Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | Film | April 20, 2026
I was pleasantly surprised three years ago by You’re So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah, a better-than-typical Happy Madison comedy that endeavored to be more than a paid gig for Adam Sandler’s friends. It was a paid gig for his daughters, who were better than I expected (and better than many of the Happy Madison regulars). It wasn’t a great movie, but squarely appealed to its demo: Jewish teenagers and the parents of Jewish teenagers planning their kids’ Bat Mitzvahs.
Roommates, likewise, is another Happy Madison comedy that exists somewhat adjacent to the Sandler cameo kingdom — sure, Sarah Sherman returns from Bat Mitzvah, and Steve Buscemi makes a brief appearance, but even those two are well cast (and neither Sandler parent appears to draw attention away from their daughter). Mostly, however, Roommates is a solid teenage comedy, one that is more preoccupied with character than big dumb jokes. And Sadie Sandler, as she did in Bat Mitzvah, proves to be more than capable despite her easy entry into the industry.
In Roommates, Sadie Sandler plays Devon, a college freshman hoping that she’ll finally find a best friend in college. She does in her dorm roommate, Celeste (Chloe East, Heretic), but it proves more than she bargained for. Devon latches on hard, not because she has anything in common with Celeste, but because Celeste returns her platonic affection. They become fast friends, but their differences — Devon is a homebody with a close relationship with her family, while Celeste is a party girl estranged from her parents — eventually pit the two against each other. Their friendship sours, and then it turns into something of a revenge film.
The story is told as a cautionary tale in flashback by Dr. Schilling (Sarah Sherman) to two new college roommates (Storm Reid and Ivy Wolk) who have grown to despise each other. As such, and what’s kind of interesting about Roommates as a Happy Madison production, is that it doesn’t wrap up with hugs and apologies. It is a cautionary tale.
Again, Sadie Sandler and Chloe East are legitimately good in their respective roles, and director Chandler Levack keeps things mostly grounded, at least for a college comedy. Unlike her father in comedies, Sadie is more interested in playing a real person than a character, and the humor here is more relatable (though obviously heightened) than it is schtick.
I mean, it’s still a Netflix streaming comedy, so it’s not going to win any awards or even be remembered a year from now. But outside of Hustle, it’s probably the best Happy Madison comedy in at least a decade, not that the bar is particularly high.
