Romeo + Juliet (1996)
September 30, 2024 3:24 PM - Subscribe
In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
Starring lots of people, including Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo, Claire Danes as Juliet, Paul Sorvino as Lord Capulet and Brian Dennehy as Lord Montague.
Oh and Miriam Margolyes as the Nurse.
Letterboxd for those who do.
JustWatch, in case that helps anyone.
Contemporaneous Roger Ebert review, who did not care for it.
25th Anniversary piece from Time Magazine.
The Ringer has a retrospective I do not bite my thumb at.
Starring lots of people, including Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo, Claire Danes as Juliet, Paul Sorvino as Lord Capulet and Brian Dennehy as Lord Montague.
Oh and Miriam Margolyes as the Nurse.
Letterboxd for those who do.
JustWatch, in case that helps anyone.
Contemporaneous Roger Ebert review, who did not care for it.
25th Anniversary piece from Time Magazine.
The Ringer has a retrospective I do not bite my thumb at.
My only exposure to this movie is through Tumblr gifs, which tend to show Perrineau having an absolute ball with his part. Which is not a bad thing, all in all.
I don't think I'm inclined to see the whole thing, though. R+J is not my favorite play to begin with, and it appeals even less as I get older. Grow the hell up, you emptyheaded children.
(I did see one televised performance of the Prokofiev ballet that made clear that Juliet was being railroaded by her parents into an unwanted marriage to Paris, such that Romeo represented a way out. That's an interpretation I can get along with -- even in the play, Juliet is smarter and more trapped than Romeo. Not that either of them is winning any prizes for brains.)
posted by humbug at 4:31 PM on September 30 [3 favorites]
I don't think I'm inclined to see the whole thing, though. R+J is not my favorite play to begin with, and it appeals even less as I get older. Grow the hell up, you emptyheaded children.
(I did see one televised performance of the Prokofiev ballet that made clear that Juliet was being railroaded by her parents into an unwanted marriage to Paris, such that Romeo represented a way out. That's an interpretation I can get along with -- even in the play, Juliet is smarter and more trapped than Romeo. Not that either of them is winning any prizes for brains.)
posted by humbug at 4:31 PM on September 30 [3 favorites]
I love this adaptation. Early on, I found the fast cuts all a bit much, but once we got into more meaty parts of the script things settled down enough that I wasn't finding it distracting. Also, I love that they had Perrineau use the Queen Mab speech in a way to make it significant in a modern telling.
posted by rmd1023 at 4:54 PM on September 30 [3 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 4:54 PM on September 30 [3 favorites]
I saw this when it came out, thought it was kind of neat, and... pretty much the only thing I remember about it was John Leguizamo just completely going for it. Everything else was too slick to stick in my brain.
You know what Shakespeare adaptation from the same year did stick in my brain? Tromeo and Juliet. "They found a peanut, all right, honey. The found a peanut of death."
posted by phooky at 7:39 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]
You know what Shakespeare adaptation from the same year did stick in my brain? Tromeo and Juliet. "They found a peanut, all right, honey. The found a peanut of death."
posted by phooky at 7:39 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]
John Leguizamo as Tybalt "Thou art a villain!" and Harold Perrineau as Mercutio stole this one. I saw this 3-4 times in the theater as I had just moved away from home and wasn't old enough to drink. I also really liked Quindon Tarver's cover of When Doves Cry.
posted by soelo at 7:50 PM on September 30 [4 favorites]
posted by soelo at 7:50 PM on September 30 [4 favorites]
Rewatched this recently and still liked it - I also thought Harold Perrineau completely stole the show. And Leguizamo, Dennehy, Sorvino, Rudd, lots of good performances (and inspired casting!). Leo was a bit of a weak point IMO, but Claire Danes was nice.
The name "Dave Paris" still cracks me up. And "Ted Montague".
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this movie works very well as a legitimate tragedy, more of a fun experiment...
Although "Lovefool" is a legit classic.
posted by equalpants at 8:04 PM on September 30 [1 favorite]
The name "Dave Paris" still cracks me up. And "Ted Montague".
