I'm working on the full review, but in short:

A fantastic film, and certainly surprising as it didn't appear to be all that exciting from the previews. Ledger and Miller have great chemistry and both give solid performances. The film has no lack of humor, drama and genuine entertainment value. One of the most, if not the most entertaining films I've seen all year.

A well-deserved A

Jeff, how was Oliver Platt's performance?

Actually it was quite good. He was not on-screen for long, and his character was somewhat shallow, but really the entire cast was fantastic.

Full Review:

http://www.worldofkj.com/reviews/Schade/casanova.php

The irony of Ledger's two roles this December ought to be something pointed out by many

How is there irony?

He's playing a world-famous lover in one movie and a person involved in a relationship (that happens to be homosexual) in the other.

What does him having a gay relationship in Brokeback have to do with Casanova? You wouldn't have said that if it was a stright romance.

No shit I wouldn't have said it. In one movie he's a famous lover of women, in the other he's a lover of the same sex.

Um...he's not even playing a gay character in Brokeback Mountain. He's someone who has a gay affair, his sexual orientation and grapple with it is apparently one of the major issues.

Having a gay affair sounds like he's at the very least bisexual or the affair would never have happened.

Don't you have a lot to learn about sexuality...

Evidently, not as much as you do about maturity

Heh. I don't think movies is the one being immature here.

i gave this one a B (still have to write a review for it). it follows every cliche in the book but its great how they made each of them fun and added a bit of unexpectedness to how those cliches were carried out.

oh and joe ain't all that far off. what he said is the exact same thing i've seen quoted in various magazines and stuff as well. give the guy a break.

Thank-you. It seems like some people here are out to get me for some reason (because I don't share their views).

This website is fucking obsessed about sexuality. I swear to god the word "gay" is mentioned and 7 gay guys are telling you why your probobly homophobic because you don't own Madonnas new album.

Hell any thread even remotely involving sexuality seems to turn into non stop exhanges of whats PC, whats not, whos right, whos wrong, whos a gay basher, whos gay friendly, whos GAY and so forth,. It gives me a fucking headache!

ANYWAY
Im Dying to see this movie. My favourite director ever and one of my favourite actresses [Lena Olin]
Whats not to love?

what a surprise.

i agree with baba...every cliche almost to the point of self mockery or parody...but it's entertaining as can be and comes across as genuinely fresh. i don't see much not to (at the very least) like. :up: B+/A-ish.

I always enjoy a historical comedy, and Casanova was no exception, though it certainly meanders it's way through it's storyline. Acting and writing are very funny and well done though, and it carries the day...

4 out of 5.

(PS: I'm sure Heath Ledger used to speak more clearly in his early movie - did he have some sort of throat accident, or what?)

I would say it's more of a simple career move than "irony"...

oh yeah, bradley, I was gonna mention that. I have no idea what was wrong with his voice, whether it was purposeful for some reason, or what, but it was definitely noticable and not a good thing. :o

{Bonus expanded review }

Though I always enjoy a good historical comedy, and Casanova is no exception, I have to wonder how far Lasse Haalstrom's career has fallen from it's early peak with My Life As A Dog. The story, though funny, meanders all over the place for no good reason - surely the fault of this once great director.

Heath Ledger plays Venice's greatest lover, in a clear career move to rebalance his hunk-cred after Brokeback Mountain, but between those two movies he seems to have caught a severe case of the mumbles - I'm sure he used to speak normally in his earlier movies. The weakest link in the movie however, is the lead actress - Sienna Miller, who is so bland, I could barely pick her out from the crowd of actresses here...

4 out of 5.

I thought this was a great ensemble piece. Everyone was so damn charming, from heath to jeremy irons to a great Oliver Platt.
And I don't think I've ever seen a movie with so many happy endings!!!

definitely not getting the attention it deserves. and it was a beautiful looking movie not to mention great plot and storytelling.

B+

Cute little romantic comedy. Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller shared a nice chemistry and the supporting cast was incredibly fun. Plus, the Venice locations were just beautifully-shot. B+!

I was unimpressed. Maybe I've had all my period fun for one year with P&P?

Generous C+

After seeing Casanova immediately after Brokeback, one might easely think that Heath Ledger is the most versatile actor ever.. - constrained in Brokeback, a libertine in this - it seems like he made the choice on purpose...

The movie is light fun and it has a good cast and good production values, but it's no Shakespeare in Love.. B-