Roomies (2004/I)

Director:

Oliver Robins

Writers:

Michael Baumgarten (writer)
Kate McKinney (writer)

Release Date:

4 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The comedy about two people looking for the perfect roommates... and the roommates they found instead.

Plot:

After his last girlfriend slept with his last roommate, Reno Rizzolla moves to L.A. with his new girlfriend... and chaos ensues when the debt on the house forces him to get roommates. |

Plot Keywords:

Roommate | House | Couple | Topless Sunbathing | Implied Sex

Cast

A.J. Buckley	...	Reno
Holly Fields	...	Holly
Jennifer Lyons	...	Nicole
Joel Michaely	...	Christian
David Wheir	...	Chad
Michelle Brookhurst	...	News Reporter
Shelly Kurtz	...	Uncle Charlie
Christopher Jacobs	...	Greg
Andrew Shaifer	...	Doug
Adam Wylie	...	Mr. Asher
Miranda Bailey	...	Janice
William Zabka	...	Slick Salesman
Crystal Lett	...	Party Girl
William Bassett	...	Mr. Seeley
Darin Cooper	...	Advisor

Also Known As:

Wild Roomies (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:R | Norway:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Roomies The Movie

Trivia:

Before A.J. Buckley landed the role or 'Reno,' other actors who were interested in the part included Corey Haim of 'Lost Boys' and Kevin Connolly of 'Entourage.'

Goofs:

Continuity: About 7 minutes into the film, when Holly and Christian are in the car, Holly's seat belt is on in one shot, off the next and then back on. Several times...

Soundtrack:

Promises, Promises

Character Study Lacks Depth, Becomes Lost In Foliage Of Sophomoric Attempts At Humour.

A tedious mixture of puerile efforts at humour with romantic relationship melodrama fails to provide this weakly made film with any flavour of reality. As action opens, Reno (A.J. Buckley) enters his apartment, there discovering his girlfriend in flagrante delicto with his roommate, who gloatingly tells Reno "Well, at least it's with someone you know", resulting in Reno's decision to never have another roommate, this decision told to viewers by means of a soon abandoned voice-over. The storyline then proceeds ten months where we find that Reno is indeed true to his word concerning avoidance of roommates, although this appears to beg the question due to his garnering of a live-in lover, Holly (Holly Fields), with whom he has generated marital plans. The plot briefly shifts to a sleazy Hollywood strip club, wherein Reno's Uncle Charley, enamoured of a "dancer" whom he finds eminently desirable, keels over dead atop the club's bar after seeing the unadorned charms displayed by the object of his affections. It is apparent that Charley had been aware of the flawed condition of his heart, because he created a video tape during which his commentary bequeaths his large (and mortgaged) residence in Hollywood to Reno, and we see the latter deciding to, contrary to his vow, interview applicants for two roommates as tenants, with he and Holly sharing the selection process in an organized manner. Following an inane sequence involving bizarre renter candidates, all of whom Reno and Holly unsurprisingly find unsuitable for living along with them in their house they, unknown to each other, each select a renter of the opposite sex, with the lovers manifestly cool toward the choice of their partner. The newcomers (Chad and Nicole) would seem to have little discernible point to their existence other than highly aural fornication with a broad range of partners, and it is not long before jealousy mars the harmonic relationship of Reno and Holly. Reno is bent upon patenting and merchandising a type of sporting travel bag and, as he has given an engagement ring to Holly, the potential success of this entrepreneurial adventure is of great financial significance if he intends to advance his marital plan. Unfortunately, the rapacious team of Chad and Nicole, whose every action is ostensibly laced with lust, is likely to disrupt any future wedding intentions of Reno. Direction is slack, plainly far from fulfilling basic needs of the players, although an erratically composed script provides scant material with which actors may work, and ad libbing falls embarrassingly flat. As a result, the performances are undistinguished, not aided by spotty editing, while the manner of camera-work changes as abruptly and often as a firefly's tail light. Filmed with a low budget and on location, only a modicum of skill is required for the designing processes, but a larger measure of value might have been placed upon the tasteless D.J. background soundtrack, generally blaring and nearly always invasive. A good deal of discussion has been stimulated by the movie's final sequences that are apparently not expected by a viewer based upon what has come before, but in reality these comprise probably the only thoughtful portions of a poorly cobbled screenplay, and bids fair to make the work almost watchable, despite the shabby quality of the production as a whole.