MovieChat Forums > Private Romeo (2011) Discussion > What was with the ending?

What was with the ending?

posted 12 years ago by Bgb217
7 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed the film as a whole- ostensibly the same conceit as Baz Luhrmann's film, but on a smaller, more intimate scale and with an all male cast. The actors were fantastic, and while some earlier parts didn't always click, it was very enthralling.

And then the end happened? I'm not posting spoilers because the title of this is "what was with the ending?" but did the ending just not feel right for anyone else? Romeo wakes up and there's no "glooming peace..." etc. And the actor who played the Juliet character singing "You made me love you..."... that was lovely, but just really out of place.

Otherwise great little film.

-Bryan

[–] tomrosbotham 12 years ago

I personally felt the whole film had a "real life" parallel, with Romeo and Juliet merely being a filter through which we saw the story. The fight between Mercutio and Tybalt did happen between Neff and Carlos. While Romeo and Juliet's true ending will always convey the message it does, I don't think that ending would be so easily justified in the parallel the film was drawing.

In all fairness: imagining the ending wasn't changed: the message isn't the same. In the context of the the film, the suicide becomes less a message of "sacrifice for love" and more a message of "fear persecution".

The writers may have desired for the tale to be a love story - not a political message. Perhaps the change in the ending was to keep it a story about love.

[–] loopdloop11 11 years ago

My take on the ending was it was just one of the many scenes that pops in and out of the Romeo and Juliet arch. There are parallel stories going on and the ending was meant to be with the cadet side of the story.. possibly implying that even in an all-male military school this kind of love be it brotherly or romantic is more accepted. Just my take. I think that was probably why the director even bothered to make this film. It had to be 'modern' as much as it had to be Shakespeare. And modern in this film equals love pure and simple.

[–] Frumious_Bandersnatch_46 11 years ago

I have to agree with tomrosbotham and with loopdloop11:
Keeping the original ending would have had a very different meaning at a 21st century military academy from what it meant in 16th century Verona.

However, I have to agree with you that Juliet singing "You Make Me Love You" as a finale was thoroughly out of place.

Otherwise very good — and very interesting — take on R&J.

- Computasaurus Emeritus

[–] cuchelo1 11 years ago

did the ending just not feel right for anyone else? Romeo wakes up and there's no "glooming peace..." etc. And the actor who played the Juliet character singing "You made me love you..."... that was lovely, but just really out of place.

I was coming here to post the exact same thing. Years ago, I saw the Off-Broadway play this was 'inspired by', and I was curious how they would treat the original text in an updated setting. All in all, I thought the actors did a fantastic job, with one or two standouts, but the script was a case of "too clever by half". Why mess with the ending of one of the most well-known stories of all time for no discernible reason? What was the payoff for the audience?

I'd recommend it for the acting and the cinematography, with a strong reservation about the script.

On a (somewhat) related note- around the same time "Shakespeare's R+J" was running, there was also a very popular adaptation of "Midsummer Night's Dream" called (don't laugh) "The Donkey Show", set in a '70s disco. It was great fun (although part of the appeal was that the cast ran through the theater and swept the audience into the performance) and I'd be really interested to see a big-screen version of that...

"Falling feels like flying... until you hit the ground."-Tom McRae

[–] tardisblue11 11 years ago

The Donkey Show still plays in Boston every weekend. Well technically Cambridge!

And I liked the ending. I thought they left the play and that was what was really happening to them.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] blindvias-071407 10 years ago

I wondered about the ending also, that the star crossed lovers don't die, and the addition of the Judy Garland standard.

Perhaps the movie took an opportunity to challenge how so many screenplays kill off gay lovers. Here they have taken Shakespeare's story and are saying "look, they survive!" I might buy that, but I still don't get adding the song.

Perhaps it's a play on the lyric 'You know you got the brand of kisses that I'd die for'. Shakespeare had Juliet kiss Romeo's lips as she was attempting to die from the poison that was still on them. Here, in lieu of a double gay suicide Private Romeo gives us a nice song!

The movie was excellent though, especially for those of us that enjoy Shakespeare. Almost every line was true to the Bard. Hale Applebaum and Seth Numrich were awesome.