6.7
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Overview
In director Baz Luhrmann's 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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Center
Diversity: High
Race Swap: Yes
Christianity: Positive
Viewer Rating
6.7
Overview
In director Baz Luhrmann's 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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Primary
The film primarily explores universal human themes of love, hatred, and the tragic consequences of inherited societal divisions, rather than promoting a specific political ideology. Its critique of tribalism and violence is a moral and humanistic one, making it largely apolitical.
Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' demonstrates significant diversity through the explicit recasting of several traditionally white Shakespearean roles with minority actors. Despite this intentional casting, the film's narrative primarily adheres to the original play's themes and does not explicitly critique or negatively portray traditional identities.
Secondary
Several characters, including Mercutio and Tybalt, who are canonically understood as white Europeans in Shakespeare's original play, are portrayed by actors of different races in this adaptation.
The film extensively uses Catholic Christian iconography and features a sympathetic, albeit flawed, Friar Laurence. While his actions contribute to the tragedy, the narrative does not condemn Christianity itself, but rather uses its moral and spiritual framework to explore themes of love, hate, and fate. The faith provides a backdrop for human drama without being portrayed as inherently problematic.
Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' does not contain any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The narrative strictly adheres to the original play's focus on the heterosexual love story between Romeo and Juliet and the conflict between their families, without exploring queer identities or relationships.
Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play. The film does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or explore themes related to transgender identity within its narrative. Therefore, an evaluation of its portrayal of transsexual characters and themes is not applicable.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet." All major characters, including Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt, retain their original canonical genders from the source material.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.7
6.8
Critic Ratings
7.4
6.0
More Like This
Leans Progressive
7.3
Moulin Rouge!
(2001)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.4
Out
(2020)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.7
The Threesome
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
9.0
Modern Times
(1936)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Low
Progressive
7.3
Plainclothes
(2025)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.4
Priscilla
(2023)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Center
8.0
Silver Linings Playbook
(2012)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
8.0
If Beale Street Could Talk
(2018)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
8.0
Your Name Engraved Herein
(2020)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.7
I Love You Phillip Morris
(2010)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.1
Frida
(2002)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
6.7
IRL
(2019)
Political: Center
Diversity: Not Rated
Leans Progressive
6.7
The Ballad of Little Jo
(1993)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.8
Eternity
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.5
Torch Song Trilogy
(1988)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.8
The Half of It
(2020)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.9
West Side Story
(2021)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
8.7
Call Me by Your Name
(2017)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.2
Fair Play
(2023)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
6.7
The History of Sound
(2025)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive