Rosaline Parent Guide

Romeo is convinced that his name and that of his beloved will go down in history – Romeo and Rosaline.

Or not.

When Romeo (Kyle Allen) meets Juliet (Isabela Merced) at a costume ball, all thoughts of her cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever) vanish from his mind and he devotes his romantic fervor to his new love. Hiding their relationship from their feuding families, Romeo and Juliet exchange florid love letters and have furtive meetings on balconies. But one person knows what’s happening: Rosaline. She still loves Romeo and she’s not letting her man go without a fight. Since Rosaline is as clever as she is determined, she plots to subtly manipulate her little cousin into giving up her besotted swain. Or at least that’s the plan…until handsome soldier Dario (Sean Teale) gets involved, Romeo and Juliet elope, and potentially fatal potions enter the picture.

Thanks to high school English classes, we all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Disney isn’t wasting any time on a familiar narrative: they’ve chosen instead to tell the story from Rosaline’s very jaded perspective. And they’re not telling it straight up either. Less a retelling than a parody, this story mines the plot for comic elements and spoofs the entire narrative. There are deliberate anachronisms which are played for laughs, brisk comic pacing, and engagingly silly characters.

It’s the acting that makes this comic film work. Kaitlyn Dever’s sardonic attitude kicks the movie off on the right foot and she’s matched by Dario’s cool disengagement. The real prize goes to Kyle Allen for his incredibly vacuous Romeo. This famed lover is basically the Renaissance version of a surfer dude – empty-headed, chill and laid back until he falls madly in love and starts spouting poetry. As brainless eye candy, Kyle Allen can’t be beat. Even secondary characters – Bradley Whitford as Rosaline’s weary father, Spencer Stevenson as Paris the gay best friend, and Nico Hiraga as Steve the Courier – all manage to invest their characters with a sense of reality, despite their relatively brief screen time. One of the big challenges in a comedy, especially one that veers into spoof territory, is making the characters feel real. I’m not sure how Rosaline pulls it off, but it does, and keeps us laughing as the semi-familiar tale unfolds across the screen.

Amidst the comic effervescence the writers manage to shoehorn in some serious messages. Rosaline struggles to find her place in Verona because she’s an ambitious woman who wants a career as a cartographer. Her bemused father, who is trying to get her married off, is appalled: “You’re a woman,” he splutters, “You’re not supposed to talk about what you want.” Throughout the film, Rosaline’s intelligence is front and center – and she’s also smart enough to recognize when she errs, acknowledge her faults, and do her best to make things right. She’s not a flawless protagonist but she demonstrates the importance of self-assessment and humility in personal growth and that’s something we all want teens to learn.

These positive messages come with only moderate negative content. Sex is limited to kissing and most violence takes place off screen. There is some social drinking (with underage teen alcohol consumption) and the unwise consumption of a “potion” that simulates death. There’s also unnecessary swearing, but at just over a dozen profanities, it’s a fairly low cuss count for a film aimed at teens. With high levels of fun, moderate content issues, and the potential to get teens interested in classic literature, Rosaline comes in as a win.