GNOMEO & JULIET

RYAN: The new animated 3D movie Gnomeo & Juliet opens today, and though I can already predict what you thought of it, I actually liked it a lot.

CAROLINE: I actually didn’t hate it. I was prepared to though, and I went in with a baditude as I always do with kids’ movies. This movie is OK as animated films go, but I much prefer ones with humans as opposed to talking animals, or as in this case, lawn ornaments.

RYAN: At least they’re lawn ornaments in the shape of gnomes, which are sort of human. And the animation was so good that you could actually see paint chips on them.

CAROLINE: I did notice that, and I was very impressed. The gnomes are very realistic looking, which we’d expect from a Disney movie, but the 3D wasn’t much to speak of.

RYAN: I think this movie has two great things going for it. One is the script, which is obviously inspired by Romeo & Juliet. Any retelling of Shakespeare, if done well, is good, and there were a lot of cute jokes and sub-plots that I enjoyed. Secondly, the music was fantastic! It’s all Elton John, and you can’t go wrong there.

CAROLINE: I wholeheartedly agree on both points. These things made the movie tolerable for me. Parents who are forced to see this movie will find humor in the Shakespearean references, of which there are many. It’s fun to hunt for them; some are very obvious but some are subtle. And of course, who doesn’t want to rock out to Elton John during a movie?

RYAN: There are some funny pop cultural references to him and his crazy costumes, which made me laugh. And I liked the secondary characters too. Ultimately, what makes this movie work though is the length. It’s a perfect 90 minutes.

CAROLINE: Honey, not even! It’s barely 85 minutes, so if you don’t count the credits, you’re outta there in a hour and 20 minutes. You know I loved that the most.

RYAN: Well, I loved that there are two actors from the Harry Potter franchise doing voices in this, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters.

CAROLINE: The lead roles are voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, but there are some great supporting roles voiced by Jason Statham and none other than Ozzy Osbourne, which was hilarious. I noticed Michael Caine in there too.

RYAN: And a great cameo from Dolly Parton!

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: I really liked this movie. Like the best family films, it’s enjoyable for all ages. It’s very well done and cute, and there’s even a tear-jerking moment. It didn’t make me cry, but if I had a heart, it would have.

CAROLINE: I will concede that adults can enjoy this movie, largely because of the Elton John music and funny Shakespeare references. It feels like a conscious effort was made to make this movie tolerable for parents, which I appreciate as an adult. I can’t say I loved it, but I also didn’t sleep through it, which is progress for me in an animated movie.

— RATING —