Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

PG

1990

1h 58m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

61%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth) ramble obliviously through Elsinore Castle and its environs as the events of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" unfold around them. While visiting their old friend Hamlet (Iain Glen), the pair engage in an ongoing philosophical debate about free will versus predestination, each trying to prove absurd positions through misbegotten experiments. Meanwhile, the clueless friends attempt to make sense of the peculiar goings-on in the castle.

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Critics Consensus

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead struggles in its journey from stage to screen, but a well-chosen trio of veteran talents keep things consistently watchable.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

02/09/2006

Both Oldman and Roth turn in flat and uninspiring performances.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

05/20/2003

As happens at the opera, one usually laughs (if one laughs at all) not because something is funny, but because one has successfully recognized that it is supposed to be funny.

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Hal Hinson

Washington Post

01/01/2000

Staged as they are here, the jokes and the fourth-wall gamesmanship don't seem as funny as they did on the page.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jun 12

4/5

…Tom Stoppard gives his brilliant dialogue its head; a filmed play rather than a film, but with more good ideas than a dozen movies, offering a thematically linked Hamlet-adjacent text in an increasingly crowded marketplace…

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Matthew Rozsa

matthewrozsa.com

12/19/2020

4/4

If you are familiar with "Hamlet" and can appreciate subtle jokes about the possibility that your entire life is pointless, this movie is a hoot.

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

10/13/2020

2.5/5

Fans of the original stage play will most likely enjoy Stoppard's film version, but this treatment feels far less dynamic or lively.

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Ari V

@RT59419633 Feb 6

Some Who's On First type wordplay gags, a little good old fashioned british gayetry, some weak philosophy and 50s avante garde imitations, but feels relatively thin all in all. Even with the solid acting delivery.

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James A

@RT45126165 02/21/2025

A bit intellectual and dry, but had many moments that show the love for the source material (both sources). It is certainly not a lazy watch.

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Alec B

@Alec97 04/25/2024

I think it is a good adaptation of the play (likely the best we will ever get) as the cast is pretty great, especially Oldman and Roth, and Stoppard actually does a good job translating the material to film. It is a shame he never tried directing a movie again.

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Joel H

@786Joel 02/13/2024

It is obvious that the creators of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead have a thorough appreciation of William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. That being said, it's also necessary that the viewer have the same type of understanding or much of this movie will be lost on them. I'm glad I quickly brushed up on Hamlet before watching this adaptation. Additionally, the absurdist style is so bizarre that it's hard to keep up with what's going on. However, I did enjoy the witty wordplay. And both Gary Oldman & Tim Roth seem to relish in their respective roles. I'd like to see this production on stage one day.

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Shioka O

@RT54204327 11/19/2022

If you are familiar with Hamlet, this might be more fun, but I'm not. Thoroughly dry and subtle. Absurdism and existentialism dialogs are fascinating so maybe I would love to read as book. I see Roth and Oldman's friendship.

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William L

@RT77267842 09/03/2020

As a first-time viewer, the premise is certainly clever, but the final product is of a very distinct flavor that continues virtually unchanged throughout the entire runtime - a series of relatively dry observations of physical phenomena and philosophy with the occasional bit of wordplay or joke based around the source material. What results is in all likelihood a polarization of the audience - some will find the material consistent and engaging, while others will think it monotonous. (3/5)

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Tom Stoppard

Director

Gary Oldman

Rosencrantz

Tim Roth

Guildenstern

Richard Dreyfuss

The Player

Iain Glen

Hamlet

Joanna Roth

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Synopsis

Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth) ramble obliviously through Elsinore Castle and its environs as the events of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" unfold around them. While visiting their old friend Hamlet (Iain Glen), the pair engage in an ongoing philosophical debate about free will versus predestination, each trying to prove absurd positions through misbegotten experiments. Meanwhile, the clueless friends attempt to make sense of the peculiar goings-on in the castle.

Director: Tom Stoppard
Producer: Emanuel Azenberg, Michael Brandman
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard
Production Co: Brandenburg Productions, Inc.
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 22, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.0K
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround

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