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.