Who shot Romeo and Juliet? Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021)

In the third and final installment of Season 2 Episode 13, we discuss John Wick: Chapter 4. Although the film is the longest (169 minutes), John Wick only utters 380 words, a strategy by Keanu’s own design revealing his vision for the character. We describe how – by removing himself from the dialogue and in some cases the screen all together – the audience is encouraged to question the simplistic discourse of media violence in some of the most historic Parisian locales. John, along with Ted and Neo, are clearly Keanu passion projects, and we should all be so lucky. 

In the second installment of Season 2 Episode 13, we discuss Keanu’s reprisal of Neo in Matrix Resurrections (2021). We debate the goals of the film, both from the perspective of the audience as well as from the perspective of Lana Wachowski and Keanu Reeves. Although the film was widely considered the “worst” in , and what it means for the discussion of Keanu’s agency. We talk about the new Thomas Anderson, the dichotomy of joy vs. profundity in the franchise, and connect the story to our other seasons. 

In the first supplemental episode of Season 3, we return to where we began: West Side Story (2021) directed by Stephen Spielberg, starring Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, and Rita Moreno. We discuss the evolution of mainstream social awareness over the past 60 years and how this impacts the production and meaning of the film (a phenomenon Charisse refers to as “historical HD”), including the role of gentrification in racial and class-based strife, the attempt to rectify the racial offenses of the first film, and how Rita Moreno’s return provides a nuanced take on the Romeo and Juliet story itself.  

In Part 1 of Season 2’s Episode 13, we discuss the revival of Theodore “Ted” Logan in Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020). Bill and Ted continue to struggle as musicians, husbands, and now fathers, but it’s clear that Ted’s experiences have diverged from Bill’s somewhere in the 30 years since their bogus journey, a sly but important narrative point. More importantly, we fawn over Billie and Thea, musicologists who are just as silly and lovable as their fathers, and their potential to continue the franchise.

In this Season 2 supplemental episode, we return to our star study of Keanu Reeves with a focus on his cameos in Always Be My Maybe and Toy Story 4. Released within weeks of each other in 2019, Keanu’s characters are deeply flawed yet delightfully unaware in both films, continuing his embrace of the beta male and commenting on mediated expectations. Along with brief mentions of Keanu (2012) and The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2021), we discuss Keanu’s willingness and eagerness to laugh at himself.

We discuss Hobbs and Shaw (2019) in this Season 1 supplemental episode, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, and Idris Elba star in this off-narrative comedic extension of the Fast and Furious universe that elaborates and parodies many elements of the franchise. The hilarious antagonism, the existential villains, and the conflict between the family you have and the family you make. Filled with great dialogue and profound commentary, the film continues to show us where this series can go.

Our final episode discusses Aleta Chappelle’s Romeo and Juliet in Harlem (2017). Crowdsourced and shot on site, it is the first and only version to feature a cast composed entirely of people of color. As our only female director this season, Chappelle brings an innovative approach to the story by featuring Harlem as a character to create some of the best scenes in the film, and embracing the feminine by casting Benvolio as a woman and showcasing the relationship between Lady Capulet, Juliet, and the Nurse.

In this season’s penultimate episode, we discuss Carlo Carlei’s Romeo & Juliet (2013) written by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). Fashioned as the millennial Romeo and Juliet, it features teen stars Hailee Steinfeld, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Ed Westwick alongside Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti. Despite the A-list cast, the beautiful scenery, sets, and costumes, and some very striking photography, the film falls flat and often feels like a big budget high school performance instead of a major Hollywood movie.