Gnomeo and Juliet
User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 97 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 97
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 97
  3. Negative: 17 out of 97

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  1. Shiira
    Feb 15, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. They look like toys, but they're not. It must really burn this sorry lot, to come up short against their rivals, and yet the filmmaker doesn't go there. "Gnomeo and Juliet" never gets past its initial conceit. The film simply wants to goof on William Shakespeare. Too bad. The pathos goes unexplored. The gnomes are cute, distinguishable by sex, and their faces suggest a personality, but alas, the gnomes aren't kid-friendly. The parts don't move. They don't make a sound. Worst of all, they're ceramic. Nobody plays with lawn ornaments. (Can you just imagine the people at Pixar exploiting this fact!!!) Nobody loves them. It's a reality that the makers of "Gnomeo and Juliet" never acknowledge, preferring instead to infuse the mindset of the lawn ornament with a toy's logic, a toy's undying loyalty. The feuding gnomes, in actuality, have no surnames. As it's revealed in the opening shot, after the Andy Kaufman-esque prologue(similar in theme to his "Great Gatsby" bit), the Montagues and the Capulets are appellations that refer to the gnomes' human owners, next-door neighbors at odds who reside on Verona Drive. Even though the gnomes wear the tribal colors of their respective landowners, blue(Montagues) and red(Capulets) shouldn't signify anything because the gnomes, by all appearances, are not on a first-name basis with the people, the warring factions whose problems they appropriated as their own. To the actual Montagues and the actual Capulets, the auxiliary members of their families that occupy the gardens, are ciphers, so where does this loyalty come from, which inspires the gnomes to keep Gnomeo and Juliet from being together? Not once do we see, Montague or Capulet alike, performing some sort of ministration upon the gnomes to indicate that the lawn ornaments have value, akin to a toy. For instance, when Tybult shatters and is reduced to tiny pieces, due to a lawnmower racing accident, a savvier film would have shown who(person or thing) was responsible for the gnome's eventual restoration. More than likely, it's a lawn ornament who mends Tybult, but each group's allegiance to his namesake would lead you to believe that the glue belonged to a proper Capulet. If human hands put Tibult back together, you could understand better as to why the Red Hats and the Blue Hats can't mix. But as "Gnomeo and Juliet" makes clear, the film has no Andy(the boy from the "Toy Story" series"), a human representative who interacts with inanimate objects, and loves them. Clearly, these lawn ornaments are forgotten, and left to their own devices. Their real grudge should be with the toys, who sleep in the house, on a shelf or a bed, instead of having to brave the elements: the rain, the sleet, the snow, and the neighborhood cats, the neighborhood dogs. Toys have value. Toys get fixed. In essence, "Gnomeo and Juliet" wants to be "Lawn Ornament Story", especially during the scene where the pink flamingo recounts the story of his pink flamingo mate, which contains the same "Toy Story" approach to loss, evoking the moment in the second film when Emily, Jessie the Cowgirl's owner, tosses the doll under the bed, and is forgotten. "Gnomeo and Juliet" is equally adult in its handling of abandonment issues. Tossed into a garden shed, the aftermath of a separation between the flamingo's owners(she took the other bird), Featherstone muses, "Other people's hate destroyed my love" but the moviegoer never gets a read on how the pink bird feels about their indifference, the casual cruelty which led to his imprisonment in that shack. In Lee Unkrich's '"Toy Story 3", Lots O'Huggin Bear couldn't survive without his human, so as a coping mechanism, he unleashes his anger upon Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of Andy's toys, because in the stuffed animal's state of bereftness, he despises the newly-arrived toys at the daycare for the same reason he despises himself: the bear needs his original owner, he needs love, whereas the gnomes need no human interaction, and yet, both sides are willing to fight in their honor. Prior to the final action set-piece, just like how Shakespeare wrote it, Benny breaks into the Montague household, and using the computer, orders the lawnmower that will give the "blue hats" an advantage over the "red hats". The Terra-firmanator, under his command, nearly kills the star-crossed lawn ornaments, and what for? Had Benny been successful, the old lady would have simply swept away the ceramic pieces into a dustpan, without ceremony. If the makers of "Gnomeo and Juliet" had Pixar's ambition, they would have made Juliet a toy.… Expand
  2. SeenNotScene
    Feb 12, 2011
    3
