Rosaline – Film Review

Let’s face it: we all know the story of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We all know that it’s regarded by millions of people to be one of the greatest stories of all time, and it’s no secret that it’s the definitive story of tragedy and love gone wrong. Ever since Shakespeare’s original story, there have been countless adaptations.

Some have been good, some have been bad, and then there was something worse than that: the strange adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which for some reason was set in more modern times and everybody walked around carrying guns. At least they tried to do something different.

But why is it so hard to adapt this classic tale while also making it feel new and fresh? Director Karen Maine has cracked the code with her new romantic comedy film Rosaline, which aims to tell the story of the most infamous ex-girlfriend in Romeo’s life – the girl we never knew about.

This was a wildly fun and entertaining movie on so many levels. Maine previously directed the comedy-drama Yes, God, Yes which was a coming-of-age story about a religious girl who has a sexual awakening. It was one of the most impressive films of 2019, and it proved that Maine would be excellent in this field.

Rosaline further proves that. Her direction here feels incredibly stylish and bold, daring to do things that no other adaptation of this tale has ever done before. One of my favorite things about the film is just how hilarious and witty the script is. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber inject some truly uproarious stuff throughout.

It constantly pokes fun at some of the strangest aspects of Shakespeare’s original story which was such a hilariously unexpected delight. It’s also one of the most wholesome movies of the whole year in terms of the feel. It’s a bonafide comfort film that feels like getting a warm hug on a cold day.

Unfortunately, the film isn’t all amazing. There were some instances in which the film deviated from the main plotline for a while, and whenever it did this, it wasn’t nearly as interesting or funny, even. You’ll constantly find yourself hoping that they go back to the main story, but it takes a while for that to happen, sadly.

It also felt a little bit too short for my liking. The movie runs at a total of ninety-six minutes including credits, and it’s really over before you know it. While this has its pros, it also has its cons. One of the pros is that it is an extremely breezy, easy watch, but one of the cons is that it isn’t as long as it could’ve been to further flesh out characters.

The one constant here, however, is Kaitlyn Dever who proves herself once again to be one of the best actresses working today. Why Hollywood isn’t casting her in dozens of roles at this point is anybody’s guess, but one can only hope that after Rosaline, studios will finally start to take notice of her.

Another excellent performance here came from Isabela Merced, who portrays Juliet. This is a different version of the character than what we are used to, and Merced does a marvellous job at bringing this version of her to life. It’s hard to imagine anybody else that could’ve been better suited for this character.

Although it does have its stumbles along the way, this is an infectiously joyous film that is sure to leave you smiling by the time the end credits roll. Even if you are not a fan of Shakespeare or the original Romeo and Juliet story, you should definitely give this one a shot.

Rosaline is an infectiously joyous romantic comedy that puts a hilariously fresh spin on the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, with Kaitlyn Dever delivering a marvellous lead performance.