ROOMMATES
Starring: Sadie Sandler, Chloe East, Billy Bryk, Sarah Sherman, Aidan Langford, Martin Herlihy, Josh Segarra, Carol Kane, Nick Kroll, and Natasha Lyonne
Director: Chandler Levack
BODE
With her previous features I Like Movies and Mile End Kicks, Toronto-based filmmaker Chandler Levack has shown that she’s got a real knack for coming-of-age stories, infusing much lived-in authenticity into them. Roommates finds Levack trying to smuggle those sensibilities inside the Happy Madison template, and due to an uneven script, it doesn’t have quite the same punch as her other movies. But the film still contains enough charm, solid craft, a great soundtrack, and strong performances from Sadie Sandler and Chloe East that it’s a mostly worthwhile watch. Shoutout to Peter Kuplowsky.
ROBERT
Having no real history with the filmmaker and the two leads, I figured Roommates would reek of nepotism and desperation. Well, low expectations breed high rewards as the effort was unexpected and refreshing. Despite it treading on overly stomped ground, it was pinpoint accurate with its portrayal of a loner trying to find friends in college and what being a new freshman on campus is like. I found it inspired how they didn’t try to redeem certain characters who usually find that arc, and the parent energy of Nick Kroll and Natasha Lyonne was magnetic; Single White Female meets Booksmart, what a combination!
KATIE
Roommates tells a story that has been told many times before, reminding me of a lesser version of films like Easy A and Booksmart. It doesn’t do anything new with the coming-of-age college drama, but it is mostly entertaining and got a few laughs out of me. However, the framing device felt unnecessary and a little odd, sometimes feeling like it was aimed at a younger teenage audience with splashes of adult humour. The cast was good, but unfortunately, I did not find Sadie Sandler’s performance as Devon at all convincing.
