Here's the thing: Romeo & Juliet is required reading for a reason—it's a masterpiece of literature. But this 2013 film adaptation? It's the cinematic equivalent of eating cardboard.

With a dismal 25% critic score and 46% audience score, this version managed to make one of the most dramatic, passionate stories in Western literature feel... boring. That's actually an achievement, just not a good one. The performances are wooden, the pacing drags, and it brings nothing new to a story that's been adapted dozens of times.

If your teen needs to watch Romeo & Juliet for school, show them the 1968 Zeffirelli version (gorgeous and passionate) or the 1996 Baz Luhrmann version (wild, modern, actually engaging). This 2013 version exists in a weird limbo where it's too traditional to be interesting but too lifeless to be moving.

Content-wise, it's got the violence and suicide you'd expect from the source material, plus a post-wedding bedroom scene, so it's appropriately rated for teens 13+. But honestly, unless your kid specifically needs THIS version for a class assignment, skip it. There are better ways to experience this story.