Were the World Mine 2008

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Were the World Mine gets by on sheer charm -- and on Gustafson's inventive direction, Kira Kelly's elegant cinematography and co-screenwriter Cory James Krueckeberg's whimsical production design, which works wonders on a limited budget. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: There are times when it is safe to say that a labor of love is love's labor lost, and, reader, this is one of them. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Were the World Mine is seriously uneven. If it displays considerable imagination and creativity, it also lapses too often into smug, campy silliness. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: A diverting Chicago-made export, director and co-writer Tom Gustafson's gay fantasia on Shakespearean themes is set in a socially stratified private school ruled by the rugby jocks but about to be sent into a tizzy thanks to the magic of Shakespeare. Read more

Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly: When the film narrows its focus from big questions addressed through overly broad strokes and instead zooms in on one-on-one interactions and the emotional power of a well-made musical sequence, it taps into a winning sweetness and poignancy. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: The movie takes the familiar scenarios of high school angst and adolescent crushes and gives them a wonderful musical spin, complete with elaborate sets and choreography. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: An ambitious gay musical fantasy inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tom Gustafson's Were the World Mine is far better in concept than execution. The shoestring budget hurts. Read more

Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle: Were the World Mine follows the teen musical formula but renders its material with admirable lushness and intelligence. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This high school reworking of A Midsummer Night's Dream never really takes flight, but neither is it the preening misfire the first half promises. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Anna King, Time Out: Read more

Jay Weissberg, Variety: The clunky script keeps pulling everything to an earthbound level well below the desired airy realm. Read more

Mike Mayo, Washington Post: Editorial Review Writer-producer-director Tom Gustafson's musical fantasy Were the World Mine, based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is mostly delightful. Read more