Lighthearted Shakespeare?

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 1999)

It's nice, for a change, to view a movie that tries to hit the usual movie targets: plot, charactor development and a climax. This film is unusual because it really targets the teenage generation. Admittedly, I'm just 20 years old, and I have liked Shakespeare for quite some time, but I found it a satisfying rewrite of, lets face it, a time tested classic play.
The quality of the acting was, for mind, well done. I have read several other reviews that are critical of the 'over age' look of Verona (good to see a fellow Aussie doing great!) but I feel that his acting was credible to his role.. after all, how many pimply rebels do you see these days?
This film really fits into many different film genres: shakespeare, teen, comedy.. I think there's something in the film to make just about the ardent film critic laugh. Much of the humour is tongue in cheek, but I personally, find those films to be the best to watch.
Julia Stiles really hit the 'shrew' level, and I really admired her performance. The scene at near the end of the movie provided her with the prose to really hit audiences and provoke emotion.
The support cast portrayed the teenage 'falseness' to a comic end. The performances acted like a combination of 'Can't Hardly Wait' and 'Clueless'.
In summary, I think that people should view this film if they want to see a good lighthearted film with a good ending. If you are an ardent lover of the Shakespearian guild, you might not appreciate it's approach to converting to a 90's scene. In any case I recommend to all.