Romeo and Juliet

Year of release : 2013

Run time : 1h53m

Genre : Romance / Drama

Cast : Hailee Steinfeld, Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Natascha McElhone, Ed Westwick, Stellan Skarsgard

The movie is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s 1597 tragedy of the same name.

The movie opens with a tournament created by the prince to keep two rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues, who have been feuding since ancient times, at bay, keeping their fights off the city streets.

This, however, doesn’t keep their ridiculous fights off the streets, as them and their servants seek a reason to fight everywhere. The prince catches them while they disturb the peace, and threatens them that the next time this happens they’ll pay with their lives.

Romeo Montague is a sculptor and painter, who is in love with Rosaline Capulet.

At house Capulet, Paris is asking for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Her father is asking him to wait a little longer, as she’s still young, but allows him to woo her. He writes a list of names he invites to a party he hosts that very evening, and gives it to one of his servants.

The man can’t read or write, so he asks a stranger on the street to read him the names. The stranger is Romeo, and that’s how he finds out about the party. He decides to go, hoping to see Rosaline.

Although her father told count Paris to wait, her mother tells her to get ready to marry him.

At the party, Romeo sends his cousin to Rosaline, but she sees him looking at Juliet. Although his cousin speaks of Rosaline, Romeo ignores him as he falls for Juliet ,although she’s wearing a mask. He pushes Paris aside, while the man was dancing with her, and dances with Juliet.

Tybalt sees Romeo, and wants to fight him, but Juliet’s father tells him off, as he doesn’t want a fight at his party, warning him to stay put.

Romeo takes his mask off, and Juliet seems to feel the same, as she pulls him outside the party, where they were dancing. They talk, and Romeo professes his love. After she leaves, he learns from her nurse, she is a Montague. The nurse also finds out he is Romeo, and tells Juliet when she asks.

Tybalt also warns her about Romeo, but she’s not interested.

That very night, Romeo can’t go home, and goes back to Juliet’s house, finding her on a balcony. Although he’s away from her, and she whispers, or at least talks softly, he can hear everything she tells herself, and approaches her, by climbing the rose bushes to where she’s at!

The two are so enamored with each other, they decide to get married.

They get married, and then her father comes with the news that she needs to marry count Paris right away.

Romeo goes to Friar Laurence, and asks him to perform the marriage rite for him and Juliet.

I personally hated the movie. I listened to music on the radio the whole time as it bored me. The movie uses the old English it was written in, on top of the blank verse with rhymed verse , and it’s very hard to follow. I also hate that the characters talk to themselves like in Telenovelas!

To be honest, I never liked Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I never understood why people liked it. I do like his sonnets.

I did not like Romeo who’s love for Rosaline was so fleeting, he forgot her the moment he saw Juliet in a mask! Also, the action takes place within a few days or weeks! It was ridiculous!

The poison comes from a flower that Friar Laurence grows. That flower which I don’t remember if he names, looks like an Amaryllis from where I’m sitting, as I have quite a few.

The nurse talks about how beautiful Romeo is, but I found the actor ugly, sorry.

I liked the places where they filmed, the architecture and design were beautiful. All the houses were so beautifully crafted, with murals on the ceilings, walls, and even on the floor! Everything was so beautiful!

Although the women’s hair and costumes were beautiful, the men’s haircuts were ridiculous, making them look ugly, and so were their outfits! At one point Juliet’s father seems to be wearing a dress, when he’s fighting her for not wanting Paris.

The acting was good.

The soundtrack was good.

The movie was filmed in Italy.

The movie received ratings under 41% from the critics of Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and under 6.1 from the audiences of the same platforms. IMDB audiences gave it a 5.8 rating.

The movie was a flop, grossing only 3 million dollars at the box office.

Rating : Could have been a contender !