Single White Female

Starring: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman
Directed by: Barbet Schroeder
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller, Drama
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a woman (Bridget Fonda) discovers her boyfriend (Steven Weber) had been cheating on her, she kicks him out and begins searching for a roommate. She finally settles on a young woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The two get along very well, until the new roommate begins displaying increasingly erratic and crazy behavior.

Review:

Tim: Single White Female is one of the those 90's movies that is easy to criticize, but actually does a pretty good job of telling a mature, suspenseful story. I like that this film (at least the first hour or so) didn't pander to the audience. This is an adult movie about love, jealously, and of course, psychotic behavior. I like that most of this movie featured some mature themes that are not often seen in movies. I like that this movie was creepy and thrilling in unpredictable ways.

Mostly, I am a fan of the story. It is interesting to watch this dynamic between a seemingly normal woman, and her roommate, who displays increasingly psychotic behavior. It is weird enough to watch one person start to copy another, but as the movie progresses and she slowly begins to take the very identity of our heroine, the movie becomes increasingly chilling. I also appreciate that this movie was more complex than it could have been. Rather than having Bridget Fonda's character be completely normal, she has some odd qualities, too. We don't automatically root for her, because she displays some poor behavior, as well. She is a flawed character who needs to be surrounded by others. It was a stroke of brilliance to make our "sane" character more realistic by giving her some believable flaws. As we watch, we're definitely in Fonda's camp, but we don't necessarily love her, either.

The cast is fairly strong. As I mentioned, Bridget Fonda plays her character quite well, giving her some dimension and creating a realistic persona. She is a deeply flawed, not always sympathetic character. I appreciated this. Jennifer Jason Leigh might be even better, as she was able to embrace the crazy. Leigh is downright chilling, but also shows some restraint. Rather than making her character the typical movie psychopath, she adds some layers to the performance. I was surprised how sympathetic I found her character, when I had every reason to hate her. Fonda and Leigh work well together, providing the most interesting dynamic for the movie.

For most of Single White Female, we are given a suspenseful, thrilling story that feels unique even when it is not. The performances are top notch, and the movie gets under your skin almost imperceptibly. As is so often the case, though, the movie starts to fall apart during the third act. Instead of an intelligent thriller, the movie simply because your average psycho movie. While the ending definitely hurts this movie, there is still quite a bit to like. I often think that the best movies are those that can capitalize on a simple idea. Fatal Attraction was simply a story telling us not to cheat. Single White Female is a story about being careful who you room with. While this movie has flaws, it is still a strong, entertaining thriller.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Fatal Attraction, Jackie Brown, Psycho, Carrie