    Because of nothing better out and my four year old wanting to go to the theater, the two of us saw Gnomeo and Juliet. Now, I don't go to any of these animated movies with my daughter expecting anything other than something entertaining for her to watch. Colorful characters? Check. And....thats about all I got from it. I have read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet three times because I am a true fan of the story, and I feel like this children's adaptation has completely butchered it to the point where it should not have been made at all. But then again, it isn't about me, but my daughter who should enjoy it. Its just that I can think of dozens of ways to have better spent that $25 dollars for her amusement. I would avoid this movie if possible.… Expand
  3. scrieciu
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    This movie is totally forgettable. Sure, the kids will love it and the sound effects were really well done. Other then that, there's not much to say. Some moments were fun to watch, the rest was quite boring. The main reason why I really wanted to see '' Gnomeo and Juliet '' it's because of the ending. Of course, in the original story they both die, but I was curious to see how this new version will end (because it's for kids). I thought it was okay. But at least the children will enjoy it.… Expand
  4. bikeman
    Apr 17, 2011
    2
    I was disappointed by this, and I usually like computer animation. It had un-engaging characters and a boring plot. This should have been a â
  5. scottysauce
    Jun 4, 2011
    2
    At first this movie looked like it was going to be alot of fun but then it got bad........REALLY BAD!! This is the only movie I have ever stopped watching in a very long time. I usually love these kinds of movies but this one wasn't even worth the $1 rental in my book!
  6. mattisme76
    Mar 25, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. worst movie ever kid movies are awsome but now I think all kids movies you should watch are by disney.
    Dream works you disappointed me like threre was one part that was ok and it was the price of the lawn mower it was $9999 and the rest of it was bad 1 of 10 dont watch    … Expand
  7. joelschnick
    Aug 24, 2011
    2
    Forgettable and snooze worthy. Kids didn't like it much either. Very young kids might enjoy because of all the pretty colors--but that is what a kaleidoscope is for.
  8. kpeter32
    Mar 3, 2011
    1
    This is arguably the worst movie that I have ever seen. I absolutely love kids movies but this one was so awful that I couldn't evenremotely enjoy it when I was high. They can refund my ticket but there is no way that I can get back that hour and a half or so of my life. Don't waste your time
  9. Mahboy
    Nov 13, 2011
    3
    Wow. I still can't believe I actually took time out of my schedule to see this movie. Well, I suppose I'd better get straight to the reviewing process, so here it goes. *ahem* This movie rivaled many of those straight to DVD children's releases you find in many bargain bins at most of your local retail stores, and that's not a compliment. This movie starts out slightly bearable, but not even fifteen minutes into this movie was I ready to accept the large amount of disappointment I was going to be bombarded with. You think that with the movie being titled "Gnomeo and Juliet" that there would be some hilarious puns and gags that would leave you in stitches throughout the entire movie, then again, maybe that was just me, because the experience I had with this movie was an all-out bummer; a total waste of time. The thing that hurts me the most is all of the wasted talent the movie constantly shoved in my face. Do yourself a favor: if you see this movie anywhere, do NOT buy, rent, or even touch this movie. It won't be worth your time or your children's time. Trust me.… Expand
  10. dryyoshi7
    Aug 4, 2012
    4
    Let me introduce you to the piece of dog poo they call Gnomeo and Juliet. When I first saw this film, I had low expectations, and they didn't change a single bit. The humor is dry and weak, the stupid garden jokes were too awful and the movie felt like it was 4 seconds long. Long story short, DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!!!

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. NPR
    Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    Feb 15, 2011
    65
    Theatrically inclined parents will also appreciate a passing reference to the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Moving Co.
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  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    Feb 12, 2011
    50
    Terra-cotta gnomes, the sort that decorate people's lawns, are the characters of this bizarre feature animation, which lampoons the British obsession with gardening and upholds a long tradition of cartoons pitched to tots and stoners.
    Read full review
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Sean O\\\\\\\'Connell
    Feb 11, 2011
    75
    Any film that dares to cast the bat-chewing heavy-metal legend as a gentle, ceramic reindeer named Fawn is okay in my Bard book.
    Read full review
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