William Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Today is the 457th anniversary of the birth of the most widely renowned writer in the English language.

I tried to figure out where Willy and I could meet up for a quick latte or a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone clown, but he is, unfortunately, unavailable for social engagements this year (stupid Covid!). In his absence, I have decided to celebrate without him with a movie marathon of movies inspired by some of Shakespeare’s works.

As much as I’d love to make my way to a theater and spend four hours watching Hamlet, I am also slightly over-booked this week, so I decided to make more efficient use of my time and watch The Lion King instead. Yes, Disney’s The Lion King is just Hamlet made more digestible for the kiddies. I’ll let you digest that concept a moment (I have already made peace with how long it took for me to process this information).

One of my favorite Shakespeare adaptations is Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, if for no other reason than it’s fabulous soundtrack. One of the hallmarks of a great 90s movie was a superb soundtrack - and Romeo + Juliet was one of those. With tracks from personal faves such as Everclear and Garbage, the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack was largely responsible for breaking the Cardigans into earworm history wit “Lovefool.” If it’s stuck in your head now, take comfort in knowing it’s been in mine for days.

As I waited endlessly for a call back from Mr. Shakespeare’s people regarding a possible get together, I got a head start on my movie marathon by watching Tim Blake Nelson’s O and John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love. O is based on Othello and gives us Julia Stiles’ first appearance on this list, but her second performance in a Shakespeare adaptation. More about that later. In general, I will watch Stiles read the phone book (or at least listen to her reading one) and O is definitely worth the watch. Shakespeare in Love is watchable if for no other reason than to indulge in the rare opportunity to hate Colin Firth. Shakespeare in Love gobbled up seven Oscars, beating out Saving Private Ryan, and earning the film plenty of retroactive disdain.

I, like many of my generation, was a latchkey kid - spending an inordinate amount of time home alone. Occasionally, I would venture to the house of one of my friends (who was also home alone) and we would indulge in the favorite childhood pastime of watching age inappropriate movies on cable tv. Back then, it seemed like the movie Just One of the Guys was on midday cable at least twice a week. I had no idea I was watching a Shakespeare-inspired movie at the time. With its gender switching storyline, Just One of the Guys is an obvious derivative of Twelfth Night. Despite its lofty origins, I think we just watched it as an excuse to see teen hijinx and gratuitous 80s nudity.

Later in my youth, I got particularly high-falutin’ with my taste in movies. I took a few film appreciation courses in college and found myself at the occasional film festival. I distinctly remember meeting a group of my peers (and a few professors) for a screening of Akita Kurosawa’s Ran (which follows a similar storyline to King Lear). While a quick google tells me that Ran only lasts for 2 hours 42 minutes, I have to admit it felt like it was longer to me. I openly admit I’m not great with subtitled films due to my inability to simultaneously read the dialog and follow the action unfolding on the screen. That being said, there were several scenes in which I was able to just ignore the subtitles and take in the beauty of the epic cinematography.

Another film festival Shakespeare adaptation worth digging up is Fred M. Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet - based on The Tempest - while 50’s sci-fi might not be your thing, this one is worth a watch just to check out the early electronic music score written and performed by Louis and Bebe Barron.

Earlier, I mentioned my love for Julia Stiles. This admiration began early in her career with the teen dramedy 10 Things I Hate About You. I realize not everyone appreciates a song and dance number in the middle of their teenage angst, but 10 Things manages to hit a perfect balance of drama and comedy throughout. As far as adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew go, this is probably my favorite.

Before his death, River Phoenix was all I needed to see on a movie poster to get me to lace up my chucks and head for the theater. My Private Idaho changed everything I thought I knew about Phoenix as an actor. Prior to Gus Van Sant’s loose take on Henry IV, River Phoenix was firmly cemented as a teen heartthrob in my mind. His portrayal of a queer, narcoleptic street hustler changed that for me - and anyone else who had pigeon-holed Phoenix based on his earlier roles. This isn’t a movie I revisit often, but when I do, it reminds me what a great talent was lost when Phoenix died due to substance abuse Halloween night 1993.

Everyone has guilty pleasure movies that make grey or sick days a little easier to manage. Written by Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters, Mean Girls is one of my not-so-guilty pleasure movies that I’ll put in just for pleasant background noise or actively watch if I need a little pick-me-up. Any person who has survived high school knows that teenage females are the cruelest of creatures. Tina Fey used the framework of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Julius Caesar to construct her critique of the American teenage female around. Now, in my discussions with friends and family about the wide range of movies based on Shakespeare’s plays, I’ve come to a bit of a realization. Almost any movie can be accused of being based on one of Shakespeare’s works because his plays not only explored such a wide range of human experiences, but because as a standard of literature for over four centuries, the structure of a Shakespeare play is quite often the purest and most accessible form of any tale you can imagine.

So, pop some popcorn, snuggle up and wish Willy Shakes a happy, happy birthday!