Sweet, funny, clashing tones jockey for space
AV Club • • entertainment
Key Points:
- "Roommates" explores the complex and emotionally realistic relationship between Devon and Celeste, blending elements of shows like Girls and Single White Female to depict their fraught friendship.
- The film offers a nuanced portrayal of the female college experience, highlighting dorm life dynamics, class differences, and the transition to semi-adulthood with sharp, witty writing from SNL writers Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O’Sullivan.
- Director Chandler Levack draws strong performances from the cast, including Nick Kroll as a loving father, Natasha Lyonne as a seasoned suburban mom, and Billy Bryk as a senior with ambiguous intentions, enriching the film’s emotional depth.
- The film balances warm familial and friendship bonds with darker themes of jealousy and sabotage, though its shift from emotional realism to black comedy in the ending may feel tonally inconsistent to some viewers.
- Despite the tonal clash, "Roommates" effectively captures the confusion and complexity of young female friendships, making its mixed approach a thematically fitting choice.
