Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Written by GenerationofSwine on January 14, 2023

Does anyone remember this? I do, but only because its what turned me off of the Oscars. Haven't watched them since. It was the rude awakening that they were fixed, the quality of the film didn't matter as much as the bribes.

It beat Saving Private Ryan for best picture.

And then it beat Bulworth for best screen play.

That was sort of enough to turn my head. Both of them? Bulworth was far from best picture worthy, but best original screenplay seemed as much as a shoe in as Ryan for Best Picture.

And then it went on to win Best score over Mulan, A Bug's Life, and Prince of Egypt which is curious because it didn't really fit the criteria for Musical or Comedy Score as much as it's competition.

And then now, looking back, who remembers it? If it's remembered at all, it's remembered for beating Saving Private Ryan, which has become a classic.

Shakespeare in Love is just remembered for it's sweep of the awards, both at the Oscars and beyond, but not for its quality.