Rosaline (2022) Movie Review

Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with the iconic love story of Romeo and Juliet, or at the very least, you know the names of these two characters crafted by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet’s love story has garnered immense fame. However, were you aware that Romeo’s initial love interest was Rosaline, who happens to be Juliet’s cousin?

Now, 20th Century Studios has brought forth a film adaptation of the novel When You Were Mine, which delves into the love triangle involving Romeo, Rosaline, and Juliet. Directed by Karen Maine, Rosaline is presented as a delightful romantic comedy. The movie features a talented cast including Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Kyle Allen, and Sean Teale.

In this comedy film, Rosaline Capulet finds herself entangled in a clandestine romance with Romeo Montague. However, their relationship must remain hidden due to the longstanding feud between the Capulet and Montague families. As their love story unfolds, Romeo’s affections unexpectedly shift towards his cousin, Juliet. Will Rosaline be able to reclaim Romeo’s heart?

Rosaline movie review

Very enjoyable adaptation of Romeo and Juliet

For those familiar with the tale of Romeo and Juliet, it’s no secret that Shakespeare’s story is a heart-wrenching tragedy, marked by an unfortunate ending for the ill-fated couple. However, director Karen Maine and the talented team of screenwriters have taken a refreshing approach in their adaptation of Romeo and Juliet with Rosaline.

Rather than a somber romantic drama, Rosaline emerges as a delightful romantic comedy. This clever twist seamlessly blends elements from the past with a contemporary touch, enhancing the film’s comedic concept. Despite its historical setting, Rosaline manages to deliver relatable stories and humor that resonate with today’s generation.

It cannot be denied that Rosaline is an eccentric adaptation of Romeo and Juliet . However, this film does not simply eliminate all the important elements in Shakespeare’s story. Interestingly, director Maine and the scriptwriters were able to turn Romeo and Juliet ‘s tragic elements into humorous ones, without seeming cringe or disrespectful to the original source.

Present a likeable main character

Apart from making the comedy relatable , the main character, namely Rosaline, is also made relatable for today’s generation. The character played by Kaitlyn Dever is created as a character who has more advanced thoughts than the women around her. In addition, Rosaline gets character development which makes the audience sympathize with her even more.

When Rosaline was still infatuated with Romeo, she still had realistic thoughts that made her not look bad at Romeo. The audience is also made to understand when Rosaline tries to “take” Romeo back from Juliet. Moreover, during the “grab” attempt, Rosaline learned a lot of lessons that made the audience sympathize with her even more.

On the other hand, Romeo, who is a supporting character in this comedy film, turns out to be an annoying character and tends to be a bit stupid. With Rosaline, the problematic aspects of Romeo and Juliet’s love story become more visible and their love story looks so naive.

CGI that looks grainy at times

Most of the stories in this comedy film were actually shot on the shooting location directly. The use of CGI can be said to be quite minimal, so the shooting sets are designed in such a way as in the past. For some of the scenes where the characters get on the boat, the production team obviously used green screens and added CGI.

Unfortunately, the CGI displayed by Rosaline is quite rough and looks fake. The fact that Rosaline is a streaming film is probably the reason the production team didn’t use a lot of money to produce the CGI. Luckily, there are very few scenes that use CGI, so they don’t really distract from the overall visuals of the film.

Rosaline is suitable for those of you who miss the heyday of the 2000s era of teenage romantic comedies. Even though it adapts a story set in the past, this film comes with comedy and a message that is made relatable to today’s young generation. Watch this film if you are looking for a light film to accompany your break.

After reading the film review Rosaline , are you interested in watching this comedy? For those who have watched, don’t forget to share your opinion about this film, OK?