“The hardest problem first-year students face,” Devon (Sadie Sandler) says in the trailer for Roommates, “is trying to coexist with your roommate.” Collapsing all boundaries — sleeping mere feet from each other in twin XL beds, sharing a bathroom — can really bring out your most deranged and diabolical self. In the hands of the Roommates’ starry cast, this unraveling is not only messy and relatable — it’s hilarious.
Devon, a shy incoming freshman, leaves her parents, Hannah (Natasha Lyonne) and Brian (Nick Kroll), in pursuit of a degree in architectural design and a best friend. During her wilderness orientation program, Devon meets the enigmatic Celeste (Chloe East), and after rolling their eyes through the zip-line adventure course, the two decide to live together. Once they arrive on campus, they become way more than roommates, spending every minute together, sharing secrets and clothes, and lifting each other up throughout the bumps of their first year. They become the type of ride-or-dies Devon always longed for during her lonely high school years.
But just around the time of fall break, paranoia and pettiness creep in. Soon, both girls become unrecognizable in a war of passive aggression, and their once sweet bond devolves into vengeful chaos.
Chandler Levack directs this dorm room comedy, which was written by SNL’s Ceara O’Sullivan and Jimmy Fowlie. Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison, produces.
Sandler, East, Lyonne, and Kroll are joined by a who’s-who of funny people. Keep reading to meet the unhinged squad with whom you’ll be sharing tight quarters in Roommates, now streaming on Netflix.
Devon is a first-year college student studying architechture. After spending her high school days consistently overlooked by her peers, she arrives to campus with one single-minded goal: make a best friend.
Pixels, Hotel Transylvania
Fueled by kombucha and late-night doom-scrolling, Celeste is as fiery as Devon is shy. Their yin-and-yang bond buoys both girls during their turbulent first semester. That is, until minor grips accumulate and cause both girls to act in unrecognizable ways.
The Fabelmans, Heretic
Bella Murphy as Amber (center left)
Amber lives with Olivia across the hall from Devon and Celeste, and the two pairs join together to take on the bumps and bruises of freshman year.
Coming 2 America, Fairyland
When she’s not decorating her and Amber’s room with polaroids and string lights, she’s fielding angry calls from her long-distance boyfriend about how many boys are within a 2 mile radius.
Teenage Emotions
Natasha Lyonne as Hannah (top right)
A talented ceramicist, Hannah is Devon’s mom. She listens to Devon’s complaints about Celeste with kindness and not-so-helpful hangover advice.
Orange is the New Black, But I’m a Cheerleader
Nick Kroll as Brian (left)
Brian thinks so highly of Devon, he even trusts her with his credit card and precious deep-fried Thanksgiving turkey — both of which she mishandles.
Sausage Party, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Often seen with a joint dangling from his lips, Alex is Devon’s cool-as-a-cucumber high-school-age brother. Even though he’s younger, he provides invaluable guidance and a shoulder to cry on when Devon most needs it.
1985, Bosch
Gigi is Devon’s purple lipstick-wearing grandmother. She may be the best in the family at knitting hats, but she’s not the most reliable to watch a deep-fried turkey while sipping a negroni.
The Princess Bride, Addams Family Values
Dr. Schilling, the dean of student life, narrates the story of Celeste and Devon’s downfall in Roommates. If only she wasn’t so busy in her DIY in-dorm welding studio, maybe she’d be able to tame some of the catastrophic roommate pairings under her reign.
Saturday Night Live, Three Busy Debras
Ivy Wolk as Auguste (left)
When Auguste and Luna first move in together, they are inseperable. But come October, petty complaints accumulate and all the sudden they can’t stand each other.
Friendship, Anora, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Luna detests her roommate Auguste — which comes to a head when the latter tosses the former’s clothes from their window. Although their gripes about each other are fair, Dr. Schilling (Sarah Sherman) relays Celeste and Devon’s roommate horror story to remind them it could be much worse.
Euphoria, A Wrinkle in Time, Sleight
Billy Bryk as Michael (left)
Michael is Devon’s architechture TA, who moonlights as the Walton school’s rotund mascot. While at first he is a crushable support system for Devon, their will-they-won’t-they dynamic comes to a head over spring break in Panama City.
Hell of a Summer, When You Finish Saving the World, Friendship
Professor Ziemann is Devon’s architechture teacher. Ziemann sees herself in her young student and encourages her to submit her ideas to a campus improvement content on campus.
Wet Hot American Summer, Ratatouille
George is a Frisbee enthusieast and perrenial college student who keeps getting degrees so he can continue playing ultimate frisbee.
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, Saturday Night Live
