Stage Beauty Details

Identity, insecurity and indecision

Comparisons to Shakespeare in Love are justified, but this film is darker, saucier, with more fluid identities and romantic attachments. Ned Kynaston is the man who plays a woman on the stage whose livelihood is threatened when King Charles makes it legal for women to act, and his pretty, ambitious dresser (Clare Danes) takes to the stage in his place. Cue lots of insecurities about identity, attractiveness and acting ability as Kynaston is dumped by his male lover and forced to play the man - both on the stage and in a relationship with his former dresser. This film looks good, and is for the most part well acted - Rupert Everett follows his Charles I in To Kill a King with an excellent performance as King Charles II. Billy Crudup, however, is not quite pretty enough to play Ned - when characters remark on how pretty he is, it seems unconvincing. The biggest problem with the film, though, is when it tries to be a romance between the two main characters, which for reasons I cannot really reveal without giving away the plot, doesn't quite convince. The constantly revised versions of Othello are fun, though, and the climax really quite dramatic.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Vacuous

Its always alarming that people view this stuff as historically accurate. This is 21st century people and attitudes poncing about in 17th century costume. On that basis its harmless enough, but the plot is insubstantial and the acting not that good - Clare Danes in particular is awful. Not quite unwatchable, but not a good film, nor do you get any insight into 17th century attitudes or issues.