Movie · 1996 · Drama, Romance · 2h · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.2/10 (924.1K ratings)
My only love sprung from my only hate.
Overview
In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.2/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.45/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Baz Luhrmann
Production
20th Century Fox, Bazmark
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Jesse Bradford, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, Christina Pickles, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Rudd, Paul Sorvino, Diane Venora, M. Emmet Walsh, Edwina Moore, Zak Orth, Jamie Kennedy, Dash Mihok, Lupita Ochoa, Gloria Silva
Curator Review
Verdict
A maximalist, candy-colored Shakespeare remix that turns the tragedy into a pop-art fever dream. It’s uneven by design, but the energy, visual invention, and star-crossed-romance intensity make it a memorable watch, especially if you like bold stylistic swings over reverent adaptation.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy stylized, high-energy filmmaking
Fans of tragic romance with a modern soundtrack
People open to Shakespeare in a pop culture blender
Audiences who like bold visual experimentation
Skip if
You want a restrained or traditional Shakespeare adaptation
You dislike heightened style, fast cutting, and visual excess
You need every line delivery to feel naturalistic
You’re allergic to melodrama or teen-romance intensity
Overview
Baz Luhrmann turns Shakespeare into a neon-soaked MTV tragedy, and the result is as brash as it is sincere. The movie keeps the original dialogue but drops it into a world of guns, tabloid Catholic iconography, surfside gang warfare, and a soundtrack that treats the play like a pop event. That collision is the point: it’s not trying to be tasteful, it’s trying to make the old text feel dangerous and immediate again.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the commitment. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes sell the doomed swoon with real fragility, while the supporting cast gives the feud a comic-book volatility that keeps the movie moving. Some viewers bounce off the style or the heightened delivery, but the film’s emotional directness and visual confidence are hard to dismiss.
Bottom line
It’s a great pick for anyone who wants Shakespeare with adrenaline, color, and a little chaos. Even when it feels excessive, it rarely feels dull, and that’s a pretty good trade for a tragedy this familiar.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Karsten (4★) · 21042 likes
you don’t go into this thinking there are gonna be two radiohead songs
Ellie ✨ (5★) · 12977 likes
you come into my house, you tell me romeo and mercutio never fucked,
𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚𝐯𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦💿 (4.5★) · 9819 likes
imagine having a choice between young leo + paul rudd. yeah ok bitch your life is so hard.
Taz (3.5★) · 7937 likes
i didn't understand about 60% of the stuff they were saying... but there was some nice cinnamon tography
cinéfila... 🕯️ (4.5★) · 7703 likes
if you hate this movie you suck and i dont wanna associate with your pretentious cínêphìlë kind