Single White Female | | Cast : | Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh | | Director : | Barbet Schroeder | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | August 14, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | December 02, 2003 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 11, 2005 | | Summary | The high price of betrayal | Content
 | I found this movie to be very entertaining and satisfying. It's a movie where you can feel good about watching it because you know the person is getting just what they deserve. The main character, Allie, is afraid of being alone, so after she tells her current fiancé to get lost (very smart) after finding out he cheated on her, she puts an ad in the newspaper for a roommate. She finds a potential roommate, Hedra, but once Hedra finds out about what happened between Allie and her ex-fiancé she is reluctant to move in with her, for fear of them getting back together, which would result in her having to move out and find a new place to live again. Allie promises Hedra that they won't get back together, so with that reassurance, she decides to move in. Later, Allie decides for some ignorant reason to forgive her ex-fiancé and get back together with him (very, very stupid), which is, of course, a total betrayal to Hedra, to whom she promised this exact thing would not happen. The remainder of the movie consists of the repercussions of this betrayal, and everyone (with the exception of the poor innocent puppy dog) getting what they deserve. Allie's boyfriend gets what he deserves for cheating on her, and Allie gets what she deserves for betraying Hedra. I wasn't too thrilled with the end, as I felt it should have gone the other way, but oh well, you can't win them all. Overall, a very entertaining movie, and I highly recommend it. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 26, 2005 | | Summary | A Fight For Identity | Content
| This is a really good film that is more than just a thriller, but a statement about identity as well. Barbet Schroder scales the lonely apartment building with his camera and shows the gargoyle statues perched on the ledge. There are many shots like this and a theme of a very small person in a very large and modern world that is close to swallowing up our individuality is explored in this disturbing thriller.
Bridget Fonda gives a sweet performance as the emotionally vulnerable Allie Jones. She exposes her heart in an intimate moment with her boyfriend Sam (Steven Weber) when she tells him: "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." When she is forced to advertise for a SWF roomate another sweet personality comes into play as shy Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wins over Allie and moves in.
What develops is a slow evolving nightmare as Hedra subtly transforms herself bit by bit into Allie. Barely noticable at first, it becomes more and more pronounced until Allie must fight for not only her identity but her life as well. Leigh is great as always and we feel sorry for her at first just as Allie does. She seems to have no life at all. Even when Allie thinks Hedra might be fooling around with someone in the apartment what she sees is quite different.
Hedra taps into all Allie's insecurities until she is in danger of dissappearing. A scene in the dark where Allie's boyfriend Sam is fooled by Hedra before he realizes it is not Allie is particularly disturbing. Schroder seems to be pondering if one person has become interchangable with another in the messed up world in which we live.
The ending is violent and bloody but it has no other place to go. Hedra can't live as Allie if Allie still exists and Allie must overcome her fear in order to live. Both Fonda and Leigh work well together and each gives a fine performance in this lonely feeling movie that makes us think about our own identity.
This is a good film to watch late at night with the lights off. It has a lonely and eventually disturbing feel to it and will have you thinking a long time afterward about real identity theft, not just the credit card variety.... |
| Rating | | | Date | May 11, 2005 | | Summary | She Borrows Her Clothes, Her Boyfriend, And Her Life! | Content
| I'm really shocked to see this movie get so little reviews. I thought it was one of the most memorable films of the early 90's. After I watched this, I wondered what twins were really like without their other sibling around. Building a plot just on that, was spectacular.
Barbet Schroeder the director... has directed some other decent thrillers. Such as Desperate Measures(Michael Keaton) my personal fave of Keaton flicks, and Murder by Numbers(Sandra Bullock). Since Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Misery... I thought Single White Female was the next best mystery/thriller to the genre of lady killers.
Bridget Fonda, who I think is great in anything she does... playing in other decent flicks such as Point Of No Return, and Lake Placid. Definitely had a breakthrough performance as the single woman, looking for a trustworhy room-mate. Jennifer Jason Leigh who everyone should know, from such great 80's films like The Hitcher(C. Thomas Howell) and Fast times At Ridgemont High(Sean Penn). I think delivers a great innocent yet psychotic suicidal character, portraying Fonda's new roomie. You do have a very helpful cast with Fonda's cheating ex boyfriend, and caring next door neighbor.
I thought Amazon.com had an excellent review, this movie is all of those things. The relationship between Fonda and Leigh is sensational, the good and the bad habits of Leigh. This movie isn't gorey and has very little action sequences, but it does have a successful story. Freddy, Jason, I know the killers, I know they're all fake. These are the real killers, the average woman who moves in... the least expecting person living with you.
This movie deserves all the credit it gets. It has a beginning, it has a middle, and it has a well thought out ending. If you haven't watched it, then watch it. If you hadn't bought it yet, then buy it... it's worth the bucks. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 25, 2005 | | Summary | very twisted but a good movie | Content
| it's one thing when you like who someone is
it's another thing when you want to be them and take their life over so they can't enjoy it
this movie is creepy pretty much from start to end
brilliant casting
some laughs here and there
a very interesting story
great ending
see this movie
the trailer shocked me
when I watched it twice on my dvd player it shocked me
and when I watch it every time it will shock me
give this movie a go |
| Rating | | | Date | November 11, 2004 | | Summary | Oh, behave! | Content
| Smashing, slashing story of young career woman (Bridget Fonda) who seeks a woman to share her dream apartment--as a way to keep her distance from an ex-fiancé--and finds she has acquired the Roommate from Hell.
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