A Midsummer Night's Dream

"Love makes fools of us all."

1999 1h 56m EN

😐

6.4

MID

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 438●61Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 28,096

FantasyComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.

“Love makes fools of us all.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Marquee TV Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Kevin Kline
Nick Bottom
Michelle Pfeiffer
Titania
Rupert Everett
Oberon
Stanley Tucci
Puck
Calista Flockhart
Helena
Anna Friel
Hermia
Christian Bale
Demetrius
Dominic West
Lysander

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Hoffman
Writers: Michael Hoffman
Languages: English
Countries: Italy, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Italy, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Hoffman, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Simon Boswell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Garth Craven shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love makes fools of us all.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0140379 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Hoffman directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. Simon Boswell scores. Garth Craven cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Italy, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 3 countries: Italy, United States of America, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Michael Hoffman, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Simon Boswell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Garth Craven shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Love makes fools of us all.".
8IMDB entry: tt0140379 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Original score: Simon Boswell
Editing: Garth Craven
Production design: Luciana Arrighi
Makeup / hair: Chris Lyons
Stunt coordinator: Riccardo Mioni
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $16,071,990
Return: 146% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 28,096 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Michael Hoffman

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-18
★ 6/10
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 from "Puck" that throws all of their order into chaos and leaves us with some colourful and entertaining scenarios as the poor old Duke attends to his own impending nuptials whilst unsure of who actually loves whom! The problem with the casting here is that they all seem a little overwhelmed by the language. It does stick to the traditional dialogue, and I couldn't help but wonder if maybe the stars were just too in awe of what they were acting and so nothing really comes across as very natural or engaging to watch. It looks good, there is a fine score mixing the classical with a Simon Boswell original but sadly the comedy doesn't work so well and the whole thing underperforms this magical and whimsical story. Nothing special here, sorry.

Production companies