A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Cast: Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart. Director: Michael Hoffman

At times, this updated version of Shakespeare's much-loved romantic comedy just seems like a bad dream. Like, what was the point of resetting the action in Tuscany at the end of the 19th century? Unlike, say, Ian McKellen's brilliant Richard III, the setting here seems arbitrary and unrealized. And what's with mucking around with the original to provide a couple of phony back stories? But this film does possess some moments of magic, and not just as a result of Luciana Arrighi's rich production design. The play-within-a-play, "Pyramus and Thisbe," gets a first-rate reading by Kline and his comic cohorts, and Pfeiffer and Everett make convincing fairy overlords. (Sorry, no pun intended.) The disappointments are Flockhart's annoying Helena and Tucci as the impish pixie who's simply out of Puck.

Official Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com