Gnomeo and Juliet review

A rom-com by any other name

by NELL MINOW Feb 15, 2011 06:21PM   ★★★

What’s in a gnome?

Shakespeare’s tragic romance about the children of warring families has been adapted countless times, as acknowledged in a cheeky opening monologue of “Gnomeo & Juliet,” a charming retelling of the Bard’s drama set in the world of garden gnomes and set to the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Adjoining homes on Verona Drive have lovingly tended gardens, one with a blue color scheme, the other red. Both are populated with ceramic garden gnomes who come to life when humans are not around, and like their owners, the two groups are in a bitter feud, led by Lady Bluebury (Maggie Smith) and Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine).

When Lady Bluebury’s son Gnomeo (voice of James Mc­Avoy) and his red rival Tybalt (voice of Jason Statham) compete in a lawn-mower race, the hotheaded Tybalt cheats to win. Gnomeo decides to cross over into the red side for revenge.

Meanwhile, Lord Redbrick’s daughter Juliet (Emily Blunt) defies her father to disguise her­self and cross over to blue territory to capture a captivating flower. She meets Gnomeo, and soon parting will be sweet sorrow, though a weed by any other name is still a weed.

They have one perfect date far from home, where they befriend another garden fixture, a long-abandoned plastic pink flamingo (Jim Cummings), and hear his story of the pain of lost love.

Gnomeo and Juliet want to be together, but they do not want to hurt their parents. Lord Redbrick wants Juliet to marry the suitable but dull Paris (Stephen Merchant). Tensions become even more heated between the reds and the blues, especially when one side brings in a monster truck of a lawn mower called the Terrafirminator. Even Shakespeare’s statue (Patrick Stewart) tries to explain the story is not supposed to have a happy ending.

But Shakespeare didn’t know about garden gnomes, 3-D computer animation, or G ratings, all of which combine to make sure that all’s well that ends well.

There’s plenty of silly but warm-hearted humor as the characters struggle with the big feelings inside their brittle terra-cotta bodies. The gnomes have to freeze whenever a human comes by, in positions only slightly more absurd than the ones they were originally designed for.

Pop culture references, un­avoidable these days in an animated film, are oddly chosen (The “Tiki Room” theme song? “Brokeback Mountain”? Really?) but thankfully brief. And there is much to delight lovers of English literature, with sly references to the Bard. We see like a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern moving van, and the street address numbers are “2B and not 2B.”

The eclectic voice cast works very well. McAvoy and Blunt show all the tenderness, courage and spirit one could hope for in the young lovers. It is disarming to see how well Ozzy Osborne’s Fawn and Hulk Hogan’s Terrraforminator share the screen with Dame Maggie and Sir Michael.

But what makes the film most endearing is its unabashed eccentricity. These days, so much entertainment is focus-grouped into safe institutional blandness. It is a rare pleasure to see a film, especially one with eight credited authors, including Shakespeare, with such a singularly loopy sensibility. If you are in the mood for an offbeat take on a classic love story to the sound of “Rocket Man,” you will find this one is just as you like it.

Nell Minow is the film critic for the website beliefnet.com.