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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

Play trailer 1:31 Poster for William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet PG-13 1996 2h 0m Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
74% Tomatometer 69 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Baz Luhrmann helped adapt this classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy for the screen, updating the setting to a post-modern city named Verona Beach. In this version, the Capulets and the Montagues are two rival gangs. Juliet (Claire Danes) is attending a costume ball thrown by her parents. Her father Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) has arranged her marriage to the boorish Paris (Paul Rudd) as part of a strategic investment plan. Romeo attends the masked ball and he and Juliet fall in love.
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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

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Critics Consensus

Baz Luhrmann's visual aesthetic is as divisive as it is fresh and inventive.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide The Times (UK) Despite a hip Miami backdrop, and the quarrel between the Montagues and Capulets being played out like a gang feud, the director retained the play’s original text. It works beautifully... Nov 7, 2023 Full Review Anna Coatman Little White Lies Look back on your first love, without it making you wince. Rated: 4/5 Feb 14, 2013 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly A slick blast of ''decadence,'' the kind of violent swank-trash music video that may make you feel like reaching for the remote control. Rated: C+ Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Stephen A. Russell ScreenHub Relocating the action to the fictional US enclave of Verona Beach, with some scenes shot in Miami but the majority in Mexico City, the jaw-dropping film exists in the sweet spot between Luhrmann’s tendency towards too much and his knack for tenderness. Sep 24, 2025 Full Review Cory Woodroof 615 Film You really get the whole Baz experience here. Jul 17, 2022 Full Review Mel Campbell ScreenHub Luhrmann's style simply defibrillates Shakespeare's text. ... For me, it's the overblown carnality that makes it such a perfect adaptation of the source material, and that still leaps from the screen today. Rated: 5/5 Nov 9, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dorottya P I really like this modern adaptation of the drama. Costumes, music and acting is on point. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/25 Full Review Ricardo P Uma adaptação fantástica, apesar de ser dos anos 90 acredito que,para quem o possa ver pela primeira vez seja mágico, a escolha da banda sonora roça a perfeição Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Audience Member audibly sobbed for hours after the last scene. beautiful but heart shattering. even if you know what happens at the end, this makes it better. 10/10 but could never watch it again. masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/27/25 Full Review Mason M I'm teetering on the edge between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating for this film. This is a very difficult movie to properly rate. On one hand because Romeo & Juliet is such a a famous story and such a part of our culture that it's almost impossible to give an unbiased opinion on it. And because Baz Luhrman's filmmaking is so over the top. But I did really enjoy Luhrman's take on this story. During the first 10 minutes of the film, I had to try not to laugh because of how absurd everything in this film is. But I was surprised how much Luhrman was able to make me take the story seriously by the end and appreciate it dramatically. Luhrman does have a visual eye like no other in this film, the set pieces are so grand and intricate I don't even know how he came up with any of it. On a similar note, this had some of the most gorgeous photography I've seen in a while. The two young leads do bring an emotional tenderness to the smaller and more romantic scenes, and the rest of the cast does a good job seriously giving Shakespeare's dialogue. Romeo + Juliet is ultimately successful due to Luhrman's impressive visual eye and his ability to get the dramatic out of the over-the-top. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Ryan H Romeo and Juliet screenplay spoken word for word in modern day. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/07/25 Full Review Eye C Watching this movie in the church where it all takes place was a religious experience. The performances from DiCaprio and Danes are perfect, but Mr. Luhrmann it’s the star here, he took a world classic play and then bring it into the nineties in such a charismatic way. Well done good sir. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/31/25 Full Review Read all reviews
William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

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Movie Info

Synopsis Baz Luhrmann helped adapt this classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy for the screen, updating the setting to a post-modern city named Verona Beach. In this version, the Capulets and the Montagues are two rival gangs. Juliet (Claire Danes) is attending a costume ball thrown by her parents. Her father Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) has arranged her marriage to the boorish Paris (Paul Rudd) as part of a strategic investment plan. Romeo attends the masked ball and he and Juliet fall in love.
Director
Baz Luhrmann
Producer
Baz Luhrmann, Gabriella Martinelli
Screenwriter
William Shakespeare, Craig Pearce, Baz Luhrmann
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Bazmark Films, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
PG-13 (Some Sensuality|Contemporary Violence)
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 1, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$46.4M
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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