Thursday, October 10, 2013

Romeo and Juliet - 3 stars

Hailee Steinfeld (from True Grit) plays Juliet and Douglas Booth plays Romeo in this latest movie version of Shakespeare's tragedy.  As far as I know, this is the first movie version of Romeo and Juliet since the 1968 Zeffirelli version to set the movie in the traditional setting of Renaissance Verona, unlike the Baz Luhrmann version which set the movie in modern day Los Angeles. 

The dialogue has been dumbed down a little bit, but it still sounds like Shakespeare.  I thought the actors did a good job with the dialogue.  The leads were fine, although Romeo is such a pretty boy he looks like he should be leading a boy band.  The highlight of the movie was Paul Giamatti as Friar Laurence, the kindly monk who's plan to help the lovers escape goes horribly wrong. 

I enjoyed the movie, and I'm surprised it's getting such bad reviews from other critics.  I admit I'm not much of a student of Shakespeare.  I haven't read any Shakespeare since I was in high school, and I have no idea how much they actually simplified the language, or how many scenes were taken out.  I thought the movie worked just fine, and now teachers have a new version they can show their class when they are studying Romeo and Juliet.  And unlike the Zeffirelli version, they don't have to worry about fast forwarding a nude scene.

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