Rosaline
Rosaline is streaming on Hulu at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 13.
STORY: A
This isn’t the first time a Shakespeare play has been retold from a minor character’s point of view. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead spins the tale of Hamlet from the perspective of two cuddly, dim-witted scamps. Rosaline retells Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of - can you guess? - Rosaline, the girl who dumps Romeo and breaks his heart at the start of the classic play.
This is a fun, light, and lively story meant for those who’ve read the play and those who haven’t. Too often Shakespeare is handled like it’s holy - too sacred to be fun. It’s wonderful to see a movie treat the Bard’s work as something to enjoy, and not something to kneel down before.
PEOPLE: B+
I’ve been charmed in the most delightful way by Kaitlyn Dever ever since I saw Booksmart. I could be wrong, but I believe this is her first leading role. Whether it’s her first or her fiftieth, this performance proves yet again that she deserves many more leading roles in the future. She brings an almost Ferris Bueller energy to the role. She’s not a hedonist - someone who puts his own selfish pleasure above everything else. But like Ferris she’s quite talented at putting her own interests first. masterminding elaborately devious plans, and improvising on the fly to avoid getting caught.
The rest of the cast does just fine. There are very few weak players. I particularly enjoyed Steve the Courier (Booksmart’s Nico Hiraga). Keep on keepin’ on, Steve the Courier.
FILM GEEK STUFF: C+
At times the effects are weak enough to pull you out of the story. However the costumes, hair, makeup, and set designs never distract. Rosaline’s Verona feels very real. A couple camera shots stand out, particularly a jump-startle (which is a jump scare that’s not scary, just kinda surprising) reveal of Nurse Janet and the overhead shot of Rosaline and Juliet (Dora the Explorer and the Lost City of Gold’s Isabela Merced) reading. Everything on screen is brightly lit and colorful. All these choices work well together to help form the film’s fun tone.
MODERN ABS (Elective Class): C+
I will never think badly of anyone who enjoys looking at Dario’s (The Gifted’s Sean Teale) abs. They’re fabulous abs. He obviously works out very hard. It just seems every actor is jacked these days. His jacked-ness sends me a clear signal that I’m not watching a 17th century nobleman who is both wooing and warding off a most fair damsel of Verona. Anytime I see a person who is clearly in better shape than anybody who actually lived in the movie’s time period (male or female), it breaks the story’s spell. Again, drool all you want. If the enjoyment you get out of that is worth the spell being broken, then God bless. Go forth and prosper.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Rosaline is a buzzy, blissful experience, proving that Shakespeare isn’t the dull, humdrum, stodgy, stupid, tedious, tiresome, insipid bore most teachers make him out to be. He’s fun. This film isn’t sacrilege. It’s actually closer to the way Shakespeare intended his work to be enjoyed. For those of you who’ve already read Romeo and Juliet, you’ll love tracking how the original story gets twisted through Rosaline’s eyes. For those who haven’t, seeing Shakespeare’s fun side first just may help you survive English class.