later. We're not sure if Shakespeare in Love has the same longevity, but decades later, people still love it. Only four centuries to go years to go. 

If Gwyneth keeps up her organic, vegan, soy-free diet, maybe she'll be around to do commentary on the film then.

If you haven't yet fallen in love—or at least fallen in like—with Shakespeare, now's the time to give it a try.

Shakespeare and his influences are everywhere. We quote him all the time; his plays have been copycatted a zillion times; dude even invented words. 

Shakespeare can be zany (he invented that word), a little obscene (that word, too), and on occasion craptacular (okay, that was one was coined by our modern-day bard, Bart Simpson).

But if you're not learning about Shakespeare with say, someone awesome like Shmoop, he can be—sorry, Will—kinda boring. How can someone so influential be a snorefest? Well, Shakespeare lived over four hundred years ago, and if you have trouble relating to your parents' generation, Shakespeare is, oh, about sixteen generations removed from them.

Luckily, Shakespeare in Love is here to humanize the guy. It shows us his thoughts and emotions, without a single dramatic monologue in sight. By seeing how one of his greatest plays, Romeo and Juliet, was inspired, we can better relate to it and many of his other works.

Now this doesn't mean Shakespeare in Love is a biography. It's much more HBO than it is Masterpiece Theatre, putting entertainment value ahead of historical accuracy. But although Shakespeare in Love might be a little light on history, it's a fun look at the creative process. No one actually knows how Shakespeare got his inspiration, and this film is a fun way to imagine it.

Plus, who would have thought Billy Shakespeare was a total dreamboat?