An “instant classic” starring Gwyneth Paltrow that won a host of awards is streaming for free in the UK. Shakespeare in Love (1998) is a romantic comedy period drama focuses on a fictional romance between playwright William Shakespeare (played by Joseph Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps (Paltrow) while “The Bard” was writing his classic Romeo and Juliet.

The film features a variety of characters based on historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I (Judi Dench) and incorporates plot elements and themes from Shakespeare’s ouvre. The all-star cast also include The King’s Speech stars Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth, and Ben Affleck.

The blockbuster was directed by John Madden, and written by British playwright Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman.

The film won big at the 71st Academy Awards the following year, picking up seven Oscars, Best Picture, Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), as well as the Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.

Fans have showered the film with praise on IMDb, with one calling it a “fantastic film in all departments”. “You cannot go wrong with the splendid locations and the wondrous costumes.

“The screenplay was superlative, very witty and moving, and one of the few screenplays out there that completely blew me away.”

They also praised the “talented cast, with Joseph Fiennes utterly charming and handsome as William Shakespeare, and Gwyneth Paltrow in possibly her best performance was by every means captivating as Lady Viola”.

A second said “top-notch” writing and directing as well as “first-rate performances definitely make this film an instant classic hands down”.

However, not everyone was bowled over by it. Some questioned whether it deserved the hype, with one writing: “This movie was overrated. All the fuss wasn’t worth it.

“The movie for some reason was loved by critics while audiences seem to find it rather slow. The acting was nothing to write home about and the story lacked at places. This movie was perfectly watch able but wasn’t as good as I was led to believe it would be.”

Others have questioned whether it was worthy of winning the Best Picture Oscar.

But others came out to bat for the film, with saying the “heart warming tale of forbidden love” is “delivered in a charming way, with subtle comedy undertones throughout”.

David Hunter previously wrote for the Hollywood Reporter that the film achieves “the miraculous”, managing to “faithfully recreate Elizabethan times and stagecraft, imagine a soaring romance for the most famous author in the English language (if not the universe), show the genesis and evolution of that immortal tragedy Romeo and Juliet and revel equally in the story’s heady/sweaty mixture of classic literature and free love”.

The film has a 15 certificate and contains moderate sex and nudity, so viewer discretion is advised.

Shakespeare in Love is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.