Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Romeo + Juliet

Don't forget to entire the Children of the 90s Ultimate Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway! It's open until Wednesday, February 17. Click here to see rules and enter for your chance to win some fun Goosebumps, BSC, Magic Eye, Lisa Frank, Pete and Pete, and more!



There's no better way to tick off the purists than to come up with some newfangled punk rock version of their treasured masterpiece and market it to teenagers. Really, nothing will get these staunch traditionalists fuming like the infusion of popular youth culture into their beloved classics. It seems their assessment of art as timeless isn't always compatible with timeliness. Sure, they might think it nice to renew an entire generation's appreciation for classical drama, but I doubt they were on board with the assertive trendiness of it all.

If you're going to fiddle with the original, chances are your resultant work will be pretty divisive. Some people are just more open to change than others. In the case of 90s adolescents, though, I the probability was far greater that they were more open to the notion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Throw in a couple of attractive young stars and teenagers are willing to overlook the fact that it's the same book they've been struggling with in their 9th grade English class. Pump up the rock music loud enough and we can just about tune out the iambic pentameter altogether.


The whole thing plays out sort of like a fast-paced music video, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might sound like Shakespeare lite, but director Baz Luhrman sticks pretty firmly to the original verse. If he'd reworked the script into slangy teenspeak-addled fluff, the effect wouldn't be quite so jarring. Instead, Luhrman simply plucks the Shakespearean characters from their Verona setting and conveniently deposits them in the surreal modern Miami-area Verona Beach. We've got guns, we've got fast cars, and we've got more "thees" and "thous" than we know what to do with. Luhrman throws the 16th and 20th centuries in a blender and gave us a delicious (and to be honest, occasionally fruity) mixture of new and old.

Like I said, it wasn't for everybody. It may not have been your particular vial of poison. Whatever your personal taste, you have to admit that it quickly morphed into a cultural phenomenon. It's hard to think of a Shakespearean tragedy as emblematic of young people in the 90s, but Luhrman's iconic updated adaptation seemed to pull it off. It was almost aggressively hip with its attractive young stars, loud music, and a drag queen Mercutio. In short, it struck a chord with young people because we had a lot in common with the film: it was the same thing people have enjoyed for generations, but it still managed to piss off adults. It was the story of our lives. You know, minus the whole star cross'd lovers bit.



Watch that trailer and tell me you don't find it just a tiny bit cool. Even critics have got to grudgingly concede that Luhrman managed to put a uniquely trendy spin on the original. It takes some pretty flowy creative juices to cast the Capulets and Montagues into gangs feuding over corporate industry turf. They may not be able to dance like their West Side Story counterparts, but they make up for it with a wealth of dramatic violence. With their sword-brand guns, of course.

The movie opens with a newscaster reporting on the star-crossed lovers, quickly segueing into a quick-paced montage of our main characters. We meet the Montagues and Capulets, but they're not quite the families we remmber from English class:


Romeo + Juliet Opening
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Things slow down a bit when our heroes get their requisite cinematic meet-cute at a masquerade party. They spot each other across an aquarium, and plunge immediately into headstrong, family-defying love. Claire Danes looks ethereal and beautiful, and Leo looks every bit as handsome as in any of his many 90s Bop! magazine appearances. It's all very romantic and subdued, especially when compared to the rest of the film's breakneck sense of urgency.



To anyone who's read or even heard of the play, what's in store for our doomed lovers doesn't come as much of a surprise. Juliet is betrothed to Paris, who doesn't seem like such a punishment when you consider he's played by Paul Rudd. Actually the casting choices in general always sort of amused me. I like Brian Dennehy as Romeo's father, but it always sort of odd to think that Romeo and Tommy Boy have the same dad. But alas, I digress. Juliet and Father Laurence hatch what they think to be a foolproof plan, but Romeo misunderstands and presumes Juliet dead. In this version, she actually wakes up and sees him after he took the poison. It's all very serious and somber until Claire Danes breaks into the fakest crying I have ever heard in my life. I love the movie and I'm a fan of Claire Danes, but that just can't go without mention. It's criminally bad.




This has become something of a love-it or hate-it kind of movie. When it came out, I loved it without question. It was edgy and cool and the cameras moved all over the place really really fast, so I was pretty sure it spoke to me on a personal level. To view it more objectively now in the more boring and analytical adult sense, I see where people find fault. I'd say if you're a naturally critical person or a purist, there's not a lot of wiggle room for liking this one. Conversely, if you're the type who is more willing to get caught up in the moment, it's far likelier you're a fan.

Romeo + Juliet performed well in theaters despite the mixed reviews. Some critics praised the film's originality and talented young stars. Others were not quite so won over by the film. Roger Ebert went so far as to remark, "The desperation with which it tries to 'update' the play and make it 'relevant' is greatly depressing." If anything, this might have just make us love the movie with greater ferocity. After all, isn't that the definitive sign of youth culture? If adults hate something, teenagers have an automatic responsibility to love it. If Romeo and Juliet could act against their parents' disapproval, the least we could do was pay homage by liking Luhrman's version.

