GNOMEO AND JULIET

2011, Touchstone Pictures

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 84 mins.

THE STORY:

As the title cleverly makes apparent, this is an animated retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The twist here is that the star-crossed lovers belong to feuding families of garden gnomes divided by the colour of their hats. Gnomeo (James MacAvoy) is a Blue who falls in love at first sight with Juliet (Emily Blunt), a Red.

The lovers hide their relationship from their vitriolic families and watch helplessly as the Reds and Blues try to destroy each other. Ultimately, the love the two share is enough to bring about a truce without a tragic, corpse-riddled ending.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• idiot 
• shut up

VIOLENCE:

• Lots of inter-gnome brawling
• 1 gnome gets smashed to smithereens, but comes back in the credits

TEACHING POINTS:

• Love conquers all
• Fighting solves nothing

THE UPSHOT:

Given that it's a classic, the plot is predictable (for adults, at least). But the film still manages to sustain interest with the depth of the character development. Gnomeo is macho tough guy, who starts the film obsessed with mower racing and revenge. Juliet is a feisty woman out to climb off her pedestal and prove she is anything but "delicate."

There are a plethora of famous voices for adults to try and identify (Dolly Parton, Hulk Hogan, Ozzy Osborne, etc.), and an Elton John cameo gnome.

The adults in the room loved the film, but the 4 year-old was a little underwhelmed. A lot of the humour was too adult-oriented and the story was a little inaccessible. She couldn't understand why the gnomes were fighting in the first place. The final verdict was, "I liked the part when they fell in love." 

3/5