Kenneth Branagh had built up a respectable filmography by 2000, particularly with the Shakespeare adaptations he directed. Following his most sprawling project, **HAMLET**, he shifted toward acting and didn't return to directing until **LOVES LABOUR'S LOST**. It’s disappointing to report that the movie is bold but frequently feels uncomfortable to watch. I am writing this review as a way of trying to figure out what Branagh was going for with this project. This film marked the beginning of the _SHAKESPEARE FILM COMPANY_. It probably won’t be familiar to many people, since it and **AS YOU LIKE IT** were the only movies released by the company. I suspect they intended to produce more Shakespeare stories that weren't as well-known or as grand in scope as **HAMLET** or **HENRY V**. Many of those lesser-known tales have elements that simply don’t work with modern audiences. Perhaps this new venture could find a way to approach the material with a more innovative style? **LOVES LABOUR'S LOST** is certainly inventive, but the execution feels uneven. Branagh compressed a play lasting three and a half hours into an hour-and-a-half runtime, with thirty minutes of that consisting of pre-existing popular songs. The goal seemed to be evoking the classic Hollywood musicals. However, since the actors weren't cast for their singing or dancing abilities, it often feels deceptive. What’s left of the original play provides some genuinely enjoyable moments. Branagh had a good sense of what to keep and what to cut. Nathan Lane and Adrian Lester appear alongside several performers who have worked with Branagh before, bringing a certain level of polish to an otherwise adequate cast. However, the young Alicia Silverstone seems out of her depth while attempting to portray the visiting queen. Some of the musical numbers are successful to a degree, some make you wish for the films they’re trying to imitate, and others are just plain unsettling—like _FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE_. It tries to recreate the playful atmosphere of **MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING**, but doesn't quite succeed. I believe that many of the story's problems originated with Shakespeare himself. The most obvious example is the abrupt happy ending, which gets derailed by news of the queen’s father’s death, forcing her to postpone all romantic relationships for a year of mourning. Branagh attempts to address this by having all four male leads go off to war, suggesting they can reunite when it's over. In my view, that was an equally strange solution. I will always be a fan of Kenneth Branagh’s films, but so far, this is the one I’m least inclined to watch again.

Source on TMDB