Rosaline (2022).....asks you right away to go with its gimmick - a contemporary Young Adult romcom (complete with up-to-the-minute snarky patter) transferred to the 14th century Verona of Billy Shakespeare's teen angst epic "Romeo And Juliet"....
So unlike 1999's "10 Things I Hate About You" which plopped "Taming Of The Shew" directly into a modern high school, "Rosaline" plops its very 2022 teens into full Montague and Capulet costumes - puffy sleeves, ornate hats, swords and all......
Sure, I'll admit it sounds dire.....a labored, one joke idea with the potential to become tiresome after about 5 minutes....
Surprise, surprise......the film somehow maintains a level of cleverness and enthusiasm thanks to its MVP Kaitlyn Dever, playing the title role with deadpan elan and expert comic timing.
What's that you say......you can't remember Rosaline from your high school study of 'R & J' or any other film version you sat through as a substitute? (including both versions "West Side Story")
That's cause Shakespeare kept her strictly offstage, an unseen, unheard ex of Romeo's, clearing the field for him to pursue whats-her-name, the cutie-pie from the rival clan......
Dever's Rosaline takes center stage here.....clearly a 21st century wiseass teen outfitted in full Medieval regalia,. She's defying her exasperated father (Bradley Whitford) by wanting her own career (!!), and rejecting the decrepit suitors her dad's line up for her. Also on her 'to do' list, wreaking hell-hath-no-fury payback upon cousin Juliet (Isabela Merced), whom her beloved Romeo (Kyle Allen) has gone head-over-heels for.
And like all romcom heroines, Roz comes fully equipped with a wisecracking gay best friend (Spenser Stevenson) and to her great annoyance, Dario a smoldering young hunk (Sean Teale) who's her father's latest pick in the "Marry off Rosaline" sweepstakes......(and left over from the actual play is forever put-upon Nurse, here slyly embodied by Minnie Driver, frequently declaring to one and all, "I am a registered nurse!")
Anybody want to take a wild guess as to whom Rozzy finally realizes is the one true love for her? (/Ever so slight hint: the answer could only come as a surprise if you'd never, never, never , ever seen a romcom or heard of how they end in your entire life).
The script finds all manner of amusing ways to intersect Rosaline's desperate romance-thwarting machinations with the headed-for-doom fates of the world's most legendary lovers. And after living a lifetime of watching all the stage, film and TV iterations of R & J's tragic finale, it's a real kick to see the expected heart-wringing moments converted into an all out farce.
Having gobbled up 20th Century Fox, Disney's now using its Hulu streaming service as a kind of attic for parking unreleased Fox films like "Rosaline".......in this case, not a bad thing at all if you're signed up for Hulu. For the quick-witted script and Kaitlyn Dever's droll sharp performance, it turns out as an unanticipated 3 star (***) diversion.
No comments:
Post a Comment