Rosaline

The last two performances by Kaitlyn Dever I've seen were in "Unbelievable" (about a teenager's rape that almost nobody seems to believe) and "Dopesick" (about a tragic opioid-fueled death), so my guess is that Miss Dever wanted to lighten things up with a fun, goofy comedy. It turns out, she's good at that too! This movie is loosely (and I do mean loosely) based on Will Shakespeare's iconic tale of the star-crossed lovers, with Dever playing Romeo's ex-girlfriend, Rosaline, whom he totally forgets about when Isabela Merced's Juliet enters the picture. With some equally fun support from Bradley Whitford, as Rosaline's dad, and Minnie Driver as her quick witted nurse, Janet, this movie moves along its predictable path with a fair amount of good humor. I am giving this an extra star because Kaitlin Dever has been (rightly) touted as a future superstar since 2013, and her relatively low-key success continues nine years later. Even in trivial films.

I have been dying for the Rom Coms the make a comeback, and after seeing Rosaline, I REALLY hope that is the case!! This movie was cute, funny, sweet, and such an easy carefree watch. Was it thought provoking? No, but that's not what this movie is supposed to be. If Hulu decides to take on more movies like this one, I think it could really be great for their revenue stream because it really was the perfect Sunday watch. Not to mention, all of the actors were great (including the incredible Minnie Driver and charming Bradley Whitford). I think this will quickly become one of my comfort watches.

I really loved watching Kaitlyn's dry and physical comedy. She was so watchable and so many hilarious expressions and gestures that weren't in the script, I just enjoyed seeing how she was going to interpret each scene! And Sean (Dario) was great too, enough humility mixed into the confidence that made him likeable and his feelings believable. I really enjoyed watching this silly interpretation of the timeless earnestness of teenage love. Shakespeare's R&J was also a comedy up until people started dying, I like how this film took the comedic and relatable aspects of the story through someone that wasn't so blindly swept up in the drama. Everything I look for in a romantic comedy!

The character of Rosaline is actually not an invention of the filmmakers. As in the play, she is Juliet's cousin and Romeo's prior love and in hope of meeting Rosaline, Romeo is going to the masquerade ball, where he meets Juliet. The main actors are quite likable, the idea is principally pretty good with telling the "real" story, mixing it up a bit with "The Taming of the Shrew" and a bit of flair of Shakespeare in Love. Despite the historical looking outfit and the nice locations - seems to have been shot in and around San Gimigiano - it feels like a highschool romance comedy. The script execution is not quite that well done and many jokes fall just flat. I would have liked it better, if a lot of the silly jokes would have been just removed from the script and more effort had been put into the verbal sparring between Rosaline and her counterpart.

6⭐s

Rosaline was a modern and refreshing take on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" with overall great acting, good directing, stunning costumes, and beautiful sets and locations. Kaitlyn Dever delivered such a compelling and amusing performance as Rosaline, I would love to watch a more serious and mature version of this film with her as the main character. Even though the screenplay was extremely modern-day in tone, it was also both astoundingly satirical and witty. If this movie was made in the 2000's, it certainly would have been a big hit. I am quite sure teens and young adults (intended target audience) will still enjoy their time watching it.

10.14.2022.