Watching "Romeo and Juliet" is like dancing under a disco ball and strobe light for two hours - the effect might feel exhilarating at first, but then the novelty wears thin. Director Baz Luhrmann ("Strictly Ballroom") invites a new generation of high school students to ditch their "Cliffs Notes" in favor of his hyperkinetic, MTV-style adaptation.
Luhrmann stages the classic drama against a surrealistic modern backdrop - an enticingly risky undertaking. By opening the film with a TV news anchor who speaks of two "star-crossed lovers," the filmmakers immediately warn you of the hyperbolic version in store.
In the initial confrontation between the Montague and Capulet boys, headed by a devilish Tybalt (John Leguizamo), Luhrmann's style speaks loud and clear. Verona Beach, Miami, replaces the original Verona setting, "Dagger" brand guns replace swords and souped-up cars replace stallions.
These 20th-century twists filter down to the characterization as well. The film relies solely on such clever details to sustain interest in its characters. Romeo shoots pool at the run-down Globe Theatre, while Juliet collects angel stickers for her bedroom.
The Nurse (Miriam Margolyes) has a Spanish accent (she screams "Hoo-lieta!" repeatedly), and the benevolent Father Laurence (Pete Postlethwaite) sports a huge tattoo of the cross on his back. In perhaps the greatest character departure, Mercutio (Harold Perrineau), Romeo's loyal friend to the end, makes his entrance as a glitzy drag queen.
The booming soundtrack, featuring a choir-boy version of Prince's "When Doves Cry," and Tarantino-esque cinematography propel the frenetic pace of the film forward. "Romeo and Juliet" indulges the senses, but it doesn't maintain the emotional appeal of Shakespeare's original piece.
When Romeo, banished from Verona Beach, trucks out to a shantytown in the middle of nowhere, the scenes may have just as well been from the Smashing Pumpkins' "Today" video, or even the conclusion of "Seven," for that matter. "Romeo and Juliet" continually bows down to "hipness," but it stumbles over itself in the process.
Luhrmann continually tries to outdo his own over-the-top style, which works against the film. When Father Laurence's face appears ominously over a series of flashbacks, the effect is too in-your-face to take it seriously.
Often, some of the actors seem as overeager as their director. When Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) or Benvolio (Dash Mihok) scream in protest, their otherwise powerful words become garbled. On the other hand, Postelthwaite and Margolyes act with grace and ease as they console DiCaprio and Danes.
Brilliant as always, DiCaprio is a boyishly charming, lovestruck Romeo. Though Danes has comparatively less dialogue to work with, she is a convincingly innocent Juliet. In one exquisitely romantic scene, Romeo and Juliet fall in love while gazing through an aquarium at each other. Later, they submerge themselves in the Capulet swimming pool, enraptured by their newfound passion.
As the film fluctuates between such scenes and action sequences, full of helicopters and gun fights, DiCaprio and Danes get lost in the shuffle. By the time the lovers commit suicide (sorry to ruin the ending), the love bond between them is too weak for you to really care.
Convinced that the average moviegoer needs a spoonful of stylized sugar to make Shakespeare's medicine go down, Luhrmann valiantly puts a new spin on an old tale. The resulting "Romeo and Juliet," a dizzying product of directorial mischief, ends up choking on itself.
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