Timothy Scott Bogart’s Juliet & Romeo is a colorful reimagining of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays. As the name suggests, this isn’t a one-for-one adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, nor is it a modernized adaptation of the Bard’s tale, like Baz Luhrmann’s cult classic Romeo + Juliet. The film also stands in opposition to the current trend in Hollywood, where musicals conceal the fact that they are musicals right up until the moment they have a captive audience in the theater. Juliet & Romeo is unashamed of its musicality — and sometimes it’s to its detriment.
Romeo & Juliet is a tough play to crack in these modern times, where it may be easy to disregard the fact that Shakespeare’s play is as much a romance as it is a tragedy. Juliet & Romeo, however, hasn’t forgotten the romantic elements, and it takes them to new levels as the star-crossed lovers steal away for romantic interludes and heated kisses. Their romance feels more like the historical romances that were rife throughout the mid-aughts, when Hollywood’s moviemakers weren’t afraid to have their leads kiss and make audiences swoon, almost like a distant cousin to A Knight’s Tale.
Romeo and Juliet Are Star-Crossed, and ‘Juliet & Romeo’ Is Star-Studded

Image via Icon Film Distribution

Juliet & Romeo essentially follows the same narrative as Shakespeare’s play, with a few deviations along the way. Rather than retreading the oft-quoted lines, the film takes liberties with its dialogue, turning most of the iconic prose into upbeat songs that prioritize rhyme over reason. The music is fun and catchy in the moment, but none of the songs really possess the necessary hook to have audiences humming them on the drive home. The catchiest of the lot are “Better Than This,” “Streets on Fire,” and “I Should Write This Down.” The latter of which feels like an ode to scatterbrained creatives who have brilliant ideas that they really should write down. Notably, the three most memorable tracks are not sung by the titular Juliet (Clara Rugaard) and Romeo (Jamie Ward), who are relegated to paltry power ballads that underserve their romance.
Juliet & Romeo’s young ensemble is composed of relatively “unknown” actors, at least to the wider moviegoing audience. Ward’s Romeo, is an accomplished theater actor, who gained a lot of traction for his portrayal of Marius in Les Misérables during his 2013 West End run, and he brings some of that Marius-like quality to Romeo as he stands at the precipice between fighting alongside his family and friends and running away with his true love.

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The rest of Bogart’s cast is a true who’s-who of (primarily) British talent. Romeo’s parents, Lord and Lady Montague, are portrayed by Jason Isaacs and Lidia Vitale. Isaacs taps into what he knows best here as a surly, disapproving father who wants better for his son, and he’s clearly having fun with his performance. Juliet’s parents, Lord and Lady Capulet, are brought to life by Rupert Everett and Rebel Wilson (who seems miscast, despite her Pitch Perfect roots). The most memorable performances can be credited to Derek Jacobi (the Friar) and Dan Fogler (the Apothecary), who is the most aware of the precise brand of movie they are in. There’s an air of camp to their scenes, and that campiness is precisely why “I Should Write This Down” is such a banger. Rupert Graves, who plays Verona’s ruler, Prince Escalus, is another noteworthy performance — particularly in the final act.
The younger ensemble is rounded out Nicholas Podany (Mercutio), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Tybalt), Tayla Parx (Rosaline), Martina Ortiz Luis (Veronica), Max Parker (Benvolio), and Alex Grech (Tommaso), who get a surprising amount of screentime, given how focused the film is on Juliet and Romeo’s story. The fight sequences between Mercutio and Tybalt prove to be quite entertaining, especially since they are very much staged like a musical with larger-than-life performances.
‘Juliet & Romeo’ Forgoes Shakespeare and Embraces Itself

There’s an old adage in the theater that good costumes can turn a middling play into a great play, and there’s an element of that here in Juliet & Romeo. As much as the titular characters are undercut by their unremarkable solos and duets, and hindered by the somewhat awkward dialogue, their performances are greatly improved by the sumptuous costumes and the awe-inspiring set designs. Bogart knows how to put on a good show, and he knows how to dazzle audiences with bright, colorful costumes and eye-catching scenery. Juliet & Romeo brings the very best elements of stagecraft onto the screen, which leads one to wonder if this musical would be better served with an intermission, overpriced wine, a dish of Häagen-Dazs, and the gilded proscenium.
As a Romeo & Juliet adaptation, Bogart misses the mark, but as a story inspired by the Bard, Juliet & Romeo marches to the beat of its own drum. This isn’t a tragedy in fair Verona, this is a panto-ish hopepunk extravaganza, where the star-crossed lovers get to live out their happily ever after, and that is perhaps the most surprising part of this story. Not only is this not the end of their story — it’s not the end of Juliet & Romeo either. As the star-crossed lovers reach their newly rewritten happy ending, the credits begin with a title card that promises that their story will continue in “Book Two,” seemingly teasing that Bogart hopes to put out another dazzling musical.
Juliet & Romeo isn’t necessarily a good film, but it is a very fun film, and there are far too few films that seem content in simply entertaining for the sake of entertainment. It’s the perfect film for anyone who yearns for the nostalgia of good-bad films like A Knight’s Tale and Ella Enchanted, with all the melodrama of Tristan & Isolde. Juliet & Romeo sits amidst a dying breed of movie that will undoubtedly become some preteen’s guilty pleasure watch.
Juliet & Romeo is now in theaters.

Juliet & Romeo

A delightfully messy adaptation of the bard’s most iconic work.

Release Date

May 9, 2025

Runtime

122 minutes

Director

Timothy Scott Bogart

Producers

Andrea Iervolino, Monika Bacardi

Pros & Cons

Jamie Ward and Clara Rugaard are excellent as the titular leads, their chemistry makes the whirlwind relationship believable.
The cast’s clear enjoyment, particularly from the likes of Derek Jacobi and Dan Fogler, makes Juliet & Romeo quite delightful.
Juliet & Romeo is a fun, hopepunk interpretation of Shakespeare’s story, with a fresh hope-filled twist.

The songs are largely unremarkable, which is disappointing for a musical that is so unashamedly a musical.
Rebel Wilson is miscast as Lady Capulet, and lacks the luster she had in Pitch Perfect.
The script is a mess that often leans too heavily on the musicality of the film, but is largely fine.