Romeo + Juliet (PG-13, 1996)

common sense media says

Optically brilliant, violent update of classic.


parents & educators say
  • 38% say violence is an issue
  • 31% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film features a considerable amount of blood, violence, and explicit references to sex. Prostitution, brief nudity, teen sex, gang-related deaths, car assaults, bloody fistfights, and a gangster pointing a pistol directly at a child's face, makes this film inappropriate for kids under the age of 17. There's a strong emphasis on guns that can easily be seen as glamorization: characters sport decorated pistols and fashionably threatening jewelry (skull rings, dagger belts), not to mention an ad for bullets. Background scenery makes much use of billboards, posters, and license plates designed to mimic soda, liquor, and cigarette ads.

Positive messages: The violence of this adaptation does an excellent job of obscuring the message of peace at the root of the story.
Positive role models: Predominant figures commit murder, aggravated assault, and glamorize
violence through the use of decorative, threatening weaponry and
fashion. Romeo makes a vengeance killing; the two protagonists take
their own lives.
Violence: Bloody gangster-style shoot-outs, gun-play, car assaults, murder, and suicide.
Sex: Frank and demonstrative sexual humor and innuendo, Romeo and Juliet share more than a couple of passionate kisses.
Language: Dialogue is classic, expletive-free Shakespeare.
Consumerism: Heavy simulations of brand names and products.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Smoking, drinking. A priest imbibes unspecified experimental potions. Romeo swallows a tablet of Ecstasy.

More on Romeo + Juliet

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about issues such as conflict-resolution, peer pressure, and their alternatives.
  • What could the Montagues and Capulets have done in order to make peace?
  • Were there alternatives to Romeo and Juliet's choices?
  • Did they truly believe suicide was the only way, and if so, what circumstances in the film drove them to feel this way?

What's the story?

What's the story?

Against the crumbling backdrop of political and social hierarchy, a chance meeting through a neon fish tank at a masquerade ball begets a desperate pact of love between star-crossed lovers Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes). The well-to-do Capulets have chosen Paris (Paul Rudd), a dashing but dull TIME magazine cover boy, heir to glitzy Verona Beach, to wed Juliet. However, it's Romeo, son of the rival Montague clan, who captures her heart. The vengeance-seeking broods of both families clash during a deadly beachfront shoot-out. Sadly, the couple's final reunion ends in devastation for both families.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Replete with glowing surfaces, quick cutting action, and a soundtrack that bites, Director Baz Luhrmann's whirling dervish adaptation of the classic tale of ROMEO + JULIET, is Shakespeare for Generation X, Y, and Z. Any teenager growing up in the mid 90s will attest to the unbeatable hipness of this movie. Neon crucifixes, dazzling skylines, and festive fireworks literally light up the screen in this film. The real electricity, however, lies in the chemistry between Danes and DiCaprio. There is not a single element of the production unaffected by Luhrmann's restless mercurial bravado, including the acting, wardrobe, and set design. Thankfully, the transported text survives the transition between eras, due to the director's attention to detail.

The film's bouncing soundtrack, MTV-style cinematography, and all-star cast will have teens begging to see Romeo + Juliet. Parents are cautioned against permitting tweens and under to view this film due to its extreme violence, gross materialism, and sexual innuendo. And it is best if parents accompany their kids who are allowed to view this graphic retelling of the classic.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Leonardo DiCaprio
Genre: Drama
Run time: 120 minutes
Theatrical release: November 1, 1996
DVD release: May 25, 1999
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: scenes of contemporary violence and some sensuality

This review was written by S. Jordan Mattos
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13
Based on 13 parent & educator reviews:
  • 38% say violence is an issue
  • 31% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking

Most useful reviews by all members

filmwatcher
parent of 10 year old
 
Great way for today's kids to understand and appreciate Shakespeare.
I love this movie! I think that it shows the timelessness of Shakespeare and conveys it in a way that those reading Shakespeare for the first time will be better able to connect with and understand the text.

shanno15
teen, 16 years old
 
Had to watch it in school last year when i was in 9th grade, good movie, kind of an weird adaptation though

PYEsinc
teen, 14 years old
 
Constantly faces are bloodied. Tons of gunfights/fistfights. Romeo takes Juliet's bra off in one scene. Not at good as I had expected, and a little too modern (takes place in the 1900's whereas the play was written in the 1500's), but it was better than most modern adaptations of old literature.

who3697cares
teen, 18 years old
 
Awful
It's like they wanted to insult Shakespeare.

Kathyhermy123
teen, 18 years old
 
Beware under-14s, but anyone older will enjoy this hugely
Very good modern remake of Romeo and Juliet. As CSM notes, this movie includes prostitution, Ecstasy, sex, murder, suicide, extreme innuendo, offensive views of women, domestic violence, shootouts, etc. all of which are conducted by young teenagers (the female protagonist is nearly 14). However, the message of true love carries throughout. I saw it in school when I was fourteen, and I was fine, but some people in my class were very disturbed by the material. Despite the modernization, the story remains faithful to the original, and is definitly worth watching.

LeoLuv99
kid, 12 years old
 
I liked it!

