Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Rosaline’ on Hulu, Where Romeo and Juliet Meets Rom-Com Heroine

Before Romeo and Juliet, there was Romeo and Rosaline, Juliet’s headstrong older cousin. After learning that her boyfriend has dumped her for someone else, Rosaline is eager to win her star-crossed lover back. But things aren’t as they appear as the misadventures pile up. Let’s get into it…

ROSALINE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Before Romeo (Kyle Allen) fell in love with Juliet (Isabela Merced) at that infamous masquerade ball, the young Montague chap was enamored with his first girlfriend, a headstrong local girl named Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever)… who also happens to be Juliet’s older cousin.

After missing the ball thanks to her father’s (Bradley Whitford) attempts to set her up with her latest suitor, Dario (Sean Teale), Rosaline is ready to do anything to get her himbo of a boyfriend back, and set Juliet straight. Of course, nothing goes according to plan. As Rosaline questions what she really wants from the future, she realizes that first judgments aren’t always what they appear — especially when it comes to a certain new love interest.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: With its light coming-of-age take on a classic Shakespeare work, Rosaline is comparable to ‘90s rom-coms like 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s The Man.

The film’s decision to make an emotional romantic tale into a modern comedy is also somewhat akin to Netflix’s ill-received 2022 Persuasion update, but Rosaline thankfully avoids turning into dreadfully forced Fleabag-lite.

Performance Worth Watching: Three years after Booksmart (and just weeks after her Emmy nomination for the much more serious Dopesick), Kaitlyn Dever once again flexes her range with this charming lead performance. I’d wager that Rosaline would make a great double feature with Dever’s other upcoming rom-com, the Julia Roberts and George Clooney-led Ticket to Paradise.

Memorable Dialogue: Rosaline rebuffs Romeo and Juliet’s whole premise while proposing a night at the dive bar: “Why settle down with just man when you can sample at the buffet of life?”

And later, when Juliet announces plans to fake her own death: “That is quite possibly the dumbest I’ve ever heard in my life.” Young love!

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: We didn’t need another take on Romeo and Juliet, but if we had to get one anyway, I’m glad it was helmed by Karen Maine. The filmmaker and Obvious Child screenwriter firmly established herself as an exciting talent with her 2020 debut film Yes God Yes, which told the story of a Catholic teenager’s sexual awakening via aughts chatrooms with a delightful balance of cringeyness and tenderness.

Maine’s fresh eye for teenage comedy makes her a great fit for Rosaline, which bounds into its heady array of Sheakespeare send-ups and well-worn rom-com conventions with aplomb. Dever is endlessly watchable as the spunky titular character, once again proving herself as one of our most exciting young actresses. The rest of the ensemble cast is uniformly solid, although special shout-outs are in order for Merced’s lovely turn as the naive Juliet and Whitford’s wryly hilarious, worn out father.

That’s not to say that Rosaline is a perfect film. Yes, everyone and their mother probably knows the story of Romeo and Juliet. However, the Montagues’ and Capulets’ central feud is poorly sketched in the movie itself, which hinders the story it’s trying to tell. Rosaline’s relationship with Dario relies more on well-tread romantic tropes than any substantial onscreen developments, and characters like Rosaline’s nurse (Minnie Driver) and requisite gay best friend Paris (Spencer Stevenson) are underserved despite their actors’ committed performances.

Still, it’s a charming little morsel of a film, made all the stronger by its technical elements. Composers Drum & Lace’s (Dickinson, I Know What You Did Last Summer) whimsical blend of classical and contemporary instruments keeps things buzzing along, and the soundtrack’s modern influences rival even those of Bridgerton. Complete with gorgeous period costumes by Mitchell Travers, Rosaline conjures up an inviting version of Verona, Italy for its viewers.

Our Call: STREAM IT. While Rosaline hardly invents the wheel when it comes to Shakespeare adaptations, it makes for a refreshing 90-minute rom-com showcase of Dever’s talents.

Abby Monteil is a New York-based writer. Her work has also appeared in The Daily Beast, Insider, Them, Thrillist, Elite Daily, and others.