Bad Roomies (2015)

Number Rolled: 10

Movie Name/Year: Bad Roomies (2015)

Tagline: Things will get complicated. Things will get messy. Things will get ugly. Things will get weird.

Genre: Comedy

Length: 93 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Eastside Films, Fae Studio

Producer: Jenny Burpee, Davan Firinn, Douglas Matejka, Justin Mooney, Patrick Renna, Tommy Savas, Jason Schnell, Neil Willner

Director: Jason Schnell

Writer: Justin Mooney

Actors: Patrick Renna, Tommy Savas, Annie Monroe, Jackie Tohn, Page Kennedy, Kyle Howard, Jordan Masterson, Christopher Masterson, Lynsey Bartilson, Eric Pumphrey, Lindsey Reckis, Hanover Savas, Dwayne Adway, Jared Bell, Morgan Krantz, Luke Baybak, Loki, Tanya Bettencourt, Chris J. Murray, Arielle Vandenberg, John Yuan, Matt Yuan

Stunts: Steve Crest, Nito Larioza, Garrett Warren

Blurb from Netflix: Best buddies allow a mysterious, attractive woman to become their new roommate, not realizing that her presence will soon tear them hilariously apart.

Selina’s Point of View:

It has occurred to me, while watching this, that I’m pretty sure there’s maybe only two directors in all of history that have filmed a mushroom tripping scene and have any actual idea of what happens during that kind of trip. It’s always portrayed so ridiculously – whether it’s a serious film or not. It’s to the point where I hate those scenes because there’s absolutely no reality in them.

Part of the beauty of a dark comedy like this is that it’s supposed to make you feel like a fly on the wall. You’re supposed to believe that the circumstances of the film exist and that the characters are legitimately going through it all. That’s not just what makes it funny, but what makes it dark.

The mushroom scene took me completely out of it.

One of the things that did impressed me, however, was the acting.

When it comes to a film like this, I expect over-acting to accompany the over-the-top bullshit. It had all the bullshit you’d expect, but the acting was actually really good. I believed the characters, which was a new experience for me in this specific sub-genre of film.

The ending also caught me completely off guard. It didn’t end at all the way I thought it would, and that came as another pleasant surprise.

Although I doubt this film will ever be considered any kind of favorite of mine, I wouldn’t mind watching it again.

Cat’s Point of View:

I’ve been sitting here for quite a bit trying to put my finger on why I can’t come to a conclusion about how I feel about Bad Roomies and I just haven’t found any particular glaring reason. That could be, in itself, part of the problem. Perhaps my take on the movie was simply ‘meh.’

The film wasn’t unamusing. I appreciate dark humor and I did laugh, at least a little. This wasn’t a side-splitter. I don’t think it was meant to be, however. I also don’t feel like I was tricked or anything. The movie delivered about what I expected, for the most part. There definitely was at least one scene that played out in a very unexpected way.

I can’t say that any of the cast particularly stood out in terms of performance for good or ill. Something did feel a little off in the dynamic between the three main characters played by Patrick Renna (Dorm Daze, Mothers and Daughters, Lavalantula), Tommy Savas (The Moment, The Last Ship, State of Affairs), and Annie Monroe (Jake Squared, Constantine, The Cheerleader Murders).

It’s a mystery to me why I feel rather indifferent about this film. That being said, it’s unlikely that I’d watch it again. If asked if I would recommend this movie, my response would likely be along the lines of ‘eh, why not.’

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English, French, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 20%

Metascore - None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 5.1/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R

Movie Trailer: