Roommates Review: A Surprisingly Dark College Comedy From Happy Madison

There are few subgenres older in film history than the “going to college” plotline. It was a popular genre in the days of silent film, and it has helped spark new comedic forces for generations. Roommates is not looking to reinvent the wheel, giving us a story about two women (Sadie Sandler and Chloe East) as they realize the person they live with is not exactly their best friend. However, the twists and turns in Chandler Levak‘s film lead to much darker outcomes than you might expect from a Happy Madison-produced film.

What is Roommates about?

When two roommates (Ivy Wolk and Storm Reid) become a source of contention on campus, they are sent to the Dean (Sarah Sherman). She wants them to settle up their feud by telling them a story about two recent girls who ended up in an all-out war. She tells the story of Devon (Sadie Sandler), a loner in high school who finally found a friend during her orientation week.

After being a loner in high school, Devon (Sandler) hopes to find real friends for the first time in college. At her orientation camp week, she meets Celeste (Chloe East), and the two bond over the following week. The two decide to room together in the Fall but over a few months, Devon and Celeste have typical, but frustrating, roommate problems. However, after a disastrous Thanksgiving week, their relationship devolves into dangerous territory.

Levack combines a darker tale with Happy Madison humor.

While Adam Sandler is not in Roommates, the fingerprints of his comedy are all over it. Director Chandler Levack had previously expressed her admiration for the comedian with I Love Movies, and she uses that familiarity to create a surprisingly effective blend of college humor with the Sandler-isms you’d expect.

Roommates effectively creates a real relationship between Sadie Sandler and East, with the two actresses successfully moving from best friends to mortal enemies. The frustrations are often based in traditional college issues, like walking in on your roommate getting intimate or stealing each other’s clothes. However, as Celeste starts to border on Single White Female territory, it’s understandable how the escalation goes to darker places.

Seemingly inspired by Heathers and Superbad, the story hits some surprisingly dark beats. However, it never really leaves the Happy Madison PG-appropriate bits despite prevalent cursing and situations that earn the R rating. It’s something of a messy blend, but Levack finds enough moments of emotional pathos to ground us in the absurdity.

Levack also has a dozen great comedians strewn throughout Roommates. Aidan Langfor and Billy Bryk take a backseat to the women, but they’re each helpful to flesh out the story. Langfor has more of an arc, while Bryk plays into his “dirtbag” persona while remaining charming from scene to scene. Meanwhile, there’s an all-star cast hitting comedic beats. Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll, and Carol Kane keep things funny in nearly every scene. Kroll and Lyonne are great together, building legitimate chemistry while never disappearing into cartoonish stereotypes. Kroll has always had much more skill as a heartfelt actor than he gets credit for, and he actually gets a couple of moments to show that off in Roommates.

Josh Segarra fits well into the “Why is this dude here at these events?” role reserved for your Spade or Lovitz character actors. He’s funny, independent of the scenes (and is often isolated as the only actor in his scenes). However, Segarra’s willingness to also be the butt of the joke makes sure we never take him too seriously. There are some great cameos for other Saturday Night Live figures, Sandler alumni, and one music legend. Many probably finished their work in one day, but they’re welcome faces that elevate their scenes.

The Sherman-Reid-Wolk story frames Roommates, but it also kills momentum a few times. It does come off as distracting, in part because all three actors are more famous than many of the background characters. They have their moments, but it does feel like an unneeded series of bits. Sherman already crosses over between stories, and if Reid and Wolk had been the “across the hall neighbors” it would add more heft to that bit of the story.

Is Roommates worth watching?

Yes, Roommates is a charming, if imperfect, college comedy. The absurd nature of the final act really helps sell the overall experience, but clocking in at an hour and forty-five minutes does test the audience. There are plenty of funny comedy bits, slapstick moments, and even arson to keep the audience entertained. Sadie Sandler now has a few good comedies under her belt, and Chloe East continues her upward ascent. Roommates is a fun time to see both give their all to a type of comedy flick that rarely exists anymore.

Roomates releases April 17, 2026 exclusively on Netflix.