A Midsummer Night's Dream

6/18/2023

This is my favourite Shakespeare story, full of mischief and mayhem, comedy and even a good bit of lust mixed in with the true love. This, however, is a really pedestrian adaptation that doesn't measure (for measure) up at all. The all important character of "Puck" is really quite underplayed by Stanley Tucci and Kevin Klein's "Bottom" comes across better suited for a pantomime performance of this tale of the ultimate love triangle. If you don't know the story: "Hermia" (Anna Friel) is in love with "Lysander" (Dominic West) but her father (Bernard Hill) wants her to marry "Demetrius" (Christian Bale). In the end they have to go before the Duke (David Strathairn) who says either marry as you're bid or prepare to die! Bent on escaping, they all end up in the forest and under a magical spell