A Midsummer Night's Dream

"Love makes fools of us all."

May 14 1999 PG-13 1h 56m
Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

The lovely Hermia is to wed Demetrius, but she truly cares for Lysander. Hermia's friend, Helena, is in love with Demetrius, while other romantic entanglements abound in the woods, with married fairy rulers Titania and Oberon toying with various lovers and each other.

Plot

Shakespeare's intertwined love polygons begin to get complicated from the start--Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.

Written by

William Shakespeare, Michael Hoffman

Directed by

Michael Hoffman

Production Countries

United Kingdom, United States of America, Italy

Production Companies

Regency Enterprises, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Taurus Film

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
27,574
Average Rating
6.4 out of 10
Metascore
61
Popularity
NA