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Parents' Guide to

Private Romeo

By Grace Montgomery, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Edgy Shakespeare update with all-male cast has sex, drugs.

Movie NR 2011 98 minutes
Private Romeo Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

A small group of cadets at a military school is left alone for a long weekend as their superiors and the remaining students go on a military drill. As they continue with their classes and routine, including reading Romeo and Juliet, the students start to find the play overtaking their lives as they begin to recite the dialogue and embody the characters. As love begins to bloom between two cadets (who dub each other Romeo and Juliet), they have to deal with jealousy, feuds, and how they can maintain their love once Romeo is banished (or, in this case, expelled).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Although there are some serious flaws, the acting is so superb in this retelling that it's worth watching for the performances alone. The actor who plays Mercutio (Hale Appleman), in particular, is mesmerizing in PRIVATE ROMEO, and Romeo (Sam Singleton) and Juliet (Matt Doyle) are not far behind. They give so many nuances to their lines and perform with such passion that it's a bit jarring when the scene changes to the cadets blandly reading the play in class.

If this were simply a faithful retelling with this all-male cast, it may have been less avant-garde (the play was originally performed with only men, after all), but it would have been much easier to follow. Actors play multiple characters, large chunks of dialogue from the play are missing, and the feud between Capulets and Montagues is never successfully translated to this modern milieu. But mature teens or adults looking for an edgy, interesting introduction to Shakespeare may just get hooked on the Bard after watching these compelling performances.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the love story portrayed in Romeo and Juliet. How realistic do you think it is? Can someone fall in love with someone after one glance?

  • What do you think of this version of Romeo and Juliet? Do you think it's successful? Have you seen other versions of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Why do we continue to read Shakespeare? Do you think his plays are still important? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

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