RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
68 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 74

Fresh: 50

Rotten:24

Average Rating: 6.3/10

Consensus: Faultless production and shining performances display the Bard's talent propitiously.

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of a love-tangled quadrangle shimmers with sumptuous cinematography and a truly stellar cast that includes Kevin Kline, Michelle... Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's magical comedy of a love-tangled quadrangle shimmers with sumptuous cinematography and a truly stellar cast that includes Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, and Sam Rockwell. Relocated from Athens to an Italian villa, the film follows the romantic misadventures of four would-be lovers; at the beginning of the film Helena loves Demetrius who loves Hermia who loves Lysander, but all of that undergoes a change when the four young people chase each other into the woods and wander into the domain of Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the Fairies), and the mischievous magic of Puck who possesses a flower that causes people to fall in love with the first person they encounter. Into the hilarity and confusion stumble a hapless band of laborers rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding. One of the band, Nick Bottom, a humble weaver, is given the head of donkey and then, through the power of the flower, wins the love of Titania herself. After a dizzying whirl of magic, mayhem, and a million minor follies of the heart, everything is sorted out and everyone finds, at last, their match. [More]

Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart

Starring: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci, Anna Friel, Christian Bale, Dominic West, David Strathairn, Sophie Marceau, Roger Rees, Bernard Hill, Bill Irwin, Sam Rockwell, John Sessions, Max Wright, Gregory Jbara

Director: Michael Hoffman

Director: Michael Hoffman
Story: William Shakespeare
Producer: Leslie Urdang
Composer: Simon Boswell

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Aug 5, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • A stellar cast, headed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, bring Shakespeare's romantic comedy to life. When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic. Also starring Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci and Rupert Everett.
  • Source: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for A Midsummer Night's Dream

    • T-Meter Critics
    • Top Critics
    • RT Community
    • My Critics
    • My Friends
    • DVD
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
    Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Jon Popick
    Planet Sick-Boy

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Jim Lane
    Sacramento News & Review

    Your high school English teacher would approve, and parts are terrifically enjoyable.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 1 Comment
    07/04/08
    Maitland McDonagh
    TV Guide's Movie Guide
    N/R

    A visually delightful but curiously flat adaptation...

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    07/04/08
    Channel 4 Film

    Bathed in sunshine, stardust and star power, this 'Dream' should be required viewing for anyone who insists Shakespeare is stuffy and dull. ...this is Shakespeare for the masses.

    Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
    08/05/07
    James Sanford
    Kalamazoo Gazette

    I remain skeptical about the ability of even the best American actors to read Shakespeare's lines without giving the impression that they are enduring very painful cultural root canal work.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    04/27/07
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It has fun and makes you laugh.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    06/03/06
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    Injecting the film with fun and pathos, Kline makes a superb Bottom; it's his play and he acts it to the hilt.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    If there is sacrilege afoot, I'm not enough of a scholar to spot it.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/21/05
    Jeff Millar
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The execution of the Bard's comic work is less than sparkling.

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    04/09/05
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    It's a wildly entertaining romp that should delight fans of this year's Oscar-winner Shakespeare in Love.

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    04/07/04
    Louis B. Hobson
    Jam! Movies

    As a movie, unfortunately, it doesn't quite jive.

    Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Eugene Novikov
    Film Blather

    What joy to hear an entire film audience roar with glee at Moonshine, Lion and Wall.

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Jim Shelby
    Palo Alto Weekly

    Michael Hoffman's adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a delightful way to spend the summer solstice evening, or any other, for that matter.

    Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
    02/08/03
    John R. McEwen
    Film Quips Online

    The film is never a chore to watch, but others have done better by the Bard.

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    11/06/02
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Unfortunately, despite the wonderful locations, sets, costumes, and strong acting, this adaptation has a strange lack of magic or chemistry between players.

    Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
    06/23/02
    Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
    CNN.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Hoffman, who did the adaptation himself, cuts and pastes portions of the play into his movie with a clunky hand. And the avalanche of star power nearly sinks the ship.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    04/03/02
    Paula Nechak
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    Hoffman charts a middle course, and travels it quite well -- his version is neither as elaborately baroque as Max Reinhardt's 1935 film treatment nor as starkly sexual as Peter Brooks's celebrated 1970 staging.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    03/19/02
    Rick Groen
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Sporting a shamelessly commercial all-star cast and textually shorn to make a comfortable, diverting two-hour flick, it's the lack of intellectual pretensions that finally makes this version so endearing.

    Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
    03/03/02
    Leslie Felperin
    Sight and Sound

    I felt like a kid on the outside of the club house looking in -- and not seeing anything through the window that made me feel like I was missing out.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
    09/16/01
    Ross Anthony
    Hollywood Report Card
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
    See More Topics...

    Related Forums for A Midsummer Night's Dream

    Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

    See All

    More DVDs

    Close
    Top Rentals
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    —
    The Code
    23%
    23%
    Confessions of a Shopa…
    39%
    39%
    Inkheart
    80%
    80%
    Gran Torino
    28%
    28%
    Tyler Perry's Madea Go…

    More Rentals…

    New On DVD This Week
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    22%
    22%
    Push
    12%
    12%
    The Unborn

    More New Releases…

    RT On Current TV

    What’s Hot On RT

    Exclusive Concept Art

    Exclusive Concept Art

    Images from Blood: The Last Vampire and more

    50 States, 50 Movies

    50 States, 50 Movies

    This July 4th, take a cinematic road trip!

    Johnny Depp's Best Movies

    Johnny Depp's Best...

    The finest work from Public Enemies' star.

    RT on Current TV!

    RT on Current TV!

    Check out the RT Show this Thursday!

    Other News

    Close
    • Top Stories
    • Popular
    • Interviews
     
     

    Comments

     
     
    Top Stories
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
    90
    • Brandon Routh Talks Superman's Future Source: Moviehole
    90
    • Sony's Amy Pascal Explains Moneyball Balk Source: Los Angeles Times
    6
    • Three Theaters Getting Harry Potter in IMAX Opening Day Source: Collider.com
    18
    • Weekly Ketchup: Adam Sandler joins The Zookeeper, David Fincher joins Facebook
    72
    • Zak Penn Talks The Avengers Source: Sci Fi Wire
    20
    • Watchmen Director's Cut Headed to Theaters Source: Collider.com
    32
    • Lorenzo di Bonaventura Talks G.I. Joe, Beverly Hills Cop 4, More Source: Collider.com
    14
    • (Teaser) Trailer Bulletin: The Last Airbender Source: MTV
    61
    • Johnny Depp Talks Alice, Pirates 4, Dark Shadows Source: Collider.com
    12
    Popular
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Critics Consensus: Solid Public Enemies Doesn't Quite Bring The Noise
    104
    • Total Recall: Johnny Depp's Best Movies
    90
    • RoboGeisha: 2009's Most Insane Trailer?
    79
    • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
    45
    • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Transformers and Ice Age Tie for Top Spot
    43
    • RT on DVD: Street Fighter, Transmorphers 2, and Uwe Boll's Tunnel Rats!
    36
    • Academy Invites Tyler Perry, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen to Join Oscar Ranks
    28
    • Box Office Guru Preview: Dinosaurs and Gangsters Spark Fireworks
    23
    • Karl Malden: 1912-2009
    17
    • Blood: The Last Vampire -- Exclusive Concept Art and Artist Profile
    11
    Interviews
    Headlines Comments
      
    • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
    0
    • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
    10
    • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
    2
    • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
    5
    • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
    10
    • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
    24
    • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
    5
    • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
    11
    • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
    7
    • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
    7
     
     

    Sponsored Links

    Around The Network

    • A Midsummer Night's Dream at Rotten Tomatoes

    Fresh Links

    Featured
    Appreciating Michael Jackson
    Appreciating Michael Jackson External Link

    TIME music critic Josh Tyrangiel remembers - and appreciates - the high peak of Michael Jackson's career in the early '80s.

    10 Best Picture Noms?
    10 Best Picture Noms? External Link

    With the Best Picture Oscar noms now 10 deep, BuzzSugar looks at 10 films that should have made the cut.

    Successful Sci-Fi Sequels
    Successful Sci-Fi Sequels External Link

    Sequels never used to be as good as the original, but now they can be even better. Can Transformers 2 follow suit?

    Films That Time Forgot
    Films That Time Forgot External Link

    The AV Club's Zack Handlen explores why Snowbeast has been dismissed and forgotten.

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.