Romeo and Juliet (PG, 2002)

common sense media says

Wonderful, but a little too mature for some kids.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that four centuries haven't diminished the relevance of this tragic and brilliantly worded story, in which the examples of two feuding families drive home a fatal point. Still, teens may see the story as a glamorization of suicide and the subject is well worth discussing with them.

Positive messages: Buried beneath the lyricism and romance is a basic mesaage promoting peace.
Positive role models: Despite the sweeping romance of the story, Romeo and Juliet take their own lives, disobey their parents, and Romeo even commits murder. Romantic and heart-breaking? Absolutely! Role model worthy? Definitely not!
Violence: Bitter quarreling leads to murder and suicide. Some deadly swordplay. Two young people take their own lives.
Sex: Nude male posterior and a glimpse of breasts in a tasteful bed scene.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Romeo and Juliet

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the movie's depiction of suicide.
  • Why do the two families hate one another?
  • How does the ending make you feel about love?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Franco Zeffirelli's ambitious production of ROMEO AND JULIET brought Shakespeare to the masses in 1968. He did it not by dumbing the play down, but by casting two talented unknowns, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey (ages seventeen and fifteen, respectively) as the leads. Much like Titanic would thirty years later, Romeo and Juliet struck a chord with teenagers, who found its beautiful young stars' urgency and tragic plight irresistible. Shot in Italy, Zeffirelli's faithful production of the tragedy also features a very young Michael York as Tybalt.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Unlike the peculiar travesty Romeo + Juliet, in which Leonardo DiCaprio and others spew Shakespeare's lines without understanding them, Zefirelli's performers breathe understanding into every ornate phrase, translating the sixteenth- century prose into something fresh and modern.

When Romeo first spies Juliet, you believe--even before he speaks--that he's irreparably in love. Their balcony scene is wonderfully passionate, and the finale all the more potent for Laurence Olivier's uncredited narration. (But a cautionary note to parents: Teens may see the story as a glamorization of suicide and the subject is well worth discussing with them.)

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Cast: Leonard Whiting, Michael York, Olivia Hussey
Genre: Drama
Run time: 138 minutes
Theatrical release: January 7, 2002
DVD release: January 7, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: brief nudity and mature themes

This review was written by Scott G. Mignola
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13

Most useful reviews by all members

JessicaBurton1980
parent of and 5 , 9 , 10 year old
 

 
A WONDERFUL movie for mature tweens+
This film was rated before the "PG-13" rating was introduced, and in today's times would have been rated PG-13. The movie is well-acted, romantic, heartbreaking, and beautiful. The story of Romeo and Juliet is classic, and lovely. That being said, the social behavior is definitely an issue. Teens committing suicide and getting married very young (Juliet is only 14, Romeo is not much older)are disturbing. All is tasteflully done, and should not be an isssue for mature kids 11 and up. Kids 13 and up will get much more out of it though.

 
One of the Best!
An incredible movie! It might be hard for a lot of kids to understand the language, but for the more mature high schoolers, this movie is pretty great!

 
good
It's ayt

myself
teen, 17 years old
 
HORRIBLE
This is an extremely weird show. I don't even see how people could like the play after seeing this film. We watched it in English and my teacher almost cried when everyone saw the sex scene. I wouldn't reccomend it and I would say that kids should probably stay away.

 
bland obscene version
all right, im just going to say it. this is a horrible version of the movie. we watched it in my 9th grade english class, obviously because my teacher loved the older things. its just out of date. in the bed scene, where we see a naked romeo and a ful frontal juliet, a sub said "rewind it back". this is just perverted. the one with leonardo dicapprio is way better because there is almost no bad nudity.

SomebodysMe
teen, 17 years old
 
A good movie, but has some iffy stuff
Before I say anything else, I have to say this: Romeo and Juliet were stupid. Sure, it was just a play and not real, but seriously? Kill yourself because you can't be with your "one true love" who you met three days ago???? Yeah, right! Okay, the bad is basically some deadly fight scenes (none of which are very realistic), and some partial nudity. We had to watch it in school, and the guys-in-tights scenes are just far too many! Yeah, there's a little bit of nudity, but the spandex on the guys is soooooo much worse!!!!!!! It also glorifies stupid suicide

 
too many bad scenes
My English class at school watched this movie. It was pretty good except for the sex scenes they had in there. The had to show a back side of a man because they have no idea that we do not like that. They do commit suicide at the end. I don't recommend this movie for anyone under 16.

MikaylaaMadisonn
teen, 16 years old
 
Amazing
I absolutly loved the play, and this movie is spectacular.

