Anonymous poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Rhys Ifans, Ed Hogg, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Joely Richardson ... see more see more... , Rafe Spall , David Thewlis , Xavier Samuel , Edward Hogg , Sebastian Reid , Jamie Campbell Bower , Derek Jacobi , Paolo DeVita , Trystan Gravelle , Robert Emms , Tony Way , Julian Bleach , Alex Hassell , James Garnon , Mark Rylance , Jasper Britton , Michael Brown , Ned Dennehy , John Keogh , Lloyd Hutchinson , Vicky Kreips , Helen Baxendale , Paula Schramm , Amy Kwolek , Luke Taylor , Isaiah Michalsky , Timo Huber , Richard Durdan , Shaun Lawton , Detlef Bothe , James Clyde , Christian Sengewald , Jean-Loup Fourure , Viktoria Gabrysch , Axel Sichrovsky , Katrin Pollit , Patricia Grove , Laura Lo Zito , Gode Benedix , Nic Romm , Henry Lloyd-Hughes , Patrick Diemling , Patrick Heyn , Nino Sandow , Craig Salisbury , Rainer Guldener , Trystan Wyn Pütter , Andre Kaczmarczyk , Jonas Hämmerle , Leonard Kinzinger , Mike Maas , Vicky Krieps

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Sigmund ... read more read more...Freud, namely: who actually created the body of work credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when scandalous political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles lusting for the power of the throne were brought to light in the most unlikely of places: the London stage. -- (C) Sony Pictures

Flixster Users

56% liked it

16,837 ratings

Critics

47% liked it

162 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 9 min.

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Release Date: October 28, 2011

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 7, 2012

Get It:

Stats: 1,145 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Anonymous Joely Richardson Rafe Spall Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave Rhys Ifans Jamie Campbell Bower Anonymous Vanessa Redgrave Xavier Samuel
Upload a Photo | View All Anonymous Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (1,145)

  • blacksheepboy
    February 28, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    Emmerich loses all credibility trying to make us buy his theory at any cost. The premise is intriguing but the weak script is full of unnecessary soap-opera twists that make the plot even less believable. A mediocre movie that is also badly directed and edited, though with a grea... read moret costume design.
  • jjnxn
    February 8, 2012
    jjnxn
    Ponderous
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    February 1, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Was Shakespeare a Fraud?

    Don't waste your time! This movie is really bad and boring. I usually don't fall asleep watching movies but this one hit the spot. The story is just so ridiculous and slow you can't even start to like it in any way. One of the worst movies I have ever s... read moreeen and that's saying alot.

    A political thriller advancing the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays; set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.
  • imrealgod
    January 28, 2012
    imrealgod
    Apparently, historical accuracy is not given as much significance as the entertainment quotient. They've rather presented it as a tragic play wherein the playwright himself is a character falling victim to political tactics.

