Baz Luhrmann directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes and John Leguizamo in this MTV-era modernisation of the tragic teen love story.

The boys are on the pills at their enemies’ party and one callow youth spots a beauty through an aquarium and chases her to a kiss in the gold elevator. Magic, swoony magic. A mainstay on my home VHS rotation and the soundtrack defined that summer. Massive crush on Claire Danes back then too. Luhrmann really fucks the frame with his big reel decoupage of tropical fish, florid shirts, massive shooters, fireworks and drag. Still feels like a once-in-a-lifetime wonder. The second half cannot keep up the speedball pace and the doomed lovers clicking into place clunks a little to these older eyes. The ultimate message is one shouldn’t rely on wrinkly British people to give important messages. I’m pretty sure this story / 1996 was the reason the SMS was invented.

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Perfect Double Bill: It’s All About Love (2003)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/