William C.
teen, 16 years old
 
BRRR
God I hated this film.... i started to watch it but I found it really stupid and boring.... I am a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but Romeo+Juliet and Inception are his worse films... ... Shakespeare would NOT be proud of this. It does have some violence....

twilight rocks1234
kid, 13 years old
 
My Romeo + Juliet Review
I have seen this movie,i had to go with iffy because there are alot of Bloddy secnes in this Film which will make it very disturbing for little childern, there murder shooting and very bloody secnes. but there are some good things like love,romance, but there is a little to much. I recomend 17+

karfoo8
adult
 
Interesting Retelling
I have watched this movie many times as a teenager and now an adult. At this point in my life I find it easier to understand than the older version of Romeo and Juliet. The violence in the movie is over done, but that is the point. It is supposed to be ridiculous. I also would not watch this movie without discussing many of the poor choices that the characters choose. Most young people seem to understand that these poor choices led to very real consequences.

cheese-process
teen, 15 years old
 
Make sure you see/read the actual play first!
I've read the Shakespeare play in English class, and I've seen it performed. It was wonderful. This movie was CRAZY. But I still liked it. It left out a lot of the Shakespeare dialogue, and the balcony scene ended up being a swimming pool scene, but that was OK. It was very interesting to see certain famous scenes being performed in a modern-day environment, like on the beach. And the Capulets' party was off the hook! However, if you know the actual play, the movie would make more (or less) sense to you. And also, the PG-13 rating was indeed rather strong, but wasn't quite R-level.

taylorswift2122
teen, 14 years old
 
this movie was not as violent as they say it is a little bloody when tybalt dies but that's all a little passionate kissing here and there and when the two main characters take there shirts off and kiss the camera goes of screen and goes to juliet's parents. so all in all this movie is appropriate for teens

xBVBxARMYx
kid, 13 years old
 
Classic story, upbeat remake
Love Romeo + Juiet. Mattos shows how Shakespeare's heart felt story could be shown in today's stupid and careless world. The end of course is very sad. Everyone knows the ending. I have read the book. I read it a little early than what people might recomend. 12. Some- a lot- of iffy stuff. Violence, sexual innuendos, some abuse. Yet a good classic for your teen.

Ladylollipop1
teen, 15 years old
 
Ignore the 16+
I'm confused why everyone is saying it should be 16+, if it should be 16+ then why is it rated 12a? There is no blood (well a very small amount) no nudity and no bad language (it is shakespeare after all) and it a great story of love and it's educational about shakespeare but it's easier dor kids to understand it when placed in a modern setting.

lelexy2000
teen, 17 years old
 
definetly for older kids
i really loved romeo and juliet because my favorite actress Claire Danes and my favorite actor Leonardo Dicaprio are in it. I thought that Claire danes was looked young to be having sex with Leonardo Dicaprio in the movie. because she was 15 and he was 20. it's best for 15 and up.

Tsion
parent of 15 year old
 
Entertaining but Shallow.
There are two movie versions of ROMEO & JULIET. One is a banal '68 adaptation with boring schmaltz and graphic nudity. Another is this '96 interpretation that preserves Shakespeare's dialogue in a gangland LA setting, complete with drugs, whores, gang warfare, and teen sex. It's not the most kid-friendly movie around, but the behavior is so sensationalized and unrealistic that I would be surprised if any teen would try to emulate it. Violence consists of a few gang fights with guns. Over-the-top gang characters threaten people with weapons (including, in one scene, a child) but no one is shot until a climactic, somewhat disturbing scene in which a man is stabbed (with blood) and another is graphically shot after being bloodied in an intentional car wreck. Sexual content in the main issue in the film. A major male character in the film is a transvestite, complete with wig, make-up, and bra. He acts flamboyantly towards other man even when out of drag. A man watches a hooker dance seductively on the street. Romeo and Juliet disrobe each other onscreen (we see him naked from the waste-up and we see her bare back and shoulders), and then we see them in bed together the next morning (He is seen putting on some boxer shorts, and his bare upper half and bare thigh are briefly seen, her bare back is seen again.) They are both underage. Several characters get drunk, and a kid takes ecstasy at a party. In the end, both kids kill themselves (he drinks poison and she shoots herself in the head, complete with blood.) The content sounds terrible, but the movie portrays itself as comic and over-the-top that you can't take any of it seriously.

e.autumn
teen, 16 years old
 
Edgy
I honestly don't think this movie is that bad. It's pretty brilliant, because it uses the exact script of Romeo and Juliet, which makes it interesting in the modern setting. Some of the actors are just plain obnoxious, but you have to admit that Leonardo DiCaprio is adorable in this movie, even if his character does do drugs. Once. In any case, it's music and acting is pretty good overall, and it's definitely entertaining. It can also be educational for kids who don't like reading Shakespeare. Romeo + Juliet is a bit edgy, but if you're okay with the iffy content, it's a great movie.

EmilyB123
teen, 15 years old
 
Really liked this version of the movie
This movie is good in some ways compared to the other remakes of Romeo and Juliet. For one thing, the story is told in a more modern way, therefore making the film easier to comprehend. There is gang violence which I didn't especially like but I was able to handle it well. Good for ages 14+.

cone
parent of 9 year old
 

redjed
educator and parent of 17 year old
 
A Little Too Mature for Young Kids.
In my opinion, I could handle it and I am just 15. Common Sense is somewhat right however.

 
15+
Too violent, although a great film. It should've had more sex than violence, really. Some parts were too bloody for its rating.

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