Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: It's Romeo and Juliet, silly! Oh, but this one is set in some southern American ethnic slum, like LA or Miami.
Biased, pithy comments: With something like 2/3rds of Shakespeare's original script missing, parts of it flow beautifully, while some of it plays like a music video. With fantastic cinematography (a hallmark of Luhrmann's work), this is the proverbial visual feast. Its odd setting for a Shakespeare film (Verona Beach) actually makes the film more accessible than 14th century Italy, making warring families, street violence, and the passionate tension happen better. Obviously, the filmmakers were having fun with visual puns which sometimes rob scenes of their tension, but in general the mood switches between romance, tragedy, action, and comedy smoothly (much like the original play). I'd recommend this film even if you don't really want to see Romeo and Juliet (a sort of stupid story---finesse-free children killing themselves over just a few nights of togetherness) again---it's both interesting and beautiful, and great to see in its new setting, if a little rough or too-MTV in spots.
Other Notes: If I were studying this play, I'd use this as the wrap-up to the course of study---watch the earlier ones (like Zeffirelli), then end with this. The critics seem to hate this, so I guess I'll just stick my neck out. Go, Luhrmann!
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Leonard DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Harold Perrineu Jr., John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite.
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann