From West Side Story to Franco Zeffirelly to Leonardo DiCaprio, Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet has weathered more reinventions than Steven Seagal's martial arts resumé. Now comes an unexpected but brilliantly conceived Gen-X spin on the theme. And form a film group whose claim to fame has pretty much been toxic waste humor, no less.

Troma Video. Home of the gross out. Whodathunkit?

Amazingly faithful to character and story considering that it sets a land-speed record for buffoonery and tabooisms, Tromeo & Juliet packs enough whallop to shock the shit out of most sensitive souls. That being the case, one might consider donning a squeamish-proof vest (there's a dream sequence where Juliet gives birth to mice) before venturing past the obligatory company promos at tape's beginning.

Contrary to the romantic take on might ordinarily expect, Tromeo, the white son of a black man, spends his recreational time whacking off to nudie pix on the Internet while Juliet is engaged in a torrid lesbian relationship with her nurse (wonderfully essayed by Scream Queen Debbie Rochon). Through impassioned and highly stylized speech, not so much deed, we also get the idea there's something sexually funny going on between Juliet and her father who wants her to marry "The King of Cold Cuts." Juliet's a sworn vegetarian, so you can see where all of this is going. And the bitter family feud, endemic to Shakespeare's story, is prompted by a shady deal over a nudie film company. With those contemporary pieces in place, expect the unexpected with some truly edgy, take-notice performances from the supporting cast.

As Juliet, Jane Jensen is lithe, leggy and gloriously sexy. Not to mention that she's naked for a considerable portion of her time on the screen.

Aside from that, expect the usual urination, dead animal carcasses, decapitations and other fun stuff one generally finds in a Troma release.

This being a tape that just kind of snuck in there unheralded, be sure to trumpet its glories to your customers.