Fridae

Either way you look at it, Romeo and Juliet is way overdone. The more directors try to be clever about it and prove they can be original, the less we’re impressed with their new slant on Romeo and Juliet. Come to think of it, the last attempt that worked on me was Tromeo and Juliet, which worked only because like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody expects to see the star-crossed lovers in a B-movie nightmare of ecstasy, filled with gore, sex and mutant monsters.

In comparison, Gnomeo & Juliet is almost as weird but far more child-friendly. In fact, it’s as much G-rated as you can get. The Bard’s tale is cleverly adapted for children under 10, with cute garden gnomes and other miniatures standing in for the feuding Capulets and Montagues. Kids being kids, the blood feud is no less violent or entertaining, less bloody but more creative than the Masterpiece Theatre versions you’ve had to sit through.

Why did we even bother publishing this review on Fridae, you ask?

Don’t you want to hang out with your favourite pre-teen nephews and nieces during their school holidays? Well, it turns out that Elton John and his creative partner Bernie Taupin have a hand (and more!) in the creation of this work. That means we get Romeo and Juliet played by garden gnomes on a mostly Elton John soundtrack. The sight of garden gnomes performing “Crocodile Rock” in rhinestone glasses is a sight to behold.

Like the rest of the film, it’s a droll, campy, and fun experience.