Tromeo and Juliet Tromeo and Juliet (Air Date: 05/14/97)
Troma, that super independent movie studio who brought you "Sargent Kabuki Man NYPD," has released yet another whacked-out cult comedy called "Tromeo and Juliet." Directed and co-written by Lloyd Kaufman, "Tromeo & Juliet" is basically William Shakesphere's "Romeo and Juliet" with 90's moderninity, New York Street smarts, and Luis Bunuel surrealism. "Tromeo and Juliet" creates such twists and turns that stretch the Shakespherean tale to new dimensions. Suprisingly enough the final product is a well-written, well-acted, and higly entertaining Troman creation.
The film is well cast most notably with Will Keenan and Jane Jensen in the principal respective roles of Tromeo Que and Juliet Capulet. With ernest and innocence, they deftly deliver Shakesphere's lines alongside twenty-something dialogue . Lemme, the lead singer for the internationally acclaimed metal band Motorhead, is the film's narrator. "Tromeo and Juliet" also includes a menagerie of pierced and tattoed hellions, hardcore punkers, nymphomaniacs, and crazed offbeat authority figures. Each character in the original "Romeo and Juliet" is hilariously parodied to fit into "Tromeo and Juliet."
Much of the film's story is fairly consistent with Willie Shakesphere's original. In "Tromeo and Juliet," the Que's and the Capulets were once partners in a classy business called "Silky Films." Unfortunately the two heads of the families, Monty Que and Cappy Capulet, had a terrible scandalous falling out over business. Since then the two families have been feeling blind hatred toward each other. Despite their rivaling families, Tromeo Que and Juliet Capulet spawn their against-all-odds romance... in Tromatic fashion of course. Kaufman then guides the audience through both familiar and unfamiliar territories ending "Tromeo and Juliet" in his own warm funny way.
Those fans of "Repo Man," Gwar, John Waters, and Peter Jackson should definitely see this movie. Depsite being a low budget film, "Tromeo and Juliet" is one of the freshest contemporary cult films in theatres today.
Copyright 1997 Blue Velvet