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When I was a young boy sitting uninspired and restless in a 10th grade English literature class, our teacher 'treated' us to a viewing of Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the Shakespearian classic Romeo and Juliet.
One can only imagine she did this in an attempt to make the subject matter of the book more engaging for our class of bone idle social miscreants.
I remember watching the film and thinking to myself that poor Bill (William Shakespeare to you) would be spinning in his grave if he watched it. I thought combing Shakespearian language with a modern day setting (with no explanation of why) was crass and lazy, and imagined that Bill would feel the same.
However, I honestly believe that if he ever saw Gnomeo and Juliet, he'd still be spinning in his grave ... but this time, with laughter.
Take the timeless tale of star-crossed lovers, animate it and set it in a world of ceramic garden gnomes ... add to the mix an assortment of tracks by Elton John, the vocal talents of Micheal Cane and Ozzy Osborne and what you have is cinematic gold!
The movie is set in Shakespeare's birthplace (Stratford-upon-Avon) and follows the story of two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona Avenue, where we lay our scene.
Feuding neighbours Miss Montague and Mr Capulet have a rivalry which is so bitter it has been passed down to their garden gnomes! Yes, it's totally absurd and farcical but, if adults can suspend disbelief for a while (a prerequisite of watching a children's animation), I'm sure they will get into this one.
When no one is looking, the wacky gnomes come to life and busy themselves with garden maintenance, lawn mower races and general human activities like spending time with their families and, of course, despising their rival gnomes!
The friction between the Reds and the Blues leads to lawnmower drag races to settle the score. The Blue's best driver is Gnomeo and he must go head-to-head with the Red's Tybalt. This race is seen as a chance to embarrass the opposition but things get a little more complicated when Gnomeo falls for the Red leader's daughter Juliet.
They attempt to put an end to the feud and, in the process re-write the tragic end to the original story, but no one makes it easy for the young couple.
What I loved the most about this film - besides the tremendous animation - is that it has a lot of fun with its Shakespearian roots and manages to throw in some amazingly funny puns. A good example of this is that Miss Capulet lives in 2B, while Mr Montague makes it perfectly clear that his home is not 2B ... I'm sure Bill would be proud of that one!
Another thing I'm sure he'd really enjoy is that he is represented in the movie. In a fitting homage to a great British treasure that he is, Bill manages to make an appearance in this cartoon caper as a statue ... of himself, nonetheless.
Make no mistakes about it; this movie is intended to be a bit of fun and not a retelling of the original story. It's bright, lively, silly and breathtakingly satirical of the Bard's classic tale and, although it probably helps to have read the play, it is not essential to enjoy the movie.
Showing in Cineco, Seef II and Saar Cineplex
