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I watched the 1996 version with Leo DeCaprio as my daughter had to watch it for school. We decided it would be better to watch the 96 version before the Zeffirelli version as it would still be bad but not as bad as watching it after the "real one." To make matters worse, we'd just watched Shakespeare In Love. We should have left that one for later, too.

The only thing that saves the '96 film is the good writing. But even that isn't enough.

We were on the edge of our seats wanting it to be good but it just couldn't be so. It was a lost cause. It was a sinking ship of good intentions. It was a less than valiant attempt at being sophisticated trash. It was funny, but not funny enough.

I cried.

Well watch "west side story" ..........same,same.

Their script isn't as good.

They almost make up for it with "I Feel Pretty" but kill it with "Maria"

My taste admittedly has its rocky moments but I do actually enjoy the Luhrmann 1996 version, though its Romeo's a wimp. There's a lot in it that would resonate with an Elizabethan theatre crowd. Shakespeare really is that continual on-the-edge-of-violence and so were they. It's a pre-antibiotic rendering.