    I wasn't aware of this conspiracy theory myself until ... read moreI came across the movie. And I can hardly find it of much use to further the arguments. Watch it as a drama, and that's it. If you're looking for a lesson in history here, I don't opine this to be the right book. As for me, the movie was a mediocre drama, and I know not and care little as to whether the real author is Edward de Vere or William Shakespeare. (Besides, what's in name, right?) Thankfully, I knew what to expect here (which might have saved me from disappointment). But yeah, the time jumps was an irritating issue. The rating gets the benefit of (my) circumstances. Of course, I'm not going to elaborate on that.
  • fb733768972
    November 11, 2011
    fb733768972
    "Anonymous" is a film that takes place during the time when William Shakespeare was in the midst of writing and performing in his most well-known plays, or so it seemed. We learn (supposedly) that he had others working on his plays for him and paying him to perform in them, givin... read moreg him all the credit, for the soul reason that he knows what he is doing, not because he knows how to properly write. The story, although dragged out and dull, is extremely intriguing and a very fun ride to take through the ancient times. What goes without saying though, is that the set pieces and scenery that went into the making of this film are gorgeous to look at, and saves the dull scenes from becoming overly boring. The acting is top-notch, the idea is fresh, the historical facts are correct, but the fact that the main story is overshadowed by many side plots, will force the audience to lose interest very quickly. The screenplay is very "Shakespeare Influenced" even though we are forced to believe that he technically didn't write anything. Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie, but the fact I had to follow many plots points when I was only interested in the main one that was being pushed to the side, bored me quite a bit. Still, I applaud Emmerich's take on history and I let the film do what it wanted to do! I recommend this film to people who have read and are familiar with shakespearean plays, but unfortunately that is the only crowd who will find this film interesting. It's average, but it's fun!
  • fb510944557
    November 10, 2011
    fb510944557
    What a dumb movie. It takes the most interesting of conspiracy theories and uses a stupid explanation - Shakespeare was a drunkard who wrote his name on a play and called it his. I'm sure it had to be a bit more complex than that, if it actually happened. The film gets less and l... read moreess convincing as it goes on, it falls to ridiculous character cliche's, and of all things, loses sight of the plays as the focus! I went to see if Shakespeare did or did not write the plays that had his name on them, not to see if an heir to a loose of a Queen Elizabeth can be found. That's not what I paid to see, Roland. Why would anyone greenlight this project, this historical fiction, directed by the guy who gave us Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow? And *shudder*, 2012. God. Really? And the flashbacks...don't even get me started on the flashbacks and flash forwards. There were at least 50 during this movie, and at least 5 of them happen in the first 10 minutes. Learn to tell a story and tell it. Thats all.
  • fb1038944442
    November 9, 2011
    fb1038944442
    I adore anything by or about Shakespeare, but I did not enjoy this overblown film, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. If you see it, do it for the visual CG recreations of 16th century London, the classy, commanding and wasted perfromances of Vanessa R... read moreedgrave and daughter Joely Richardson as Queen Elizabeth I, young and old, and the spot on breakthough performance by Rafe Spall as opportunistic, stupid, debauched William Shakespeare.

    Blockbuster director Roland Emerich has handled all aesthetics and pacing with perfect compentence, but the script by John Orloff is surprisingly flat and uninvolving. What annoyed me the most was the irrelevance of the supposed central conspiracy of attributing the plays of the Earl of Oxford to the idiot from Stratford named Shakespeare. This was really a sideshow to an absurd story of Tudor succession to the throne after Queen Elizabeth's passing, which concocted an incomprehensible brew of incestual sex, religious factiionalism and personal ambition.

    After a day of thinking about it, I don't see how the story of the plays impacts on the succession story. They are mutually exclusive and I wonder why anyone should care about either. This film fails to make us care about who wrote the plays or whether King James or the Queen's illigitimate child should inherit the throne. Yes, I've ruined it for you about the illigitimate children. My bad.

    Rhys Ifans' central performance as the true writer of the plays, the Earl of Oxford, is passably forgettable, as are almost all other performances, except for the ones mentioned above and the cameo by Derek Jacobi as a prologue. If you don't have any interest in Shakespeare lore, you will be mightily bored. Shakespeare was the soul of the age, but 'Anonymous' is not even the soul of fall 2011.