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this movie works very well as a legitimate tragedy, more of a fun experiment...
Although "Lovefool" is a legit classic.
posted by equalpants at 8:04 PM on September 30 [1 favorite]
so one of my favorite Turns Outs is that, back in the day, Shakespeare plays would basically depict historic figures like their contemporary counter parts (e.g. Cleopatra would be dressed like a European monarch), which means that, in a certain sense, this is actually the most properly authentic a staging of Romeo & Juliet can be
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:30 PM on September 30 [7 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:30 PM on September 30 [7 favorites]
separately I do genuinely love this movie and its sheer goddamn audacity — everything from the opening narration being delivered by a newscaster to Luhrmann seeing frequent references to swords in the script and just going "fuck it we'll just write 'sword' on a gun" and it WORKS PERFECTLY SOMEHOW
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:32 PM on September 30 [11 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:32 PM on September 30 [11 favorites]
I do bite my thumb at that review for The Ringer. Those plot holes they're complaining about aren't even real (Cellphone coverage in isolated trailer parks wasn't great in 1996, Father Laurence did not supply deadly poison to Romeo), and the Montague Boys are the perfect embodiment of troublesome teenage boys. Yes, I am sure it is so good.
One of my favourite parts is Romeo saying "Wilst thou leave me so unsatisfied?" and Juliet giving him a hell of a look replying "What satisfaction could thoust have" you dirty bastard?
posted by WhackyparseThis at 1:34 AM on October 1 [2 favorites]
One of my favourite parts is Romeo saying "Wilst thou leave me so unsatisfied?" and Juliet giving him a hell of a look replying "What satisfaction could thoust have" you dirty bastard?
posted by WhackyparseThis at 1:34 AM on October 1 [2 favorites]
I’d love to write something more considered and insightful, but I’m just stuck on “I fckn love this movie.”
posted by jjderooy at 3:00 AM on October 1 [4 favorites]
posted by jjderooy at 3:00 AM on October 1 [4 favorites]
There's a lot to like about this movie, even though it occasionally collapses into its own theatrical excess. The soundtrack is an absolute classic.
posted by merriment at 5:07 AM on October 1 [2 favorites]
posted by merriment at 5:07 AM on October 1 [2 favorites]
The scene at the gas station with Leguizamo was fun.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:41 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:41 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
phooky - I had completely forgotten that the excellent Tromeo & Juliet came out the same year as this. Wow!
posted by rmd1023 at 8:28 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 8:28 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
"By my heel, I care not."
Ugghhhhhh, Harold Perrineau as Mercutio was just fuckin perfection
posted by Kitteh at 8:52 AM on October 1 [6 favorites]
Ugghhhhhh, Harold Perrineau as Mercutio was just fuckin perfection
posted by Kitteh at 8:52 AM on October 1 [6 favorites]
^ That's one of the gifs that regularly circulates on Tumblr. Putting Mercutio in heely sneakers for that line is legit clever.
posted by humbug at 9:47 AM on October 1 [3 favorites]
posted by humbug at 9:47 AM on October 1 [3 favorites]
Every Luhrmann is a trainwreck. Rarely good, but never boring.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:52 PM on October 1
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 2:52 PM on October 1
I saw this in college while coming down from acid. At one point everyone was talking backwards.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:07 PM on October 1
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:07 PM on October 1
Few things were ever so heart-rendingly, achingly beautiful as Leo & Claire set to that Des'ree song, and fewer still as glorious as Harold Perrineau.
posted by ApathyGirl at 4:04 PM on October 1 [2 favorites]
posted by ApathyGirl at 4:04 PM on October 1 [2 favorites]
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Mercutio is my favorite character in the play and I did not care for this characterization. It was just too screamy and didn't give space for the actor (Harold Perrineau) to really live in the character. Honestly, no-one was given time to just be the character except for Leo and Claire. Which is OK, maybe, as they're the title characters. We all know, if you've been following this club, Shakespeare loves a unique character and there's usually plenty to go around. Not this time. Only raves. No thoughts.
posted by fiercekitten at 3:31 PM on September 30