Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Jr., Pete Postlethwaite
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 120 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
The classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy is updated by director Baz Luhrmann to a post-modern Verona Beach where swords are merely a brand of gun and bored youths are easily spurred toward violence. Longtime rivals in religion and business, the Montagues and the Capulets share a page from the Jets and Sharks of West Side Story when they form rival gangs. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) is aloof toward the goings-on of his Montague cousins, but after he realizes that Juliet (Claire Danes) is a Capulet at the end of one very wild party, the enmity between the two clans becomes the root of his angst. He relies heavily -- and with serious consequences -- on his rebel gender-bender of a friend, Mercutio (Harold Perrineau Jr.), and Father (not Friar) Lawrence (Pete Postlethwaite) for protection and support. Romeo is, of course, exiled, and it looks like Juliet will be forced into an arranged marriage with the bland Paris (Paul Rudd). It ends, as Romeo and Juliet must, when Romeo hears a tragic piece of misinformation and brings his suicide wish to what was meant to be Juliet 's temporary tomb. This time, though, the turf and the weapon of choice have taken a turn toward the surreal. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Review
For the 1996 cinematic version of Romeo+Juliet, Strictly Ballroom (1992) director Baz Luhrmann opted to flamboyantly update Shakespeare for the MTV generation. From the moment the Capulets and Montagues are introduced via the evening news, and the rival gangs engage in a semi-automatic "sword" shoot-out, Luhrmann's restlessly post-modern interpretation of the teen romance to end all others never lets up. The vibrant colors and costumes, florid "Verona Beach" settings, souped-up pace, watery balcony interlude, and kinetic widescreen cinematography culminate in a neon-lit death scene that alone was worth the Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction. The diverse soundtrack, including 1990s alternative rock, dance music, and a choral cover by Prince matches the equally eclectic cast. Not all critics, though, were enthralled by Luhrmann's hyper-stylized vision, nor convinced that Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio's naturalistic style did justice to the Bard. Still, the couple's youth and chemistry added up to a convincing romance, helping to turn Romeo+Juliet into a box-office success, and leaving Berlin Film Festival prize-winner DiCaprio poised to become a teen dream in 1997's blockbuster Titanic. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Doug Hardwick - Art Director, Jill Bilcock - Associate Producer, Catherine Martin - Associate Producer, Donald M. McAlpine - Casting, David Rubin - Casting, John (Cha Cha) O'Connell - Choreography, Brent Woolsey - Coordinator, Martin Brown - Co-producer, Kym Barrett - Costume Designer, Martin Walters - First Assistant Director, Miguel Gil - First Assistant Director, Miguel Lima Martinez - First Assistant Director, Baz Luhrmann - Director, Jill Bilcock - Editor, Nellee Hooper - Composer (Music Score), Nellee Hooper - Songwriter, Craig Armstrong - Songwriter, Maruis de Vries - Songwriter, Garbage - Songwriter, Catherine Martin - Production Designer, Donald M. McAlpine - Cinematographer, Baz Luhrmann - Producer, Gabriella Martinelli - Producer, Brigitte Broch - Set Designer, Catherine Doherty - Set Designer, Rebecca Marie - Special Effects, Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer, Craig Pearce - Screenwriter, Baz Luhrmann - Screenwriter, Martin Brown - Screenwriter, William Shakespeare - Play Author
