Review of Wild Roomies (2004) by Jared S — 27 Oct 2006

[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Its 4:00a in the morning and I just finished watching Wild Roomies. I couldn't sleep 2 hours ago, and now, I still can't. This movie put a ~bad~ taste in my mouth from the start, but yet, I found myself glued to the screen, unable to look away. Is it the quality of the movie? Is it the insomnia? Or is it just the shameless play on jealous emotions that this flick endeavors to stir up? Hmmm... probably the bad cheese...[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]It starts off gut-wrenching. Reno, the main character, finds his girlfriend cheating on him with his roommate. Bad emotions. He then moves on, finds a new girl, inherits a house, and goes back on his word by taking in roommates to help pay the bills. The first is Chad, who is every monogamy-loving, dosile-yet-happy, good boy's worst nightmare. He's irresponsible, cocky, athletic, flighty, handsome, and soooo much cooler than you. Reno's new girlfriend, Holly, (who btw is Holly in real life, too), picks him out, and gets WAY too excited about having him come aboard. (Warning bell #1). After that scene with her jumping up and down about him moving in, I knew what was coming...[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]But then it never came. Reno gets revenge by having a promiscuous, party-animal, girls-gone-wild blonde move in, which ticks off Holly, but a weird kind of balance ensues after that. Because the new blonde, Nicole, is constantly flirting with Reno, (very overtly), and Chad is constantly flirting with Holly, (very covertly), but Chad and Nicole dislike each other, nothing ever happens. They have group meetings once a week, that turn into shouting matches, and because they're all living so close together they see the bad side of each other all the time, and noone ever goes too far. Even Holly and Reno, who are ~supposed~ to be sleeping together, rarely do. This is where the advertising for this film becomes false - its not a movie about sleeping around, but rather about the challenges of living with people your own age.[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]But then Reno makes the worst mistake of his life. I know what you're thinking, he bangs Nicole - not even close. He goes on a long business trip - nope. Um, does he maybe kick out Nicole and leave Chad? Nuh uh. He gets Holly to help him hook up Chad and Nicole, in an effort to curb the flirtation level of the house. Well, whats wrong with that, you may ask? Because its the beginning of the end. Reno thinks that if they have each other, they'll leave Holly and Him alone. And to make matters worse, soon after, he proposes to Holly. And what does he do next? ~Then~ he goes on a long business trip. Strike 3.[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Here I can see how and why most reviewers of this movie find this next event shocking and find the whole movie falls apart, and had a really bad ending. But I think they missed the point. The idea is that bad things ~can~ happen twice, people are not as strong as you make them out to be, and if you leave someone in the grocery store long enough, they'll eventually start to get hungry. The tension was building all movie for a reason, people, and though you may see it as a comedy, its actually more of a character study, though very loosely analysed.[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Everyone knows that all you need for adulterly is means, motive, and oppotunity. Chad and Nicole, now an official swinger couple, are the means. Combine two party-animals and what do you get? A party. Which is exactly what they throw the minute Reno leaves. Motive? Perhaps deep down, women are as scared of matrimony as men, which is why so many marriages end at the bachlorette party. Being finally proposed to scares Holly, as much as she seems delighted in it, as does the thought of settling down with Reno, (they were even talking about kids for godsakes!). Then opportunity... well, Reno just leaves the 3 of them to it for a week. Smooth move.[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]So literally 15 minutes before the movie ends, the inevitable happens. Reno comes home, finds the 3 of them in bed, naked, with polaroids of the night strewn all across the room. Even one of Holly performing, um.. well.. mic check 1 2 3 on Chad. The worst but most memorable line in the movie comes when Reno is surveying the scene, and the night's acoustics come floating in his head as if he was there and is remembering - as Holly went from rage (the the party had trashed the house), to slight resistance to finally "Oh, Chad...", which will haunt me for months to come, (I've obviously been cheated on before).[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Holly wakes up, her and Reno have a brief confrontation, she says the usual lines, "its just sex", "we were drunk", "you're just mad I got to sleep with Nicole first", so on and so forth. Reno kicks her out, and then it jumps 10 months ahead to Holly watching Reno tv, successful yet still alone, talking about finding the 'perfect girl'. Holly cries.[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]The whole thing makes me question who wrote the script. I'm almost certain it was a guy recently or painfully cheated on. To end a movie like that is just cruel, (I knew I should of stopped watching right after the proposal), and plays on the viewers emotions very badly. Reminiscent of, dare I even compare, Eyes Wide Shut. But at least it shows real life, disappointment, and a message of, 'well, what did you expect', and then right after - 'you've been warned'. The acting was moderate to good, with all the actors playing their characters well with what little material they must have been given. But its the story that burns this one into my memory, and if you've ever been cheated on, you may want to pass on this one, unless you're a pain-loving sort of person. [/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]I GIVE IT: [/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Story - 6/10[/font][/color].

[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Acting - 6/10[/font][/color].

[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Directing - 5/10[/font][/color].

[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Impact ? 7.5/10[/font][/color].

[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Effort - 7/10[/font][/color].

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[color=#d1d168][font=Tahoma]Overall - 6/10[/font][/color].