Review – Romeo + Juliet

I’m already on record as disliking Shakespeare for the most part. Sure, I admit I’d like to drag the ol’ guy out and whack him around a little for serving up tedious dishes (especially this one) that I had to smile and swallow throughout high school and college. However, judging by this production Baz Luhrmann hates the Bard a whole hell of a lot more than I do. This is one of the first attempts to sell Shakespeare to the MTV generation by packaging the play as an extended music video studded with Gen-X flashes-in-the-pan, and needless to say the crimes against humanity contained herein are legion. Problems range from the big stuff (such as the complete lack of chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles) right down to the steam-room scene starring Daddy Capulet (honestly, if I’ve got my choice of Sorvinos appearing topless, Paul doesn’t exactly head the list). The art direction is very heavy on the Catholic iconography, some of which is vaguely interesting. But the jump-cutting, music-blaring, scenery-chewing crap that infests this production throughout tends to overpower any charm it might have otherwise used to beguile audiences. See if desperate