Romeo and Juliet

PG B-

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes offers a traditional but accessible Romeo & Juliet for a new generation. The screenwriter simplifies things by abbreviating speeches and shaving down scenes, and the effect is a condensed study guide version for the impatient 21st century junior high set. Hailee Steinfeld (Juliet) is a little awkward with Shakespeare, but Damian Lewis (Lord Capulet) seems patently uncomfortable with the language. But what’s at stake, really? It’s all such a prettily-spoken blur to care much.