I will admit that I kind of thought the idea of playing out the classic romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet with computer-animated garden gnomes was pretty neat, but it really was nothing that I felt moved to go to the theater to see. That is, until I scammed free passes to an advanced, 3D screening. Then all of a sudden it seemed like an awesome idea. So, there you go. And now here you go.

What it’s about:

Well, duh. I already covered this, and it is heavily implied by the title. In this case, it is actually the respective owners of a duplex who are Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet, and it is their garden gnomes (blue for Montague and red for Capulet) who play out the Shakespearean animosity, though they naturally have no idea why. They’re just hardened clay, for heaven’s sake. But for those in the cheap seats: Gnomeo is a blue, who through a series of circumstances encounters Juliet, a red, under the conditions that both their hats are completely covered. They have a successful flirtation, only to discover they have fallen in love with the enemy. Hijinks ensue.

The Good:

Pretty much everything. The animation is top-notch, and obviously the tale is timeless. The movie sets up the action for the younger people who may be watching right in beginning, with a gnome who comes out onto a stage and explains that they are going to tell a tale that has been told many times before, but it requires a lot of boring explanation. He then begins reciting the prologue to the original play, only to be dropped through a trap door. This gets a big laugh from the kids, and even in the establishing shot for the movie proper there is a Hamlet joke (the duplex address is, well, you can guess. I hope.). There are several other nice Shakespeare jokes (some overt, some clever) as well as a WONDERFUL running lawnmower joke (ha ha) and a pink flamingo with a Spanish accent. As far as the actual gnome proceedings, it follows the source material well while being brought down enough to the kids’ level to engage them without being patronizing. And while there are plenty of jokes for the adults, it never resorts to out and out potty humor.

The Bad:
There isn’t much bad in this genuinely funny, honestly fun for all ages movie. I will say that one scene, when Gnomeo and Juliet are spiffing themselves up for their first legitimate date, has the look and feel of an Old Navy advert. That was weird. Also, Elton John is all over this movie like hair on a gorilla. His songs are used as soundtrack, instrumental versions of his songs are used as score, one gnome actually becomes Elton while serenading a frog, and the weather vanes on both sides of the duplex, at the end of the film, are different versions of Elton John. It was bizarre enough to take me out of the film.

Trivia:

No real trivia here. I am sure there is, but I don’t know it and am not inspired to dig. I will say that there is a lot of great, if not weird, voice talent on hand. In supporting roles there is Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, and Stephen Merchant. Oh, and Ozzy Osbourne.