Though far from perfect, as many enjoyable things are, Juliet & Romeo is still a good time.
The tale of Romeo and Juliet is hardly anything new, so whenever there is a chance to revive or reimagine it, there’s something exciting there. For instance, Baz Lurhmann’s beloved 1996 Romeo + Juliet found the characters in a modern-day world. Just this past year there have been two vastly different stage takes on the play, and it does not seem like reimaginings are going to be going anywhere soon.
Timothy Scott Bogart’s recent take on the classic doesn’t put the characters of fair Verona in a modern setting, but it does reimagine them with modern pop music and modern language. That’s right—none of the iambic pentameter William Shakespeare’s works are known for. It’s a choice that may prove to be polarizing amongst fans. The result is something that hits close to Romeo + Juliet, but often ends up missing the mark of anything truly poignant or with much bite.
However, that is not to say that it isn’t fun. It very much is, especially with its fairytale-esque telling. The music itself is especially catchy and not unlike popular songs you may hear on the radio. And the real Italian locations lend an extra layer of believability to this tale as well. In fact, it is not much of a stretch to say the movie wouldn’t have been good without them. It anchors the viewer inside the story, placing these characters into real-life settings that weren’t green screened in or vastly different locations that tried to be passed off for the real thing.
When we first enter the story, it’s 1301 and two families are warring: Lord Montague (Jason Isaacs) and Lord and Lady Capulet (Rupert Everett and Rebel Wilson). As you’d expect, Isaacs and Everett give the roles their all. Wilson, who some may not know was classically trained, is right in her element, and it is a wonder she doesn’t do more films like this.
The romance of Romeo (Jamie Ward) and Juliet (Clara Rugaard) moves fast-–perhaps a tad faster than the source material, but the plot has always been quick-paced. But once Romeo and Juliet meet, they’re infatuated.
With appearances by Derek Jacobi (Friar Lawrence) and Dan Fogler (the Apothecary), Bogart and co. know how to utilize their skills. Fogler, charismatic as ever, has a wonderfully fun number he sings in his laboratory. Jacobi is a wizened presence, a close and stoic confidante for both Romeo and Juliet.
It’s a fresh take, and at the end of the day, many of us would prefer to take a chance on something that tries new things with existing source material. Juliet & Romeo probably would have taken the airwaves by storm if it had been made in the mid 2010s, but preteen and teenage girls will always exist, and there is no doubt that the score will resonate with many of them.
Though far from perfect, as many enjoyable things are, it’s still a good time. It’s love, and heartbreak, and it could have a sequel, so who knows where things will go after this.
Be sure to watch our interview with the cast and creatives of Juliet & Romeo to learn more about the behind-the-scenes and how this movie flipped things on its head.
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About Juliet & Romeo
Set in 1301 at the end of Medieval times, the Juliet & Romeo Franchise finds our most famous Star-Crossed lovers turning the tides on the history Shakespeare based his own story on, as they reveal the truth to the very future of the Empire.
But the biggest twist in this most beloved of tales, is leaving the poetry of Iambic Pentameter in the past, for the original Pop Music that rockets these ever-present themes right to the heart of our characters in the most surprising, and perhaps most powerful way that has ever been seen, or heard, before… the greatest love story of all time, set to the greatest music of our time.
