Have you ever had a roommate? Someone you roomed with in college or shared an apartment with? We’re sure that if you have had a roommate, there is at least one story about them that doesn’t paint them in the greatest light. From messy rooms to not doing dishes or not paying you back, the movie Roommates delves into just that.
Starring Sadie Sandler and Chloe East, it follows their fallout from friends to enemies over the course of their freshman year as college roommates. Devon (Sandler) is written as a girl who wasn’t a social outcast in high school but just someone who never found her people, can be a little too eager, and a lot too forgettable. On the other hand, Celeste (East) has an effortless, hot, and cold energy that draws others in.
We start the movie by seeing a girl throwing clothes and items from a window. Her name is Auguste (Ivy Wolk), and the items happen to be her roommate Luna’s (Storm Reid) stuff. It turns into a screaming match, and they are confronted by the guidance counselor (Sarah Sherman). While in her office, she decides to tell them the story about a pair of freshman year roommates who didn’t get along. They offer reactions between the main story beats but never actually affect the plot.
Soon-to-be freshman Devon is experiencing what we have all had to, and it’s worrying about college and making friends. She is happy when Celeste agrees to be her roommate after meeting at orientation. If not a little cautious to see if they actually become friends. But Devon quickly learns that opposites do not attract. Trying to live your day-to-day life with someone dramatically different from you is far more trouble than it’s worth. They begin to clash right off the bat. Celeste remains a consistent thorn in Devon’s side as she tries to navigate all the typical events of freshman year (parties, boys, missed homework, Thanksgiving, etc.).
Without giving anything away, Devon finds her own way to get revenge on Celeste in a petty and fun-to-watch way. And while the film has plenty of familiar faces and supporting roles, such as Nick Kroll running through all the cliched liberal dad tropes. Natasha Lyonne showing up as Devon’s supportive mom, that is just a vehicle to drive the plot. Produced through Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions label. His daughter plays Devon in a comedic and light way. Which suggests that she might just be as successful at playing the everywoman type as her father is.
The comedy is one that you will love, or you will hate. We’re not entirely sure that this is something that you could say was decent; it’s just one extreme or the other. Its best work is when it’s showing how daunting teenage friendships can feel and be. We feel like a lot of people can relate to some of Devon’s struggles. The film treats her problems with a great amount of empathy.
The film certainly won’t be remembered or placed among the high number of college movies. It’s no coming-of-age movie, but we think it’s precisely what it needs to be. It’s just something fun to watch and pass the time. It is possible that someone watches it at the right point in their lives and cherishes the movie forever. The film had a real chance at being a formative experience for someone. Which is more than some movies can say. But those of us who have already gone through the trials and tribulations? There are better things to pick to stream this weekend.
