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● Movie Guide · Last updated May 18, 2026

Romeo + Juliet: Plot, Cast, Ending & Where to Watch

1996 · Australia · Drama, Romance · 2h 00m · English

Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 Australia drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann. This guide covers the plot, full cast, an overview of the ending, where to watch, and similar films you might want next.

Read Ending Explained → Movies Like Romeo + Juliet Where to Watch
DramaRomanceRecommended
Original Title
Romeo + Juliet
Director
Baz Luhrmann
Writers
Craig Pearce, Baz Luhrmann
Country
Australia
Runtime
2h 00m
Release
Nov 1, 1996
§ 01 Plot · 6 min read

Romeo + Juliet Plot Summary

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet is a 1996 romantic crime film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It is a modernized adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, albeit still using Shakespearean English. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles of two teenagers who fall in love, despite their being members of feuding families. Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino and Diane Venora also star in supporting roles. It is the third major film version of the play, following adaptations by George Cukor in 1936 and by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968.

● Quick takeaway

Romeo + Juliet (1996) is a Australia drama film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, running 120 minutes. In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Critical reception: IMDb 6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 75%, Metacritic 60/100. Tagline: "My only love sprung from my only hate.." This guide covers the plot, full cast, ending, and where to watch.

§ 02 Cast · 6 roles

Cast and Characters

Leonardo DiCaprio headshot
as Romeo
DiCaprio was twenty-one when the film was shot and already coming off acclaim for What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Basketball Diaries — Romeo + Juliet is the role that broke him as a leading man and launched the Titanic-era stardom that followed a year later. He plays the verse with a soft, almost mumbled register that pulls Shakespeare out of declamation and into the pitch of a teenager who has actually fallen in love.
Claire Danes headshot
Claire Danes
as Juliet
Danes was sixteen during principal photography and brought a watchful intelligence from her My So-Called Life run that gives Juliet a kind of clarity Shakespeare's writing usually has to fight against to land on screen. Her scenes with DiCaprio — the fish-tank meet, the bedroom morning-after, the chapel close-up where she watches him die — are the load-bearing emotional architecture of the entire production.
Jesse Bradford headshot
Jesse Bradford
as Balthasar
Bradford takes the smaller role of Balthasar — Romeo's loyal messenger — and gives the third act its hinge: he is the character who brings Romeo the false news of Juliet's death and triggers the chain of events that ends in the chapel. The performance is quiet, sympathetic, and unembellished, which lets Luhrmann's bigger emotional set pieces breathe without competing.
Vondie Curtis-Hall headshot
Vondie Curtis-Hall
as Captain Prince
Curtis-Hall plays the Prince of Verona reimagined as a chopper-borne police captain, an inspired piece of Luhrmann re-casting that turns Shakespeare's sovereign authority into modern law enforcement broadcast live over rotor noise. The performance, calm and exhausted, lets the film land its civic-collapse argument: the families have made the city ungovernable, and the helicopters are an honest report on the cost.
Brian Dennehy headshot
Brian Dennehy
as Ted Montague
Dennehy, by the mid-90s already a venerable theatre name with two Tony Awards in his future, plays Romeo's father as a corporate-empire-builder more interested in business than in his son. The casting brings classical-theatre weight into a film constantly accused of betraying the stage; Dennehy's measured delivery of Shakespeare's lines gives the older generation a gravity the younger one is allowed to ignore.
John Leguizamo headshot
John Leguizamo
as Tybalt
Leguizamo's Tybalt arrives in a brocaded vest, gold-capped teeth, and Cuban heels — Luhrmann's most extravagant casting decision, and the performance that lets the film's first half function as comedy before the storm rolls in. Leguizamo plays Tybalt as a coiled, theatrical street-prince who is genuinely dangerous, and the gas-station shootout that opens the film is his showcase.
§ 03 · Spoiler Zone · Read with care

Ending Overview

How does Romeo + Juliet end? Our spoiler-aware breakdown walks through the final act beat by beat — including the choices, motivations, and ambiguous final shot that viewers most often debate.

Read full Ending Explained →
§ 04 Watch · Updated May 18

Where to Watch Romeo + Juliet

Availability may vary by region and change over time.

A
Amazon Video
Rent
● Available
A
Apple TV Store
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● Available
G
Google Play Movies
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● Available
Y
YouTube
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● Available
View all regions & options →
§ 06

Frequently Asked

What is Romeo + Juliet about?

In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed.

Where can I watch Romeo + Juliet?

See the Where to Watch section below for the current streaming, rental, and purchase options in your region.