Romeo & Juliet

There have been numerous adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet so it should come as no surprise that another variant of the timeless love story of two opposing families should arrive on the silver screen once again. Romeo & Juliet is a faithful adaptation of the classic with somewhat more modern dialogue meaning there is little room for variety.

As the story goes, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet immediately fall deeply in love with each other at a ball. Unfortunately their families are bitter enemies making their romance forbidden. Not even their parents’ hate can stop their hearts from their true desires, however.

Romeo & Juliet is set in a historically traditional Verona and is very much a period piece. The dialogue is more modern and less Shakespearean although the more notable exchanges, like the balcony scene, directly quote Shakespeare’s famous lines. There’s nothing particularly special about it. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing because Romeo and Juliet is such a classic story, there’s not really any creativity put into the film. If you’ve seen any version of the story, you’ve seen the film.

Hailee Steinfeld stars as Juliet and Douglas Booth as Romeo, and they both perform adequately in their respective roles. There’s definitely a passion between them and they’re able to keep up with the sometimes tricky dialogue. The true standout of the film is Paul Giamatti as Friar Laurence. He brings a charisma and likeability that none of the other characters have and is simply a joy to watch on screen.

Romeo & Juliet is a by-the-book film adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic love story and while it’s pretty faithful to the source material, it doesn’t provide anything that you can’t find in other adaptations. It’s perfectly fine for fans of the original, but for those looking for something that’s a little bit different, I suggest looking elsewhere.