‘Anonymous’ an addled mess

William Shakespeare was a drunken, illiterate buffoon. So goes the premise of “Anonymous,” the latest piece of confused and confusing cinema to re-examine the Bard’s legacy. “Anonymous”

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis

Grade: B-

William Shakespeare was a drunken, illiterate buffoon. So goes the premise of “Anonymous,” the latest piece of confused and confusing cinema to re-examine the Bard’s legacy.

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), has a predicament. He’s a talented and prolific poet forced to publish anonymously because of his status and title — in other words, first-world problems. Needing a public face to represent his works at the theater, he hires a fictionalized version of Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to pose as the author. But on opening day, Jonson gets cold feet, allowing playwright credit to fall to a little-known drunken actor by the name of William Shakespeare. And thus begins a tragic comedy of fame, intrigue and mistaken identity.

There’s also something rotten in the British nobility. There are bastard children, hints of rebellion and treason, and a character that is highly reminiscent of Richard III, with his plots involving royal succession. The plot gets about as complicated as four Shakespeare plays mixed together — which is pretty much what this film feels like. It might be advisable to take some notes.

The biggest problem with “Anonymous” is that it tries too hard to do entirely too much, using plot devices that mimic Shakespearean standards. It crams in twisted threads of intrigue and montages of famous scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Hamlet,” and other Shakespearean works, as well as explosive chase scenes for the action-hungry viewer. In studying the Bard’s work so closely, it’s a shame the film’s creators did not learn a thing or two about the perils of employing multiple identities.

And then there’s the drama — and it’s not the good kind. Few moments in film will ever rival the laughable melodrama of Natalie Portman’s infamous “Anakin, you’re breaking my heart!” line in “Star Wars: Episode III,” but the hysterics that Edward de Vere and his wife exchange might be worthy contenders. “Are you possessed?” she cries. “Maybe I am!” he retorts, and the movie theater’s audience chortled.

Taking on Shakespeare’s legacy certainly takes mettle, and the movie does possess some admirable qualities, such as Armesto’s and Ifans’ strong performances. But on the whole, “Anonymous” just gets bogged down by too much toil and trouble to make a compelling film.