You’ve seen the tropes before. The enemies-to-lovers arc. The high-stakes competition. The quirky subculture that serves as a backdrop for two people who clearly should be together but spend ninety minutes pretending they shouldn't. But All's Faire in Love—a 2009 film that feels like a fever dream of velvet doublets and turkey legs—manages to be something weirdly specific. It isn't just a movie. It’s a love letter to the people who spend their weekends in mud pits and corsets.
Most people skip over it. They see the poster, see Christina Ricci and Owen Benjamin, and assume it’s just another bargain-bin comedy. But if you actually sit through it, you realize it’s capturing a very real, very niche era of independent filmmaking and "Ren Faire" culture.
What All’s Faire in Love Gets Right (and Very Wrong)
Let's be honest. The movie isn't winning an Oscar. It sits with a pretty rough 0% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, though the audience score is always a bit more forgiving. Why? Because the critics were looking for Shakespeare in Love, and what they got was a slapstick comedy set at a Renaissance festival.
The plot is simple enough. Kate (Christina Ricci) is a theatre student who joins a Renaissance fair to gain "real" acting experience. She runs into Will (Owen Benjamin), a guy trying to save his varsity football career by performing at the same fair. It’s basically a clash of worlds. The "theatre kid" meets the "jock" in the middle of a jousting ring. It’s predictable. You know exactly how it ends within the first ten minutes. But the charm isn't in the destination; it's in the weirdly accurate depiction of Faire life.
Real "Rennies"—the people who live and work the circuit—will tell you that the camaraderie shown in the film is actually pretty spot on. There’s a specific brand of chaotic energy that comes with living in a trailer and smelling like woodsmoke for two months straight. The film captures that. It gets the hierarchy of the performers, the grime of the backstage areas, and the sheer absurdity of trying to maintain a "thee and thou" accent while dealing with modern-day drama.
The Cast: A Strange Mix of Talent
It is genuinely wild to see the names attached to this project. You have Christina Ricci, who at the time was already a massive indie darling. Then there's Matthew Lillard, who is basically the king of high-energy character acting. Watching Lillard chew the scenery as a rival performer is probably the best part of the entire experience. He knows exactly what kind of movie he’s in. He isn't trying to be subtle. He's being loud, wearing leather, and leaning into the camp.
And then you have Ann-Margret. Yes, the Ann-Margret. Seeing a Hollywood legend in a movie about a Renaissance fair is the kind of cognitive dissonance that makes 2000s cinema so fascinating.
The film was directed by Nasa Sigaloff. It was shot mostly at the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly, Michigan. This gives the movie a sense of scale that a soundstage just couldn't replicate. You can see the dust. You can see the actual buildings that have stood there for decades. It feels lived-in because it is a real place.
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The Cultural Impact of the Renaissance Subculture
People laugh at Renaissance fairs. They make jokes about the "nerds" in capes. But All's Faire in Love tapped into a community that is massive and fiercely loyal. In the United States alone, the Renaissance Faire industry generates millions of dollars annually. The Texas Renaissance Festival, for example, draws over half a million visitors a year.
The movie tries to bridge the gap between "normies" and "Rennies." It asks the question: why do we do this? Why do we spend our hard-earned money to wear uncomfortable clothes and eat oversized drumsticks?
The answer the film provides is actually kinda sweet. It’s about escapism. It’s about finding a place where your weirdness is a feature, not a bug. In the film, Will starts off embarrassed to be there. He’s a football player; he’s supposed to be "cool." But by the end, he realizes that the "geeks" at the fair have more passion and integrity than his teammates back home. It’s a classic theme, but in the context of a Renaissance fair, it feels fresh-ish.
Why the Critics Hated It (and Why You Might Not)
The main criticism leveled at the film was its "low-brow" humor. There are a lot of jokes about bodily functions. There’s a lot of physical comedy that feels like it belongs in 1995. If you're looking for a witty, Sorkin-esque dialogue-driven masterpiece, you’re going to be disappointed.
However, if you view it through the lens of a cult classic, it changes.
