Supposedly one of the greatest musicals on film. I have to agree that some songs, like America and I Feel Pretty, were really great and popped off the screen (with great lyrics, music and choreography), but the surrounding depiction of the story was terrible. It's starts with teenage gangs (played by 30 year olds) doing ballet-pirouettes to show how tough they are.. The Romeo and Juliet part between rival gangmembers is unbelievable as the two characters have barely met and just don't seem to care about each other. The clash between racially different gangs is an interesting plot, but is ruined by the ballet choreography and the lack of personalities within each gang. So some interesting elements in this movie, but they completely didn't match with the feeling they wanted to express.

Perhaps I just don't like musicals put to film, but I'd recommend seeing this on a stage, where they can probably capture the atmosphere way better than on a screen.