27 comments:

Midna said...

We studied Romeo + Juliet for my English GCSE. Because our class was formed of students who needed extra help, the teacher decided our coursework would be a film review of this version. The other classes were not amused!

Melanie's Randomness said...

This is like one of the best movies ever!! The coolest thing ever is that all the guns say "Swords". I thought this movie was done so well, & of course Leonardo Dicaprio. The guy that played mercutio was phenomonal. Have to say this movie actually helped me in English class too. I remembered the famous lines. I don't even think I own this, i have to change that sooN!!

Meghan said...

I remember when I went to see this movie in the theater and everyone SCREAMED when Leo made his appearance!

I always loved the soundtrack - but I distinctly remember hating the gaudiness of the other characters...

Gracie Beth said...

I own this film and love it.

Kristen said...

I loved everything about this movie growing up. I remember going to it in the theater when I was in 9th grade, and falling in love with Leo immediately.

The soundtrack is/was awesome, I am sure it is probably still in my car somewhere..I may have to dig it out!

Sara Strand said...

Watching this movie is how I passed Classic Literature in 9th grade. AND...I still listen to the soundtrack. :)

Mrs EyeCanSee said...

I had a major Leo crush as a teen and I loooved this movie. I think I had the soundtrack on constant repeat in my car that summer.

Vanessa said...

I love love LOVE this movie! It never fails to make me swoon!

Literary Crap said...

My 9th grade advanced English teacher had us watch this version after reading the play. We thought that our teacher was the coolest person ever after that.
(The same teacher was my AP English teacher. She had us watch Ethan Hawke's Hamlet. The woman loved her some 90s hunks!)

Lucie - A Taste Of Vogue said...

Some people love this film, some people hate it! I personally hate it as we were made to do it for GCSE at school for nearly two years! But it is made/directed/produced really well!

Lucie
tasteslikevogue.blogspot.com
x

RAY J said...

I COMPLETELY forgot Paul Rudd was in this!

We always watched the "classic" version of R&J when I was in 9th grade, but this one was by far my favorite!

I wasn't allowed to watch it when it first came out, as it was rated PG13 and I was only 10 or 11 (my parents stuck to the rating system like glue!), but when it went to VHS a year later you can be sure I was right there watching it with my friends at their sleepovers!

I think I'm going to add this to my Netflix queue now - it's been YEARS since I've seen it!

Amber said...

Whenever I see this movie, I think of "Hot Fuzz" and their Baz Lurhmann-fied community theater version of Romeo + Juliet.

Also, they filmed some of the scenes for Romeo + Juliet on the beach of my small northern california town and apparently everyone saw Leo...well, at least that's what they told me when I came back from my summer vacation in Oklahoma.

Andhari said...

I miss this! This brings back the good old times when Leo is still the king of the teenage girls bedroom walls :P

Ali said...

One of my top 3 favorite movies! LOOOVE that you posted this.

The One With... said...

I was ten when I saw this movie. I understood none of the dialogue, but I still absolutely adored it. Also, great love for drag queen Mercutio.

Charlotte said...

Oh, this post brought back so many good memories! That movie & and the soundtrack were just the definition of cool back then. As was Leo. *sigh*

Jenny @ Practically Perfect... said...

I was OBSESSED with Leonardo DiCaprio in high school. When this movie came out, I was all about it - watched it several times, bought the soundtrack and listened to it repeatedly, bought the VHS which I kept till about 2 years ago when our VCR bit the dust. I have the DVD version now, too. Yes, it pretty well butchers the original R&J, but I still love it!

Gwen said...

Okay. I'll admit it. I loved this movie and still watch it today. LOL!! XOXO

Kristen said...

As someone who has always struggled with classic literature, I was so excited when this movie came out because I thought it was gonna be a modern English take on Shakespearian writing. Watching this movie I had no idea what was going on. I watched it again recently and was still lost. Thank goodness for "Ten Things I Hate About You". At least I understand one Shakespearian story!

Heather Taylor said...

I adored this movie in 8th grade and still can't believe that Paul Rudd was in it!

rachaelgking said...

Say what you will... the whole movie was worth it simply for that Dido song. It can still make me cry.

Connie @ SogniESorrisi said...

I love Romeo + Juliet. I thought the visuals were amazing and they did a great job of updating it.

Corrie Howe said...

Just wanted to let you know that I love the premise of your blog, even if I don't relate to it. I may learn some of what I missed as I was raising my own son in the 90s.

Anonymous said...

Caught up in the moment = ME! Not only do I still love this movie, but it brings back special memories...like that first kiss with Corey on my first real date in the 8th grade...and all the nights I would fall asleep at the age of 15 listening to that beautiful song, "Kissing You." Aaaahhhh the good times.

Betamaxrules said...

The first time I saw this, I hated it. Then I had to watch it and study it for english class when we were studying the play.
Weirdly, I gained a new appretiation for it when I studied how well it had conveyed the themes from the original and put them in a modern setting. And now I love it.
The wonders of english class, huh.

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