Cult classics aren't always "good" movies. They are movies that capture a moment or a feeling. All's Faire in Love captures that mid-2000s transition where nerd culture was starting to go mainstream, but hadn't quite arrived yet. It was released just a couple of years before Game of Thrones made fantasy "cool" for everyone.
Comparisons to Other "Faire" Media
If you liked this, you've probably seen Role Models or maybe the documentary Renaissance, CA. Role Models came out around the same time and handled the "LARPing" subculture with a bit more bite and better writing. But All's Faire in Love is softer. It’s more of a romantic comedy than a raunchy "bro" movie.
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It also shares some DNA with Best in Show or Waiting for Guffman, though it lacks the improvisational genius of Christopher Guest's ensemble. It tries to do that "mockumentary" style in certain scenes but then pivots back to a traditional narrative. That inconsistency is probably what hurt it most with critics. It didn't quite know if it wanted to be a parody or a sincere romance.
Technical Details: Production and Legacy
- Release Date: September 2009 (limited), later on DVD in 2011.
- Filming Location: Michigan Renaissance Festival.
- Original Title: It was originally titled The Renaissance Knight.
- Runtime: 108 minutes.
The production was plagued by some delays. It sat on the shelf for a bit before getting a very quiet release. This usually signals a "bad" movie, but in this case, it was more about the changing landscape of film distribution. Smaller indie comedies were getting squeezed out by the rising tide of big-budget superhero films.
Honestly, the legacy of the film is mostly found in late-night streaming sessions and Renaissance Faire campsites. It's the kind of movie you put on while you're sewing your own tunic or polishing your boots. It’s "comfy" cinema.
Breaking Down the "Love" Element
Is the romance believable? Sorta. Christina Ricci can have chemistry with a wall, so she does a lot of the heavy lifting here. Owen Benjamin, who later became a controversial figure in the world of stand-up and social media, plays the "clueless jock" well enough.
The central conflict—Will keeping his "secret" life from his football friends—is the weakest part of the script. We've seen it a million times. What's more interesting is the romance between the older characters and the background performers. There’s a sense that these people have been "playing" at this for twenty years, and the lines between their real lives and their characters have blurred. That’s where the real "love" is. It’s the love of the craft.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs and Rennies
If you're going to dive into the world of Renaissance-themed media or if you're planning to watch the film for the first time, keep these things in mind:
Don't expect historical accuracy.
The costumes are "Ren-Faire accurate," which means they are a mix of 1500s England, 1970s hippie culture, and 2000s mall-goth aesthetics. If you're a history buff looking for a documentary on the Tudor period, look elsewhere.
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Look for the cameos.
Keep an eye out for real-life Renaissance fair performers in the background. Many of the people in the crowd and the "acts" on stage were actual professionals hired for the shoot.
Watch it with the right mindset.
This is a "beer and pizza" movie. It’s meant to be watched with friends who don't take themselves too well.
Explore the Michigan Renaissance Festival.
If you're ever in Holly, Michigan, during the late summer or early fall, visit the site. It’s one of the most famous festivals in the country. Seeing the actual locations where Ricci and Lillard ran around adds a layer of fun to the experience.
Check out the soundtrack.
It has that quintessential early-2000s indie-folk vibe that really cements the era.
Final Insights
The truth is, All's Faire in Love won't be remembered as a cinematic masterpiece. It’s messy, the jokes are hit-or-miss, and the plot is thin. But it remains one of the only films to ever truly give a platform to the Renaissance festival subculture. It treats the performers with a level of respect that you don't often see. It doesn't mock them for their hobby; it celebrates them for their passion.
In a world of perfectly polished, billion-dollar franchises, there’s something refreshing about a movie that’s just... weird. It’s a reminder of a time when you could get a decent budget together to film a movie at a festival in Michigan just because the idea sounded fun.
To get the most out of the "Faire" experience, you should look beyond the screen. Support your local Renaissance festival. These events are often the lifeblood of independent artisans, leatherworkers, and performers. While the movie shows a fictionalized version of their lives, the struggle to keep these festivals alive is very real. Many festivals faced permanent closure during the early 2020s, and the community is still recovering. Buying a ticket to a local fair is the best way to keep the spirit of "all's faire" alive.