In the early 90s, Troma founder and president Lloyd Kaufman was working on a Shakespeare adaptation by way of Troma. In early 1992, Kaufman wrote the first draft alongside employees Andy Deemer and Phil Rivo entirely in a Shakespearean language. Unfortunately, this draft was pretty hated by everyone at Troma, so it was scrapped for the time being. In 1995, a newcomer named James Gunn came along and decided to take a crack at the script. He completely rewrote the script, making it much darker and more obscene but still using the Shakespearean verse. Kaufman worked with Gunn to rework the script further, removing the Shakespearean verse and adding more comedic elements. With a budget of roughly $350,000, this wound up being one of the cheapest films in Troma’s history. Though premiering at Cannes in 1996, Tromeo & Juliet wouldn’t see a US release until 1997.
%
Rating
Synopsis
For years, the Que and Capulet families have been at war with each other, tearing up Manhattan in the process. While the Que’s son Tromeo (Will Keenan) lives in squalor, the Capulet’s daughter Juliet (Jane Jensen) lives a luxurious life. However, Juliet has to deal with her abusive father Cappy (Maximillian Shaun), and overprotective cousin Tyrone (Patrick Connor). During a costume party, Tromeo and Juliet cross paths and instantly fall in love despite their family rivalry. Unfortunately, Juliet is being forced to marry the young meat millionaire London Arbuckle (Steve Gibbons), but they have a plan. They get secretly married, but unfortunately, Tyrone finds out and tries killing Tromeo, only for Tromeo to kill Tyrone. With Tromeo on the run from the cops, Juliet is forced to marry London instead under threat from her father. Will Tromeo and Juliet be reunited, or will this end the way the play does?
Review
If you’re expecting Tromeo & Juliet to be a faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play, you’re going to be disappointed. Without going into spoilers, this film goes in some wildly different directions and is almost an in-name-only adaptation. Purists will probably hate the deviations this takes, but if you’re willing to look past that, you’ll have some fun. Even by Troma standards, this is one of the most wildly outrageous and obscene movies in their catalog. It has a very punk rock quality to it, which fits with the rebellious and anti-mainstream nature of Troma. This is exemplified by the soundtrack, which features the likes of Motorhead, Sublime, Supernova, the Ass Ponys, and more. Speaking of, the late great Lemmy from Motorhead appears in this as the narrator, who adds some eloquence. Still, it can be somewhat hard to understand him through his mumbling and raspy voice.
In typical Troma fashion, the cast plays this as over-the-top and ridiculous as possible though not in an annoying way. Will Keenan and Jane Jensen shine as the star-crossed lovers torn apart by family and actually have some solid chemistry. Maximillian Shaun makes for a great villain, being both charismatic and so hateable that you want to see him die. Speaking of death, the gore scenes aren’t quite as outrageous as The Toxic Avenger Part III, but they’re still fun. Steve Gibbons is probably the only cast member who teeters on being annoying, acting like an even crazier Jim Carrey. Valentine Miele and Stephen Blackehart make for a fun comedic duo, Debbie Rochon is stunning, and Sean Gunn is funny. At slightly over 90 minutes, the film does drag in places, but it’s never boring largely thanks to the cast. Overall, Tromeo & Juliet would’ve been Shakespeare’s favorite movie…probably.
Buy Tromeo & Juliet from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ccMmp9
