A Mixed Bag of College Comedy on Netflix

From producers Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy (Happy Gilmore 2, Hubie Halloween), Roommates is the latest Happy Madison Production for Netflix, following the release of 2 studio comedies in 2025: Kinda Pregnant with Amy Schumer & the much-anticipated Sandler sequel Happy Gilmore 2. The film is directed by up-and-coming Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), who has yet another film releasing this Spring in Mile End Kicks – a project in which she was named a “Director to Watch” by the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Written by current “Saturday Night Live” scribes Jimmy Fowlie & Ceara Jane O’Sullivan (the team that penned the famous “Domingo” sketch), the story centers around incoming college freshman Devon (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah standout Sadie Sandler) as she looks to shed her high school years, filled with failed attempts at friendships and social engagements, and make new connections; starting with her new roommate, the beautiful embodiment of “zero f-cks given” Chelsea (Heretic’s Chloe East).

After Devon & Chelsea initially hit it off following college orientation and the honeymoon of the initial move-in, their co-existence slowly devolves from blossoming buddies to a war of passive aggression. Can these two salvage their friendship and make things work before a complete roommate explosion? Or will it be a death by 1000 cuts?

ROOMMATES. (L to R) Chloe East as Celeste and Sadie Sandler as Devon in Roommates. Cr. Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2026.

Beyond Sandler & East, the film has an impressive list of comedy talent, like many of the Happy Madison films before it. Stars like Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face) & Nick Kroll (The League, Big Mouth) playing Devon’s parents and SNL cast members Sarah Sherman & Martin Herlihy playing on-campus roles perform some of the more notable roles in the film, while Janeane Garofalo, Carol Kane, & frequent Adam Sandler collaborator Steve Buscemi play smaller supporting parts.

While Roommates has a different Sandler than Adam at its center focus and fresh creative talent behind the camera & on the page, the film still manages to fall prey to a similar story that many Happy Madison/Netflix productions seem to lump into: stars all around, lacking plot cohesion/remarkable characters, & simply not funny enough to make up for it. Roommates struggles to find meaning in its core relationship between the odd couple Devon & Chelsea; two people bonding over their struggles to bond with others who manage to disengage & destroy each other without much to take away.

While many comedies can survive a thin script and some contrived plot devices, it’s hard to survive a lack of chemistry in its leads and a lack of strong jokes, situational or otherwise. Roommates‘ biggest problem is that the best jokes & characters are written on the edges. While abrasive & opposite of Devon, Chelsea is not created as a great source of humor or charm. I laughed multiple times in the first 5 minutes with things like the cafeteria lady’s reaction to being mocked in a valedictorian speech or the public fight of the first set of roommates we’re introduced to played by “English Teacher” brat (said with complete love), Ivy Wolk & budding young actress Storm Reid (Euphoria, The Last of Us). But despite the turmoil bubbling up with the leading ladies over the next hour, I laughed only twice with one-off jokes by a pregnant woman who takes a shot forgetting she was pregnant and Martin Herlihy (“Please Don’t Destroy”) dressed as a Funyun bag delivering a great line read of “There wasn’t anything Funyun about that conversation”. With comedy, your mileage may vary on the effectiveness of the humor, but the sheer lack of attempts makes this tonally unappealing for the genre.

Note: all due respect to Nick Kroll for trying SO many times in this movie to make something out of nothing.

ROOMMATES. (L to R) Nick Kroll as Brian, Natasha Lyonne as Hannah, Aidan Langford as Alex and Sadie Sandler as Devon on the set of Roommates. Cr. Scott Yamano/Netflix © 2026.

One thing I hope doesn’t come out of the struggles of the film is a referendum on the lead, Sadie Sandler. A co-MVP in my review of You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and a serviceable smaller part in Jay Kelly as her real-life father’s tennis-playing daughter, Sadie is getting better with age & experience. For me, this role does not serve her best abilities – strong comedic timing & biting wit – and doesn’t set her up well on the page to deliver anything worth remembering. While I may have my doubts whether she can play up to a lead more as her career develops, I won’t fully take this film into evidence.

Outside of a few quality jokes and a flawed attempt at showing the complicated onboarding of the college roommate relationship (especially between young women), Roommates doesn’t make the grade. With two central characters not providing enough humor and a wildly unearned left turn of an ending with no redeeming value, the film doesn’t provide the basics to get through a breezy 100-minute studio comedy without considering pulling the plug. So much talent is wasted on a script following a bland architecture major with a lack of personality and her rich, chaotic (but not in a fun way) roommate, who makes her happy only when she provides basic human decency. Sarcastic shoutout to the creators for taking an aggressive stance against “Nepo Babies” while featuring a cast full of children of established Hollywood talent. Another Happy Madison/Netflix miss.

Watch Roommates If You Like

• You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
• I Like Movies
• Booksmart
• Worst Roommate Ever

MVP of Roommates

Mitch Herlihy as George

Slim picking in this one, but while he may not have many scenes, Mitch Herlihy knew the assignment: be an outlandish loser and have some fun.

Whether it’s the aforementioned Funyun line (complete with a costume) doing a shot out of a frisbee (and throwing it at someone’s head), or his spectacular t-shirt bikini on spring break, Herlihy’s George stole many scenes in a comedy that desperately needed jokes.

Some laughs to be had by experienced funny talent, but not enough script, chemistry, or purpose to make Roommates worth watching.