highly watchable, if a bit uneven

Rating: Null/10 (5 November 2002)

Slick, stylish, but equally frustrating, contemporary version of Shakespeare's tragic love story. Both born to a family of powerful and influential men, two young lovers attempt to maintain their forbidden relationship despite the pressures of having to keep it secluded from their feuding families. The cast seems to believe in the material, and Danes and DiCaprio are magnetic on screen, but the film's anachronistic dialogue is often confusing, and the film's plot twists are occasionally too silly to take seriously. There's plenty to take in, along with some really fine performances, but it's still one of those movies that challenges you to stay interested. **Â½