A disclaimer: I absolutely hate Romeo and Juliet. Now, I can appreciate the passion in Zeffirelli's version and the artistry in Luhrman's, but I will never, ever, ever like the story. I hate the two leads, with their doe-eyed teenage idiocy, and I almost always hate anything in which characters fall in "love" at first sight. I am more of a Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing girl myself (two characters who have known and teased each other forever, and fall in love despite themselves). Keep in mind that any plot based on misunderstandings and poor decisions will frustrate me, and I will therefore only like it to some extent.
Aside from my obvious problems with the plot, I actually have some problems with the songs. Now, don't get me wrong. The memorable songs in this movie are BRILLIANT. "Gee, Officer Krupke", "Tonight", and "I Feel Pretty" are all appropriate, fun, and they all get in your head and stay there for days. This is what songs in musicals should do. Unfortunately, those are about all of them. I had forgotten how many songs are in West Side Story, and how little I care for almost all of them.
Finally, now I can get to the good stuff. I have seen this movie about ten times before, but I tried to get more out of it this time. I paid more attention to the visuals. Clearly, the choreography is phenomenal. One thing I've never paid too much attention to is the use of colors. Good examples include Maria's colorful glass door, which casts warm, bright, multicolored glows on her room, and the amazing cinammon-red underbelly of the overpass below which the rumble occurs (it juxtaposes the grey, dirty walls and ground so perfectly). Also notable is the hip, daddy-o-style camera angles and lighting. Lots of slightly askew shots and dark silhouettes near shadowy fences. Visually, I have one pet peeve. I absolutely hate the blurring of the surrounding areas in the scene where Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) meet and later, in (I believe) the "Tonight" scene.
The only acting Oscars for which anyone in this movie was nominated were supporting, and they both won: Rita Moreno (who played Anita) and George Chakiris (who played Bernardo). They are seriously the only good performances in the movie. I mean, Russ Tamblyn is entertaining, but not in an Oscar-worthy way, and both Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood are so lame that their performances are just too sappy. Interestingly enough, Natalie Wood WAS nominated for Best Actress that year, except it was for Splendor in the Grass. So, if you ignore the main characters, and if you change the plot completely, but you leave everything else the same, it is a perfect movie. As is, it is less-than-perfect, but still an 8/10
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