Romeo + Juliet

Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Written by William Shakespeare (play), Craig Pearce and Baz Luhrmann (screenplay). Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo), Claire Danes (Juliet) and John Leguizamo (Tybalt)

Bottom line: With so much of this movie relying on the visual and sound, it fell short of the mark because it didn't address the unique challenges of working with the Shakespearean lines, the miserable music and the lame acting.
2/4



I didn't want to dislike Romeo + Juliet. I like Romeo and Juliet a lot. I like the art style of this movie. I really liked the idea of using the original script with a modern day setting. But it just didn't work for me.

Remember the first time you read Shakespeare aloud? You are reading and reading and stumbling over words but, wait, there is an exclamation mark at the end of this word, THAT MEANS SHOUT, RIGHT?! The kids who knew what they were doing saw the exclamation before they starting reading so they built up to it.

The acting in Romeo + Juliet is kinda like that. Act 1, Scene 4, where Romeo and Mercutio are talking about dreams. Mercutio seems speak in playful jest but, at the drop of a hat, he is screaming in anger. So, really, it isn't so much an issue with acting but with language. I spent a good deal of time and energy trying to understand the words they are saying so I kinda miss the acting. Then I see yelling and shouting with a shift in music and I get all mixed up.

Pete Postlethwaite as Father Laurence was the exception. It isn't surprising that he was a member of the Royal Shakespearean Company. Even though I only picked up a part of his lines, I understand the sentiment by his consistent, smooth performance. I wish they had more of him and less of everyone else.

On a different note, I hated the music and silly direction this movie took. The first shooting scene could have been dramatic and intense but then goofy music was thrown in. It is an intense scene in the play (I think) so I don't see why we had to make it like a cartoon? Similarly, why do we have to have the maid screaming "whoo-liet!" even two seconds? Is it mildly racist comic relief?

I wonder what could have been done to make this a better movie. It is as if they said "Alright, we're using the original script so we don't have to worry about the dialogue. Let's make this movie a kaleidoscope!" They didn't seem to account for the fact that the Shakespearean lines aren't a piece of cake to follow. Unless I have some visuals to complement the dialog, I am going to be lost.

If you've ever watched a movie in another language with no subtitles, it poses a similar issue. I saw a Russian bootleg of Predators (2010). Granted, I don't think I was missing anything without dialogue but I still was able to grasp the concept of the plot. With Romeo + Juliet, the only way I was able to follow along was because I knew the story and it was in English (of sorts). Overall, visuals and dialogue should complement not be placed at odds with each other.