‘Roommates’ (2026) Netflix Movie Review - Watch It For Sadie Sandler And Chloe East

As Celeste, Chloe East sends volcanic ripples across the screen in Chandler Levack's Roommates. She is ferociously physical and maddeningly vile. Her punchable face becomes an omen; her faux-sweet words carry the bitterness of poison. Who needs enemies if you have friends like Celeste? She'll tear you down, chew your bones, and still make you feel like the victim. That is, if you are as naive and desperate for friendship as Devon, whom Sadie Sandler plays with such adorable vulnerability that she might as well be carrying a sign reading, "Give me warm hugs, please."

The two actors sit at the center of this comedy and endow it with high tension and restless energy. Written by Jimmy Fowlie and Ceara O'Sullivan, the story explores the perils of sharing a room with a prick who has no concept of "boundaries." Both East and Sandler are so charged that even "minor" incidents—being excluded from a group selfie or becoming popular in front of someone else's family—take on the shape of drama that feels awkward, volatile, and at times feverish.

It's clear from the beginning that Celeste is exploiting Devon's insecurity. Devon is aware of it too, but she's bad at confrontation and afraid of losing a friend. So she becomes a walking ATM—buying drinks, booking trips to Panama City, even doing Celeste's assignments when she pretends to be sick. The characters and plot developments are easy to read, which leaves Roommates with few surprises. There are a couple of twists near the finish line, but they hardly shock. What keeps the film glued together is the formidable presence of its leads. Their performances inject life into the plot's machinery.

Another strength is the film's commitment to its gags, whether it's the obsessive boyfriend or the "titty kick." The framing device—Dr. Schilling (Sarah Sherman) narrating the story to two angry college roommates—feels unnecessary and could be removed without anyone missing it. What's more, you wish the filmmakers had truly let the film go off the rails. Celeste outs someone's sexual identity; Devon starts a fire that threatens the entire building. Yet Roommates never fully builds on these moments, stopping just as things begin to turn deliciously ugly. It holds itself back from becoming fully unhinged.

That's why, ultimately, the film feels oddly harmless—almost benign. It plays like a fun group project that was more enjoyable behind the scenes. That's disappointing, considering how vicious a force of nature Celeste could have been. East certainly seems up for it; she would have killed it. The character neither changes nor learns—she earns comeuppance, not sympathy. East, on the other hand, wins you over with her intensely physical presence, and paired with Sandler, Levack makes palpable their characters' sour chemistry. Strip away East and Sandler, and there's little left in Roommates worth watching. They are the life of this party.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times