"Romeo and... Rosaline. Does have a nice ring to it."
— Rosaline
A 2022 American historical Romantic Comedy directed by Karen Maine. It is based on the novel When You Were Mine, itself a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Unlike the High School AU book, however, the film moves the setting back to the original's Renaissance Italy, but keeps most of the book's modern sensibilities, including deliberately anachronistic dialogue and music.
Rosaline retells the play from the perspective of one of its most tertiary characters: Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever), Juliet's cousin. After her love Romeo (Kyle Allen) moves on to her younger, wealthier cousin Juliet (Isabela Merced), Rosaline schemes to get him back, despite her growing attraction to a rugged suitor, Dario (Sean Teale).
Supporting actors include Bradley Whitford as Rosaline's father, Minnie Driver as her nurse, and Spencer Stevenson as Paris.
The film debuted on Hulu (in the United States) and Disney+ (in other territories) on October 14, 2022.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Sexuality: Count Paris, Juliet's earnest suitor in the original, is gay here, and only courts Juliet to get his father off his back and help Rosaline. He's pleased that Juliet's age means the wedding won't have to take place for a couple of years.
- Anachronistic Soundtrack: A Shakespeare adaptation set in 13th/14th-century Italy featuring covers of 21st century pop songs (eg. Robyn's "Dancing on my Own" and Enrique Iglesias's "Escape" feature at the Capulet ball).
- Armor-Piercing Question: Dario asks what it is exactly that Rosaline loves or even just likes about Romeo that makes her so determined to win him back. She doesn't have an answer.
- Ascended Extra: Rosaline is barely a presence in Shakespeare's play, only acting as the catalyst for how Romeo meets Juliet in the first place. Here, she's the main character. Lampshaded when she wonders if people will remember her role in the story centuries from now.
- Balcony Wooing Scene: The film opens with Romeo climbing up a balcony for a private moment with his lady-love Rosaline. They're interrupted by Rosaline's father, then Romeo nearly falls off the balcony.
- Cassandra Truth: Rosaline complains to Dario that Romeo and Juliet marrying is a terrible idea because they barely know each other. He says that The Power of Love will see them through. In the end, with nobody else to talk to except each other, Romeo and Juliet struggle to make conversation.
- Chekhov's Skill: Rosaline's Nurse repeatedly reminds her she's actually a registered nurse. She uses this background to 'confirm' Romeo and Juliet dead at the end, allowing them to escape.
- Composite Character: Rosaline is a combination of her namesake (Romeo's first Capulet love) and Prince Escalus, who tells the Feuding Families off at the end. Her personality also takes from Katherina of The Taming of the Shrew, as an independent and shrewish older sister figure.
- Cool Big Sis: Lampshaded by Rosaline, who writes that she aims to be the more accomplished, worldlier older sister figure to her cousin Juliet. The montage that accompanies this shows that Juliet is more charming and more accomplished, but Rosaline is worldlier.
- Copycat Mockery: Tybalt throws a peacemaking line back in Romeo's face.Romeo: We don't want any trouble, Tybalt.
Tybalt: [slurred] We don't want any trouble, Tybalt. - Demoted to Extra: Benvolio and Mercutio get only a couple of lines apiece, unlike the play where they have a lot of stage time due to being Romeo's close friends.
- Diegetic Switch: Rosaline wakes up with "All By Myself" playing in the background. We then see a fiddler ekeing a string version out in the background before the nurse shoos him away.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Rosaline tries to plead with Dario to help her fix things, but can't eloquently do so because he's not wearing a shirt.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Rosaline's Nurse is always referred to as "Nurse" which causes some to believe that's just her given name. She annoyingly replies that her actual name is Janet.
- Flowery Elizabethan English: The film opens with Romeo wooing Rosaline in the Shakespearean verse of the source material, only for her to question why he's talking like that. The rest of the characters speak in 21st-century English for the most part, and Romeo mostly slips into it when he's feeling poetic.
- The "I Love You" Stigma: Rosaline freezes when Romeo tells her he loves her, and worries that her reaction was what drove him to Juliet.
- Marry for Love: Spunky 13th-or-14th-century young woman Rosaline spurns all her older suitors and wants to marry for love.Rosaline: Is there any other reason?
Paris: Mm, money, status, land, nicer living quarters. - Named by the Adaptation: The formerly nameless Lord Montague is given the first name Mario here.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: As part of the humor, the cast all use their natural British or American accents, despite playing Italians.
- Not What It Looks Like: Rosaline is caught with what seems like the corpse of her cousin Juliet, about to haul her off the balcony. She is unable to tell her uncle that Juliet is faking her death and Rosaline is attempting to smuggle her to safety.
- Period Piece, Modern Language: Renaissance Italy nobleman Romeo begins the film with a famous line from the original Shakespearean English: "Forswear it, sight, I never saw true beauty until this night." Rosaline immediately questions why he's talking like that, setting the tone of the film. Characters speak in 21st century slang in their natural British or American accents, and the Camp Gay Paris even speaks in modern vocal fry.
- Precision F-Strike: Rosaline tells Juliet that her plan to fake her death is the “dumbest fucking thing” she’s ever heard.
- Proper Lady: Juliet, in contrast to her older cousin Rosaline, is ladylike, accomplished in feminine endeavors, and sweet.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation: Tybalt is Juliet's first cousin in the original, but her brother here.
- Romantic False Lead: Rosaline dates Romeo at the start and spends the first half trying to get him to stay with her, but realizes later on that she doesn't really love him and that his love for Juliet is true. Rosaline ends the film with Dario.
- Secret Relationship: At the start of the film Romeo and Rosaline have been sneaking around due to their Feuding Families. Paris (unaware that Juliet is seeing a Montague) suggests that the secrecy contributes most of the spark to their relationship.
- Shout-Out: Dario has a few while describing love: "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is an open door. Love is all you need."
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike in the play, Paris, Romeo and Juliet survive, since Rosaline and Dario's intervention means the Faking the Dead plan actually works.
- Spirited Young Lady: Rosaline is a nobleman's daughter who has ambitions to become a cartographer, unlike her more ladylike cousin Juliet.
- The Stinger: A mid-credits scene shows Juliet and Romeo trying to find things in common while on the boat.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Rosaline has a crippling fear of fish, but manages to cross a brook full of them to go help her younger cousin.
- Why Don't You Marry It?: Rosaline's reaction to her father telling her of another eligible bachelor:Rosaline: Wonderful! You marry him!
