27. Romeo + Juliet
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo
Synopsis: Coming soon.
Bechdel-Wallace Pass? Yes
The Episode
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet, but can we recall what happens in Romeo + Juliet (1996)? We know it's an updated version of the story because of the plus sign (clearly). We know there is a nurse. We know it's going to be a bummer. But we definitely did not remember that Paul Rudd was in this movie. By the way, Paul Rudd is in this movie.
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The Ratings
Data to Come
The Trailer
Totes Regrets
By Molly Chase
Of all the things I struggle to remember and get right during the podcast, trying to remember the Jimmy Eat World lyric about being bored was the hardest. I could not figure it out, even though I'd heard it just days before, when this 19-year-old lyric struck me as brand new:
But if you're bored then you're boring
Preach! This is the truth. If I had a journal, I'd journal about it. The thing is, though, it is most definitely not from a Jimmy Eat World song. It's from Harvey Danger's song, Flagpole Sitta. Oops. Well, regrets within regrets.
All this brings me to Paul Rudd's character, who is supposed to be a bland alternative to passionate Romeo. But I ask you: would you rather spend time with a pouty guy who lets his cigarette go to ash while writing tortured love thoughts in his journal? Or would you rather be with this guy:
PAUL RUDD LOVES BALLOONS, Y'ALL
Based on hair, sure, journal guy. But based on pure joy, there is no substitute for the nation's most beloved time-traveler, dream BFF, and everyman, Paul Rudd.