‘Rosaline’ (2022) Review

Rosaline Synopsis: Left heartbroken after Romeo begins to pursue her cousin Juliet, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy in this comedic twist of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.


Rosaline
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Sean Teale, Isabela Merced
Directed by: Karen Maine
Written by: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Released: October 6, 2022
Runtime: 96 minutes
Rated: PG-13

Rosaline Capulet has a secret boyfriend… Romeo Montague. If you know the story of Romeo & Juliet, then you already know that Capulet and Montagues are at war with each other. You may also remember that at the beginning of the play (by William Shakespeare), Romeo is pining over Rosaline… before he meets Juliet. Karen Maine’s Rosaline tells the story of the star-crossed lovers from the point of view of Romeo’s “first love” and her desire to win him back.

In 1996, Baz Luhrmann gave us a dizzyingly colorful take on the tragedy set in modern times but with Shakespeare’s original dialogue. This movie flips the script and throws us into the fourteenth century but with anachronistic language.

Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever) is a forward-thinking young woman who has no desire to be trapped in an arranged marriage. Romeo (Kyle Allen) is a bit of a himbo who woos Juliet with the same romantic lines he’s used on Rosaline. And Juliet (Isabela Merced), her cousin, is educated but naĂŻve. While Rosaline attempts to sabotage Romeo and Juliet’s blossoming love story, her father is on a mission to marry off his youngest daughter to the handsome Dario (Sean Teale).

While Romeo & Juliet is a sob-inducing tragedy, Rosaline is light and witty, poking a bit of fun at the angsty teenage love between Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of the very exasperated Rosaline. Her meddling, both good and bad, drives the relationship between Romeo and her cousin and provides a much more uplifting ending than the one Shakespeare wrote.

I remember reading the play in high school and my English teacher asking: What might have happened with Romeo and Juliet had they not taken their own lives? Were they well-matched? Did they have anything in common beyond physical attraction? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? The movie doesn’t answer this outright, but Romeo and Juliet’s happily ever after is certainly in question.

In addition to the wistful, breathy optimism of Romeo and Juliet, we also get the gay BFF, Paris, a snarky Tybalt, and a stoner courier named Steve, who should clearly never be in charge of delivering very important news, such as Juliet’s death not being the real deal. There is also the divine but underused Minnie Driver as Rosaline’s nurse and confidant. I cannot remember if a character named Dario was ever mentioned in Romeo and Juliet (I… don’t think so?), but he’s a charismatic foil to Rosaline’s headstrong nature. If you’re a fan of a heated enemies-to-lovers trope, you’ll likely enjoy the snappy banter between Dario and Rosaline.

The best part of this movie is the performance by Kaitlyn Dever. She is incredibly engaging in the title role. Charismatic with impeccable comedic timing, making it easy to see that she and the rest of the cast are having a lot of fun with the movie. That’s part of what makes it work so well. Rosaline does not take itself too seriously. It’s droll, sarcastic, and charming and does a fantastic job of breathing new life into a centuries-old love story.

Rosaline 'Rosaline' (2022) Review

Watched: 10.28.2022
Notable Song: Dancing on My Own by Anna of the North

Rating:

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