Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s most misused work. Whether it was Steven Spielberg’s gorgeous (but overwrought) romantic musical drama, West Side Story, or a repeated line in Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Love Story,” Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers is treated as a beautiful, tragic romance. Couple Goals. A love story for the ages. To which I loudly proclaimed in Mrs. Janice’s 9th grade English class, “Are you KIDDING me?”
A love story? Please. It’s a witty satire about overly dramatic teenagers being big dummies because their families are fighting and kids will be kids and all that. There is nothing romantic or aspirational about the ill-fated Romeo and Juliet. Thankfully, Karen Maine brings us a new and different side of the story for a new generation. Based on the novel by Rebecca Serle, Rosaline is the funny, silly, and utterly charming story from the point of view of Romeo’s forsworn love.
Kaitlyn Dever stars as Rosaline, daughter of Adrian Capulet (Bradley Whitford), a widower whose dearest wish is to see his youngest daughter married off. Rosaline, however, has a secret career ambition and also a secret boyfriend. But he’s Romeo Montague (Kyle Allen) of the Capulets v. Montagues and therefore not a marriage prospect. Which is really okay with Rosaline since she’s not all that interested in getting married anyway. But when Romeo declares his love, Rosaline can’t say it back and, well, we know the rest of his story. Or do we?
Rosaline is a costume drama set in the 16th century, but with a heroine that is as modern as could be. Someone recently wrote about the “girlbossification” and the “yassification” of historical women as if turning Catherine the Great or Emily Dickinson into an independent, modern feminist icon was a bad thing. But it’s a trend that has inspired many young women to a) learn more about amazing historical women and b) speak up and speak out when their present-day selves are being mistreated. Dever’s title character follows in that current trend and it’s a delightfully entertaining blend of impossibly fancy 1500s dresses and dialogue like, “Can you fucking believe this?” Which, let’s face it, most women in those 1500s dresses were probably thinking but couldn’t actually say. Especially since their roles were all being played by men on stage in the first place.
Kaitlyn Dever and Isabela Merced star in ROSALINE — courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Dever is funny and clever and a joy to watch on screen. And when her fair cousin Juliet (Isabela Merced) shows up, the two ladies work so well together. Juliet looks up to Rosaline, having no idea that she has inadvertently stolen her new bestie’s boyfriend. In fact, the only person who knows they are in the middle of a love triangle is Rosaline herself.
Certain familiar characters like Tybalt and Mercutio are bit players here while we get to know people like Paris, Romeo’s gay BFF (Spencer Stevenson), and Dario (Sean Teale), Capulet’s last hope of marrying off his incorrigible girl.
Adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer), the banter is witty, and the ridiculousness of the original story sparkles with a fresh spin. With references to such popular rom coms as My Best Friend’s Wedding and Bridget Jones’s Diary, and with a soundtrack full of songs by the likes of Taylor Swift and Charli XCX, Karen Maine has delivered a new romantic comedy that is sure to delight fans of the genre. Rosaline might not be breaking a lot of new ground, but it gives new life to a 400-year-old story.