What better way to get through your college years than spending them with a roommate? You attend the same classes, share the same room, and even eat the same not-so-great dining hall food. It’s important to have someone you can trust and have fun with during college; just ask Sadie Sandler and Chloe East, who both star in the new Netflix comedy movie “Roomates.”
The movie shines the spotlight on first-year Devon (Sandler) and her personal struggles of making true friends and fitting in. With only a couple of weeks before her first year of college starts, Devon attends orientation, where she instantly hooks arms with Celeste (East). The pair quickly forms a close bond, as they share the rest of the days of orientation, sharing jokes and laughs left and right, which results in their decision to live in the same dorm.
Throughout their first year attending Walton University, Devon and Celeste navigate through various friendships, frat parties, hangovers, and long, treacherous study sessions. As their friendship blossoms, it quickly turns into notes of passive aggressiveness, with Celeste becoming invasive of Devon’s personal space in and out of their closely-compacted dorm room. The film offers a mix of sarcasm, humor, and some unexpected twists.
“Roommates” gets a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers’ opinions being split, some noting that it’s a fun and engaging college movie while others think it’s a typical and predictable Netflix film.
Some people recommend streaming this newly released film. They praise both Sandler and East for delivering a deep and realistic portrayal of the relationship between two roommates. The film manages to capture the dauntiness and anxiety that come with being a first-year student at college, and the expectations that you may feel the pressure to meet.
On the other hand, some viewers believe that the plot and overall ending of the film were a hard watch. At the start, the story was typical, with Devon and Celeste hitting a couple of bumps along the road in terms of their friendship, but towards the end, producers struggled to balance the dark twists with realism, resulting in a wild and abrupt conclusion.
The film also received backlash because of the narrative style of the story, which was told by Dr. Schilling (Sarah Sherman), the Dean of Student Life, through a messy flashback, with the humor in it often described as flat.
Despite the mixed reviews, giving “Roommates” a watch is worth a try.
