A Midsummer Night's Dream

Name: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Released: May 14, 1999
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 61
Cast: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett

1999

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Ratings

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Ratings

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: May 14, 1999 | PG-13

Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett

Summary: Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy set in 19th century Tuscany.

Director: Michael Hoffman

Genre(s): Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 116 min

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Critic Reviews

Russell Smith

For my money the most gloriously, enchantingly trivial play in the Shakespearean canon, A Midsummer Night's Dream may also be the most screwup-proof of the bard's works. Read full review

Dallas Observer M. V. Moorhead

One of the best of the many delights of director Michael Hoffman's new film -- is that he manages to have it both ways -- the gauzy fantasy and the bacchanal. Read full review

Wesley Morris

A gorgeous sliver of grown-up ambrosia. Read full review

Susan Wloszczyna

The major flaw, the clash of acting styles, is at least fascinating to observe. [14 May 1999, Life, p.8E]

Alice King

Kline turns in a bravura performance -- he's one of the few in this star-packed cast who actually knows what to do with Shakespeare's poetry. Read full review

Janet Maslin

A parade of incongruities, with performances ranging from the sublime to the you-know-what. Read full review

David Denby

Kevin Kline does his best movie work yet as Nick Bottom...But in most other ways this "Midsummer Night" is hard to endure. Read full review

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User Reviews

FredB.

May 24, 2007

Beautifully entertaining take on Shakespeare's play, laced with Italian opera and marvelous performances, by Kline and Flockhart particularly. The giddy poetry rolls on and on and what Pffeifer might lack in delivery she makes up for in lovestruck appeal. Bravo.

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MovieGuys

Mar 14, 2014

A Midsummer Night's Dream is faithful towards the famous play by Shakespeare, but it seems a bit dull. The performances are fine, and the scenery is quaint, but the movie just seems a bit off-center.

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Jwv

Jan 21, 2014

The acting in general was not very convincing, especially not as is required for a good Shakespearean rendition. Most lines are uttered without real feeling and with clichéd emotion, facial expression and gesture. Calista Flockhart (Helena), Sam Rockwell (Francis Flute; especially in theThe acting in general was not very convincing, especially not as is required for a good Shakespearean rendition. Most lines are uttered without real feeling and with clichéd emotion, facial expression and gesture. Calista Flockhart (Helena), Sam Rockwell (Francis Flute; especially in the play-in-the-play) and Kevin Kline (Bottom) were best, my favourite being Calista Flockhart who brings Helena's emotions convincingly with great authenticity. I have read that "this was Kevin Kline's play", but I disagree because the character of Bottom has a lot of potential as a funny Shakespearean stereotype (but this was probably acted out under the director's guidance). Only in the end did he really show himself in the play-in-the-play. Michelle Pfeiffer (Titania) and especially Rupert Everett (Oberon) show us that the failing fairies' relationship was not only due to adultery and jealousy, but also because of the lack of emotional depth in their relationship - which speaks out of their performance. The biggest disappointment is that I don't see the Shakespearean stereotypes played out on screen, Bottom is supposed to be the idiot with a carpe diem lifestyle, but he is portrayed too gravely, which stifles a lot of potential humorous approaches to the character. Puck also didn't come to life as the witty and mischievous knave he is. I also feel that the director could have done more with the mute characters on screen, their short scenes are there to set a mood, but they seem superfluous.

The soundtrack was nothing spectacular and the sound-effects and background noises were cheap clichés we see everywhere nowadays (cf. forest background sounds). Most of the actors' voice-acting was also uninspired, and does not do homage to the verbal virtuosity of Shakespeare's play.

I sincerely wonder whether the director knows of the potential comedy that lurks in the play, because I did not have the feeling that I was watching a comedy at all. The play-in-a-play was in it's 10-minute totality more funny than the whole 100 preceding minutes. There were no genuinely funny situations, and the movie was absolutely not original in creating these, Instead, it relied too much on the inherent comedy of the incompatibility of some characters and emotions in certain situations, and so took a too passive and unoriginal approach. The movie lets a lot of very obvious occasions of potential funny situations slip by, even the potential very comic situation with the chink in the wall slip (hint: "I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all"). The only scene that comes closest to a comic situation is when Helena runs away from a chasing Demetrius and Lysander, but even this scene was more dramatic than funny. Bottom's lying with Titania too was also disappointing.… Expand

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Official

Nov 15, 2013

Even at 116 minutes, I thought that "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was so goddamn long. Honestly, it's boring as hell. There's absolutely no funny scenes, nothing exciting or intense, and it's overall just a dull mess.

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