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Rosaline (TBC, 95mins) Directed by Karen Maine ****
A crowd-pleasing combination of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and 10 Things I Hate About You, smart casting, a witty script and a jovial tone all adds up to an entertaining riff on Shakespeare for both current teens and those who were that age in the 1990s.
An adaptation of Rebecca Serle’s 2012 young adult novel When You Were Mine (although this was actually first in development before that was published, with the likes of Keira Knightley considered for a leading role), this, like Jean Betts’ 1994 Hamlet-inspired play Ophelia Thinks Harder, offers a fresh perspective on one of the Bard’s most famous tragedies – in this case the 1597 tale of star-crossed lovers from warring Italian houses.
Turns out, before his fateful (and ultimately fatal) encounter with Juliet Capulet (Isabela Merced) at a masquerade ball, Romeo Montague (Kyle Allen) was serenading and climbing the balcony of her cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever).
20th Century Studios
Kaitlyn Dever and Isabela Merced star in Rosaline.
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But while she’s clearly smitten, Rosaline also has her own ambitions and dreams of being a cartographer, something that doesn’t quite gel with some of her beau’s declarations.
“So while you’re off writing verse, I’ll be changing diapers?” she scoffs.
It all means that when Romeo comes to declare his love, she hesitates in her reciprocation. Although that’s a reaction Rosaline instantly frets over, she consoles herself with the fact with she can put things right at the upcoming Capulet Ball.
What Rosaline hasn’t factored in though is her own father’s (Bradley Whitford) desire for her to be married and the arrival of a potential suitor in the form of Dario (Sean Teale). Reluctantly agreeing to a date on his boat, she’s distraught when they are caught out by bad weather, causing her to miss her very public rendezvous with Romeo.
To make matters worse, despite her entreaties, she’s unable to engage him in correspondence, rumours persisting that he’s found another young woman to lavish his attentions on.
Completing the full horror is that confirmation comes in the form of her younger cousin, whose appearance is much changed from the gawky, gap-toothed tween Rosaline remembers.
As Juliet gushes about the young man with the “high cheekbones and fancy words”, Rosaline begins hatching a plan to get her bloke back, starting with encouraging her cousin to “play the field” and hit the town.
From its violin version of Eric Carmen’s All By Myself to its sparky, spiky chemistry between the main characters and sumptuous costuming and production design, there’s an air of Bridgerton about this anachronistic and anarchic period romp.
Director Karen Maine helmed the first season of Rose Matafeo’s hit comedy Starstruck and writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber were responsible for 2009’s rom-com delight 500 Days of Summer and winning teen romances The Spectacular Now and Paper Towns. Their experience, form and sensibilities show as the story brilliantly mixes all those important narrative beats from Romeo and Juliet (as well as a couple from The Taming of the Shrew), while upending and usurping expectations at the same time.
While Rosaline could have done with a little more Minnie Driver (scene-stealing, as always, as the eponymous teen’s nurse), it does offer a fabulous showcase for Dever’s (Booksmart, Ticket to Paradise) charisma and comedic timing.
Whether it’s sparring with former Dora and the Lost City of Gold star Merced, or cooking up an exit strategy to prevent events from becoming a “tale of more woe’ than they need to be, she is the heart, soul and hilarious focus of this hugely enjoyable and entertaining escapade.
Rosaline begins streaming on Disney+ on the evening of October 14.
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