Tsion
parent of 15 year old
 
I eagerly started ROMEO & JULIET with very high expectations, after reading scores of positive, nay, glowing reviews. However, this movie didn't impress me. Aside from decent performances by the two leads, the film has very little to offer by way of entertainment. Lots of colorful dialogue from the play is edited out, and many wonderful scenes in the first half are abridged. The majority of the second act consists of nothing but loud, obnoxious bawling and threats of suicide (and much of the bawling comes from Romeo, who I kept wishing would man up). Several characters, like the Nurse and Mercutio (who were two of the play's most charming characters), are just annoying in the film. Overall, the film comes across as banal and overstuffed. Even the exciting fight scenes are rendered terribly here. They are slow and seem like every inch is planned. The one exception to the banality of the film is the famous balcony scene, where the two young leads turn in sincere, naive, and inspiring performances that briefly gave me hope for the rest of the film. However, Romeo is reduced to a whiner, and Juliet becomes just a suicidal screamer. There is violence in the film, but it is very phony and I wouldn't be concerned with it. There is no profane language, but there are frequent light sexual innuendos. The sexual chemistry between Romeo and Juliet climaxes off-screen, but we see them waking the next morning. First, we see Romeo lying naked on the bed, then he gets up and stands nude in front of a window (we see the entire nude back of his body). He and Juliet then start to make out again, with him fondling and passionately kissing her bare breasts, which we see fully nude as she gets out of bed. Sorry, but I thought graphic nudity wasn't allowed in PG films. Lastly, the film culminates in suicide, which might be seen as glamorized. All in all, Romeo and Juliet is a waste of time. I really had hope for it, but it didn't come through.

crapples
parent of and 8 , 12 , 14 , 17 year old
 
first one at least was entertaining
this is a cheesy stupid movie. and i am at the most amused it is not rated R.

Virgo__
adult
 
Not for a young audience
this movie has a scene where the woman's breasts are very clearly visible, as well as the back side of a man. it should be rated 15+

 
Shakespeare- brilliant and easy to understand!
I, personally love shakespeare, and the first time I read it was in first grade. I thought the movie was very well done and Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting where amazing. Mainly because they didn't know what they where doing, and because they where undiscovered added a fresh new twist to it. The Nurse and Friar Lawrence are wonderful and very funny, and Mercutio is just as weird as he is (and should be) in the play. Everything about the movie is translated perfectly into a beautiful, tragic, and moving film that teenagers in love can really relate to. Violence is not an issue, except that they commit suicide- but everyone knows that happens anyway and there is an understanding or justifiable reason while they do it. It's a good lesson on how not to rush into love to quickly, and is a good opener for conversation about certain topics. Brilliantly done, and good for ages 13/14 and up. (Remember rating have changed since 1968, and PG is really PG-13. Fantastic! A must buy for fans of the play, and it stays true to it. Also but the sondtrack, it's wonderful.

razzberrry
teen, 14 years old
 
fantasic movie, appropriate for younger ones if bed scene is skipped over
Let me just get this out to other reviewers out there: 1. some people say that it isn't right for romeo and juliet to be getting married at a young age. In the times the play was written it was considered wrong to be married any older than they were married in the movie 2. as far as the real play goes, romeo and juliet are as dramatic about the situation as they are in the movie. all of the fighting and yelling is actually not as bad as the book. 3. benvolio and the nurse are supposed to be weird characters. 4. when the film was made, it did follow the PG guidlines. times have changed. now onto my review :) I LOVE this movie. It captures everything from the book and more. The only thing that was added was the sex scene, but it really did happen in the play, just off-stage. The actors for romeo and juliet captured their innocence and youth beautifully. The reason I said this movie is okay for 10+ is because as long as the bed scene is skipped, there is nothing to worry about. I was in tears by the end of the movie, so if you or your kid is very emotional you may not eant to watch this movie. Everyone is being so critical of the movie, but the director stayed true to the play. for the people being critical to the dialouge of the movie, I assure you it is almost identical to the original play. Trust me,I read my script as i watched the movie ;)

smartngirly
kid, 13 years old
 
AWESOME
This is the best movie ever! My drama instructor told me and kai to watch it (boo) becuase he thought it would help us realize the strory behind westside story (Im maria hes tony) It was cool to see young actors and it was an over-all good movie.

dolphin girl
kid, 13 years old
 
I love Romieo and Juliet it is my fave movie in the world , but it does have alot of sexual behavior in it ,but it still is a wonderful movie!!!!!!!

99IsMyLuckyNumber
teen, 15 years old
 
i watched this after reading the book, and i simply loved it. the 1996 version is simply an INSULT. This one, with perfect actors and actresses, shows the beauty of romance and loyalty. So what if Juliet took her life? It was because here love and loyalty to Romeo was that good, same for Romeo. The only concern i gave is the naked backside and the breasts and passionate kissing, but ignore those if your mature enough.

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