don't let this movie fool you into believing the romantic noirs of william shakespeare . 
no one will truly understand the heart and soul of this man except through his work , and this movie makes a vain attempt at that . 
any moves to ? glamorise' his life , which hollywood has an annoying tendency to do , will only subtract from his achievement rather than expound on his greatness . 
this movie about his life , although well written , puts too much make-up on a man whose life was probably more pork and potatoes , rather than lobster and champagne . 
oh well , let's fantasise onwards an assume that he was a bit of a flirtatious play-write , who falls in love with a beautiful woman ( gwyneth paltrow ) and from her inspiration , several plays develop - ? romeo and juliet' , and ? the twelfth night' . 
it is easier for me to believe that he had a wet dream and that's how all his plays develop , but please spare me all of this unnecessary melodrama . 
but i guess my version probably wouldn't draw a crowd or make a dollar on screen . 
so is there any justification in romanticising the man shakespeare , when all we need to do is read his work in order to find his soul . 
i think not . 
as for the oscars were they deserved by this movie ? 
i think not . 
in many aspects ? private ryan' and ? life is beautiful' were far superior movies , but one should never assume that this should be a criteria for winning an oscar , as time and again , for reasons unexplained , an undeserving movie will win the accolade . 
another sore point is the fact that gwyneth won the best female lead , over a more polished cate , but i guess if you go on enough about your grandfather dying and your nephew being hospitalised - people will start feeling sorry for you .