Review of film: “GNOMEO & JULIET”

2011, 02-05:

Review of film:  “GNOMEO & JULIET”  =  

          Can ELVES “Speare” enough for a fair “SHAKE”?...

                            Rating:  8 of 10 stars

The TV ads for this make it look like dumb slapstick, with the pointy-headed gnomes falling & getting stuck in the ground head-first.  But, those ads do this movie a DISSERVICE, since it’s actually an  appealing little “love” story…  

…  In a town live two neighbors who often are in disputes with each other. One (named Capulet) lives in a red-painted home which has RED pottery “gnome” characters in the backyard garden (with red tulips).  The other person (Montague) lives next door in a house painted blue, & there you will (naturally) find BLUE gnomes in the backyard…

…  The gnomes reflect the attitude of their owners--  always at ODDS with each other & thinking the other “group” is terrible…  The “Tagline” for the film is, “A little adventure goes a LAWN way”, because the groups are very jealous about their gardens & lawns, & in fact challenge each other in LAWNMOWER competitions…

…  Two of the main competitors in the races are a Blue gnome named Gnomeo (voiced by JAMES McAVOY), son of Lady Bluebury (MAGGIE SMITH), & a bad-tempered red gnome named Tybalt (voiced by JASON STATHAM) who tends to cheat to try to win the contest…

…  The results of the race just intensifies the FEUD between the gnomes.  In the “Red” camp is a cute female gnome named Juliet (EMILY BLUNT) who wants to get a beautiful orchid from an abandoned property.  Her father Lord Redbrick (MICHAEL CAINE) is very protective of her & doesn’t want her to leave their property…

…  Juliet commiserates with her companion, a water-spouting frog named Nanette (voiced by ASHLEY JENSEN).  When she  ignores her father’s wishes & steals away to the deserted yard, she’s trailed by Gnomeo.  In time, they start to “FALL” for each other (sort of “akin” to another famous story!)…

…  The Red & Blue groups want to keep their members APART, & they work to discourage fraternizing.  That doesn’t stop Gnomeo & Juliet, who in time chance to meet a funny plastic Spanish-accented Flamingo named Featherstone (JIM CUMMINGS)…

…  Also involved in the story is a plan by the Blue gnomes to try to buy a more powerful lawnmower, advertised by HULK HOGAN.  Juliet is at one point courted by a nerdy gnome named Paris (STEPHEN MERCHANT), and a statue of William Shakespeare (PATRICK STEWART) eventually gets into the act…

…  In the midst of all the machinations are a bunch of MUSICAL numbers (such as “Crocodile Rock”), most of which are from the ELTON JOHN songbook (in large part because it’s HIS “Rocket” picture company that has produced the film)…

…  Will the Blue group GET the “Terrafirminator” lawnmower they crave to beat the Reds?... 

Will Gnomeo & Juliet keep SEEING each other?...  Will things end HAPPILY, or will more

pottery be CRACKED during the confrontations?...

…  I found the movie to be a cute and CHARMING, with enjoyable MUSICAL numbers, good

Animation, effective 3-D work (better than the average in such movies nowadays), and a

surprising amount of FUNNY elements besides…

…  The numerous pre-teen kids in the audiences happily applauded (with their parents &

relatives) at  the end…  All things considered, I am thus rating the movie at 8 out of 10 stars…

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