More a pratfall-filled, bawdy romp along the lines of Richard Lester's "The Three Musketeers" than an inspired masterpiece like 1963's Oscar-winning "Tom Jones," "Casanova" is nonetheless a welcome addition to the bewigged, lacy-decolletage, puffy-shirt genre of ribald romantic farce. Granted, director Lasse Hallstrom's take on the legendary lover — played with manly dash and an irresistible twinkle by Heath Ledger — is more fiction than fact. But ask yourself: Did it really matter if Joseph Fiennes looked or acted anything like William Shakespeare in "Shakespeare in Love"? Read the full review
Casanova meets his ultimate romantic match in Francesca Bruni, the only woman ever to refuse his charms, and seeks to prove himself worthy of her. Caught in a comic whirl of disguises, duels, deceit and desire, Casanova begins to see the vital difference between the allure of conquest and the power of true love.
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Lena Olin, Oliver Platt
Run time: 108 minutes
Release date: Jan. 6, 2006
Rating: R for some sexual content.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"This is easily the liveliest (director Lasse) Hallstrom has been in almost a decade. ... 'Casanova' never takes itself seriously and, for someone as talented as Hallstrom, that's seriously good news."
The Palm Beach Post: B+
"Ledger is larger-than-life, skittering across rooftops, swinging on convenient ropes for his many getaways and occasionally standing still long enough to declaim lyrically."
