Movie Review: ‘Rosaline’

Kaitlyn Dever leads an appealing cast in this spirited, witty romantic comedy that focuses on the other woman in Romeo’s life.

Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'

Debuting October 14th on Hulu, the effervescent, witty ‘Rosaline’ proves to be more than your average rom-com.

With ‘Yes, God, Yes’ and ‘Obvious Child’s Karen Maine in the director’s chair, ‘Rosaline’ was (loosely) adapted from Rebecca Serle’s 2012 novel by ‘500 Days of Summer’ writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. The film takes the modern-twist-on-Shakespeare concept from the book and resets it to a period setting.

We’re introduced to Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever), a member of the Capulet family of Verona, Italy. She’s trying to balance keeping her romance with Romeo (heir apparent of the rival Montague clan, played by Kyle Allen) secret against her father Adrian’s (Bradley Whitford) desire that she marry someone suitable. Or, preferably, someone suitably rich.

When Rosaline’s latest suitor – the seemingly perfect, yet not-her-type (she thinks) – Dario, played by Sean Teale, takes her out boating, she misses a crucial masquerade ball. Romeo attends, and falls for Rosaline’s cousin, Juliet (Isabela Merced).

(L-R): Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Sean Teale as Dario in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Suddenly, all of Romeo’s time, affection, and perhaps most cuttingly, cringey love poetry is being directed towards the new love of his life, Rosaline seemingly now a passing fancy.

Determined to win him back (even though any fool can see that Dario is a far better match), Rosaline plots to break up literature’s most famous pair, even as she can’t deny becoming friends with her cousin.

The result is an uproarious comedy that delivers on several levels – it’s a smart, knowing romantic tale that is one of the stronger post-modern spins on Shakespeare to come along in a while.

You think you know the story of this one – Romeo and Juliet forsake all others and choose ending their lives in star-crossed love when their warring families don’t approve. Here, it all wraps up in more farcical fashion, with a final, knowing nod to ‘The Graduate’.

Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'

We’d totally avoid spoilers, but let’s be honest, the original play is more than 400 years old, and one of the most well-known romances produced throughout human history. Still, it’s wise to go in without knowing too much of the tweaks that ‘Rosaline’ makes to the story, so that you might enjoy them.

And while Rosaline’s story is one that has been mined for screens big and small before (1966’s movie ‘Juliet in Mantua’, short-lived TV series ‘Still Star-Crossed’, which is set after the central pair breathe their last and saw Lashana Lynch as Rosaline) and recent stage musical ‘& Juliet’, the new movie still manages to say things about young love, the differences between men and women and how the conflict between the Capulets and Montagues was a ridiculous concept.

Dever’s star has been on the rise for a while now; anyone who watched ‘Booksmart’, ‘Short Term 12’ or ‘Dopesick’ already knew she had the goods when it came to either comedy or drama (or both at once), and she nails the role of frustrated lead here. Whether she’s quietly grieving lost love or taking Juliet out to a local tavern to convince her to play the field instead of crushing on Romeo, she owns it.

Around her, the film builds an ensemble that runs the gamut from handsome and adequate (Allen, though in his defence, he doesn’t get too much to do) to the endlessly entertaining Minnie Driver. Taking hold of the role of Rosaline’s Nurse (“Janet! Though no-one bothers to ask me my name”), she delivers a sarcastic treat of a performance that plays well off of Dever’s own snarky energy and steals every scene she so much as crops up in. (There is one moment, a camera pan, that plays almost like a jump scare, but comedic).

Kyle Allen as Romeo in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'

Somewhere in the middle are the likes of Teale, who does more than smolder, and Spencer Stevenson as Rosaline’s pal Paris, endlessly commenting on the chaos and at one point dragged in to become an unwilling potential groom for Juliet when her illicit romance is discovered. As the famous heroine, Merced shows comedy chops that works well alongside Dever’s.

The tone of this one is somewhere between ‘Bridgerton’ (less the steamy scenes, since this is strictly PG-13 and more the wittiness/musical needle drops) and the cleverness of ’10 Things I Hate About You’ (when you see the film, try asking yourself whether Allen won the role of Romeo because he looks a lot like Heath Ledger in that movie).

A seemingly lower budget means the movie sometimes struggles to portray its period setting, despite some location work in Italy. One or two sequences, especially those set on the water, have an awfully greenscreen look to them, which diminishes the effect – fortunately, the sparky dialogue saves the day and you’re too busy chuckling at Dever and Teale slinging shade at each other to really notice

You could theoretically watch this in a double bill with ‘Catherine Called Birdy’ on Prime Video, which features another sprightly heroine (played there by ‘Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey), who is similarly chafing against expectations and wondering how her life will work out. Of the two, though, ‘Rosaline’ is the more purely entertaining. Like Birdy, Rosaline dreams of something very different than her family might wish and her era would suggest she’s destined for – all she really wants to do is become a cartographer.

(L-R): Sean Teale as Dario and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

It might be working within the conventions of the traditional rom-com, and it’s bound (mostly) by the events of ‘Romeo & Juliet,' but ‘Rosaline’ still manages to carve out a darker, funnier, weirder way of telling such a story. It might not function as well if you don’t know the source material, but then that’s what Wikipedia is for, right?

A smaller scale means it feels at home streaming rather than bemoaning the fact it didn’t get a theatrical release. ‘Rosaline’s power is in its performances and its screenplay. Don’t bite your thumb at us… Watch it.

‘Rosaline’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.

(L-R): Kyle Allen as Romeo and Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.