Film Review: ‘Roommates’ is a Delightful College Comedy with Tons of Personality

R-rated college comedies are almost never centered on female characters. The pursuit of women? Sure. But women themselves? Not so much. Now, along comes Roommates, which takes the Adam Sandler/Happy Madison style and applies it to a college freshman girl. The result is far more charming and effective than you might think. In fact, it’s a mildly raunchy delight.

Roommates has a ton of personality, which gives the initially fairly thin premise a lot to work with. As the story, as well as all of the characters, evolve into something slightly more complex, the feeling that anything is possible emerges. That lets the third act get far bigger than you might imagine. The comedy is often broad, though when the more serious moments come along, they’re given their due and weight.

Devon (Sadie Sandler) wasn’t unpopular in high school, but she didn’t have a close friend group, leaving her eager to try and rectify that in college. During the freshman orientation, she initially falls flat when trying to bond with others, but when the cool and confident Celeste (Chloe East) shows up, they instantly bond. In fact, Devon asks her to be her roommate, which she accepts. So, after saying goodbye to her younger brother Alex (Aidan Langford) and parents (Nick Kroll and Natasha Lyonne), she sets off for her new life.

Almost immediately, things are a little off. Celeste is friendly and they enjoy each other’s company, but she’s a bit blind to what’s annoying Devon. As their friendship grows more complex and they get on each other’s nerves in various ways, a war of passive aggression begins.

Sadie Sandler is an effective comedy leading lady, while Chloe East continues to impress. Sandler has an everywoman charm and comic timing that sells a lot of Devon’s awkwardly funny moments. East, who left a mark in The Fabelmans and Heretic, gets to go bigger here, becoming a magnetic force of personality. Both their friendship and cold war is believably staged, suggesting the minefield that is teenage girl relationships. Nick Kroll and Natasha Lyonne are memorably funny parents, while Aidan Langford ends up a part of one of the more touching elements of the flick. Supporting players here include Billy Bryk, Janeane Garofalo, Jaya Harper, Martin Herlihy, Carol Kane, Bailee Madison, Bella Murphy, Storm Reid, Francesca Scorsese, Josh Segarra, Sarah Sherman, Ivy Wolk, and more.

Director Chandler Levack extracts some really charming performances here, balancing the silly and sincere elements of the screenplay from Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan. Levack also has Mile End Kicks (reviewed here) out today, so she’s contributing both her version of Almost Famous to theaters and her take on an American Pie style film on Netflix. Fowlie and O’Sullivan make an odd choice to present the story with a fairly unrelated framing device, but the other quirky swings largely work. Levack leans into the silliness when apt, but doesn’t skimp on the complexity or emotions of these young characters.

Roommates really charmed me. It’s a bit shaggy and has some moments that don’t work, but it’s also a lot of fun. Between this and Mile End Kicks, Chandler Levack is having a weekend. They’re both well worth watching, but this one is even more delightful. It’s one of the more purely enjoyable comedies that I’ve seen so far this year. It’s a great watch.

SCORE: ★★★