    As for the authorship debate, I'm open to hearing about alternatives to the shlemiel from Stratford, but this film makes an lame, unconvincing case for Oxford. Apparently, the Earl of Oxford died before the last 7 plays in the canon were even written. That said, I'm sentimentally attached to the quiet glove maker from the provinces bad grammar school education and all.
  • fb100001050230219
    November 5, 2011
    fb100001050230219
    I don't think ''Anonymous'' does a truly great job of convincing us of its theory that Shakespeare never wrote the poems or plays we believe he wrote and the story does become muddled at times. However, Roland Emmerich has stepped up and delivered a film far better than his previ... read moreous films, though that's not saying too much. Rhys Ifans is terrific as Edward de Vere, as is Vanessa Redgrave. The film is engaging throughout in my view and Emmerich's visual style is gorgeous. It may seem a little forgiving, but if the story isn't entirely convincing, the performances, costumes, cinematography and pacing are.
  • fb1341085175
    November 2, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Considering director's Roland Emmerich's track record of directing pretty much nothing but pieces of Hollywood special effects emptiness, it might become tempting to think that the film was directed by a ghost director in the same way it approaches its subject - it's quite well p... read moreroduced and really well acted, and whilst the premisse is quite intriguing, it never really delivers in terms of narrative and fails to create much of an impression.
  • fb100000440772572
    April 2, 2012
    fb100000440772572
    Anonymous is a provocative drama that presents quite an intriguing story. Based on an obscure theory, the film presupposes that Shakespeare was an impostor and that his works originated from an English nobleman. Rhys Ifans and Joely Richardson give strong performances, but the ... read morematerial is a bit heavy and hard to follow. In fact the second half of the film gets especially convoluted, making this story all the more preposterous. Yet, despite its flaws Anonymous is an entertaining and compelling piece of speculative fiction.

View All Anonymous Reviews

Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli
October 30, 2011
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

File this one in the category of entertaining historical fiction. There are facts here, but one must possess more than a passing familiarity with history to be able to spot them. Full Review

Peter Rainer
October 29, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

John Orloff's screenplay could have used a rewrite by de Vere -- or whomever. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
October 28, 2011
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

The digitally wrought period settings are simply gorgeous. Full Review

Ben Sachs
October 28, 2011
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

This is irresistible as self-knowing camp: the players ham it up in high fashion and the script crams at least one lurid revelation into every scene. Full Review

Dana Stevens
October 28, 2011
Dana Stevens, Slate

What's disappointing about Anonymous is that it isn't dumb enough. Rather than plunging merrily ahead with its fanciful counternarrative, the movie keeps stopping to actually, seriously make its case ... Full Review

Stephen Whitty
October 28, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Like vermin, facts here are banished / Logic dispelled, plain motives all vanished ... Full Review

Tom Long
October 28, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

Anonymous may not convince anyone, but it certainly should entertain them. Full Review

Bob Mondello
October 28, 2011
Bob Mondello, NPR

As silly as most of this is, Anonymous is undeniably a handsome picture. The costumes are gorgeous, with enough velvet and brocade to make everybody seem downright upholstered. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
October 28, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Audiences may chuckle. Stratfordians, prepare for conniptions. Full Review

Christopher Orr
October 28, 2011
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

Take the political intrigue of Elizabeth, add the backstage drama of Shakespeare in Love, and divide by the adherence to fact and logic that propelled 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Elizabeth
    Elizabeth (100%)
  • Shakespeare in Love
    Shakespeare in Love (98%)
  • Elizabeth: The Golden Age
    Elizabeth: The Golden Age (100%)
  • The Social Network
    The Social Network (25%)

More Movies like Anonymous

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Young Earl of Oxford: One can't love the moon after having seen the sun.
    • Young Queen Elizabeth I: If plays are indeed such a sin. I pray that I do not find my salvation until very late in life.
    • Queen Elizabeth I: Are you the gift, my gracious little man?
Submit a Fact | View All

Anonymous : Watch Free on TV

Anonymous Trivia

  • In which movie does Bill Murray set out to track down the mother of his son after receiving an anonymous letter on pink paper?  Answer »
  • "As long as people are still having premarital sex with many anonymous partners while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence free environment, I'll be sound as a pound"!.... Which movie is this quote from?  Answer »
  • Starring - Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker posey, Jean Stapleton .... Anonymous E-mail cyberpal who fall head over laptop in love, unware that they are combative business rivals ... name this film.   Answer »
  • In what movie is this quote from: "As long as people are still having premarital sex with many anonymous partners while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence free environment, I'll be sound as a pound!"   Answer »
More Anonymous Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Anonymous Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Anonymous to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?