Steve Skafte There was times during "Roommates" when I was reminded of director Yates' 1979 film, "Breaking Away". That, like this movie, was a comedy/drama. But the real difference between the two is how the earlier production struck a believable, painfully human balance, and "Roommates" just barely achieves status quo. It's also somewhat uneven. Early on, it sets out to be a light comedy, with a bit of drama to ground it. This basic tone never shifts, but with the entire third act being so miserable, it's prevented from being convincing. There's no point where it's especially unlikable, just frustrating.The acting has something to offer, even though I've seen nearly everyone give better performances. Julianne Moore, Ellen Burstyn, Peter Falk - three of my favorites - aren't really offered enough to show their respective talents. Falk, even though he's the star of "Roommates", seems like an afterthought, a minor character who steps in to offer periodical clever quips. And I didn't find the makeup work to be particularly convincing.An overall problem comes down to the script. Although the film seems long enough, even too long at times, it feels truncated in order to fit in all the chronology. There are breaks of years, seven or five, or however many, and people don't seem to change or age normally. It's like watching a stage play when you know there's been no passage of time, and can't be properly convinced otherwise. "Roommates" is a film that doesn't really know what it is or what it wants to be. The VHS cover shows a scene from the film involving a garden hose. In the photograph, it looks playful. It the actual movie, it is part of a serious argument. That just about sums up the dichotomy that is "Roommates".

rubenmajor I thought that this was a decent movie, although the title was a bit misleading. I thought the movie was going to be about college roommates or those that met shortly after. I did notice that after seeing the movie that there were many similarities between how family members and standard roommates get along.I noted the trivial entourage of characters. I somewhat disagree with the above users outlook on Julian Moore. In comparison to other films, I found her performance to be somewhat lacking.I did however believe that the storyline was quite interesting. I have watched this movie and find it analogous to my roommates online network experience. I mean, did you know that there were places to find people like this. Not to knock these services and believe me, I had a genuinely good experience at www.roommatesonline.net. But I did notice that other places where you could find this type of roommate were lacking in selectivity.They always say that you can pick and choose your friends/acquaintances, but getting a roommate is often just the same as in this move - you can't quite pick them. And although you might not like them, it seems that the interesting ones keep coming back. I give this movie a 7/10 for effort and a decent storyline.

beaverfever I found this movie to drag and be quite boring, actually. I didn't get a sense that a whole story was being told, but instead there are a series of situations which come to some vague conclusion or attempt to be funny, and for the most part they are very predictable. Peter Falk's make-up looks very plastic, and is bad enough at times to be distracting.

Robert D. Ruplenas I must put in a word of defense for this excellent movie, which was sadly underrated by both critics and audiences. The true story - of a Polish baker in Pittsburgh who raised his orphaned grandson at the age of 70+ and put him through medical school - sounds like a formula for sentimentality and cliches. However, the movie transcends that to become a moving story of the strength of family, with many wonderful touches of humor. Peter Falk's portrayal of the irascible, curmudgeonly, and indomitable Rocky Holzcek dominates the movie. We are made to care about all the people portrayed. I don't understand the criticism about the movie "not having a story" to tie it together. The changing relationship of Rocky and his family as the years go by has plenty of elements of drama. This movie touched me deeply. It's a real sleeper.