by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
In high school, we studied the great works of William Shakespeare, and one of my personnel favorites was always Romeo and Juliet. One of the most famous love stories of all times has of course been staged and adapted many times. The story elements themselves has gone on to be used in several romantic movies where a girl falls in love with a boy she can’t, or by society’s standards, shouldn’t, be with. From Titanic, to West Side Story, to even an animated feature called Gnomeo and Juliet, this story has been told and retold time and time again. One area that was not explored was the goings-on around the Romeo and Juliet during their famous story, including whatever happened to Rosaline, whom Romeo claimed to be his true love before he met Juliet. Well in 2022, we finally get the answer in the 20th Century Studios film, Rosaline.
Rosaline tells the story of Rosaline Capulet (Kaitlyn Dever), who is dating Romeo (Kyle Allen) in secret. When Adrian Capulet (Bradley Whitford) sets his daughter up on an evening date with Dario (Sean Teale) on the night of the big Capulet Ball, it causes Rosaline to miss her date with Romeo. This causes Romeo to meet Juliet Capulet (Isabela Merced) and fall in love with her instead. Now, Romeo’s jilted ex, Rosaline, must work to break up Romeo and Juliet and win back her beloved Romeo. This story is a very modern retelling of the classic story set during the Shakespearean time, but it dwells on telling the story instead of the time period it’s set in. By that I mean it doesn’t focus on all the Shakespearean language from the original play, though this Romeo does say some of the lines — it has a more modern sense of dialogue and storytelling. This retelling works to set up stories and storylines for background characters whose stories have never been told, or just have been forgotten.
Having a rom-com like this, you need some good comedic performers, and you get your classics in Whitford and Christopher McDonald, who tags along as Juliet’s father. But the true comedic light here is Dever. In the past, she has had some very serious roles in Dopesick, Dear Evan Hansen, and Unbeliveable, but here, she shows off that she has comedic range too. She plays Rosaline in a very millennial, modern tone of someone wanting to be more than a wife and mother. Instead, she is intelligent and wants to see the world. While Rosaline is obsessed with getting Romeo back, that doesn’t distract from Dever’s performance in the role. She is a joy to watch, and makes this role work and flow.
Director Karen Maine brings this rom-com to light, as it is not just a story of a girl trying to get her ex back, but as a comedic one where Rosaline finds her own way and path in this world. Several movies and TV shows of late have showed how much more gravitas female directors bring to the table. Rosaline is no different here. Writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber bring together the stories of both Shakespeare and Rebecca Serle’s “When You Were Mine.” The story shines through in the hands of Maine, who brings her young actors together and builds chemistry between the characters.
This is a marvelous update to the story of Romeo and Juliet that not only works for the younger generations, but is something all generations can come to love. It’s a quaint little 90-minute movie that can bring an old story like Romeo and Juliet to an audience that will make them want to see the original as well. Though not without its problems and issues, the story has a modern aesthetic that makes it that much more enjoyable. It is a decent film that fans of the original play, and of love stories, will enjoy. It might not go down as the next brilliant piece of film, but it is a perfect film to enjoy on a perfectly splendid Sunday afternoon.
Score: 7/10
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