One of my favorite film companies, Troma pictures, brings their special brand of filmmaking to Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet. As the tag line says “body piercing, kinky sex, dismemberment... all the things that made Shakespeare great”.  

 

Lloyd Kaufman (the King of Troma pictures) & James Gunn (before he was famous) out did themselves with this film. You expect over-the-top gore and violence from a Troma film and this one delivers. Will Keenan plays a punked out Tromeo Que who is looking for love in all the wrong places when he meets Juliet (Jane Jensen) while crashing the Capulet’s costume party (filled with Troma character appearances). 

 

Of course the film has plenty of “Tromatic” twists including a fabulous performance by Scream Queen Debbie Rochon as Ness, Juliet’s nurse & lesbian lover. Not to mention a 2 foot penis monster, real footage of a woman’s nipple piercing (who needs expensive stunts), decapitations, severe head injuries, Plexiglas time out rooms, what more could Shakespeare ask for? 

 

One of the big surprises is the quality of the soundtrack with Motorhead (Motorhead’s Lemmy also narrates the film) and Sublime contributing, just to name a few. To add to that, they include bits of dialogue from the movie between all the tracks making it almost as much fun as the movie.  

 

You have to go into the movie knowing what it is to enjoy it. If you’re looking for a classic interpretation of “the Bard’s” work, you’re in the wrong place. If you’re looking for an entertaining film with very few socially redeeming characteristics, “Tromeo & Juliet” is the one for you! I give it eight out of ten for the shear fun of it. 

 

If you do check it out, look for the special 10th Anniversary Edition from Troma Films, it is packed with cast interviews, cut scenes and other "Tromatic" extras!

 

 

 

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