Starring: Leighton Meester,
Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Danneel Harris Ackles (as Danneel
Harris), Frances Fisher and Billy Zane
Genre: horror,
thriller, drama
Rated: PG-13
College freshman, Sara Matthews, seems to have everything
going her way this year. Despite breaking up with her high school sweetheart,
she seems to be getting everything she wants. She’s caught the eye of the cute
drummer, Stephen, landed a coveted spot in a specific design class she wanted,
gotten to party with her friends and seems to have a pretty cool, if a bit odd,
roommate named Rebecca. What Sara doesn’t realize, however, is that Rebecca has
developed a psychotic obsession with her, and will stop at nothing to keep
their friendship alive.
Hello, Single White Female rip-off! We thought you
were done after the 1990s ended, yet here you sit, watering down a classic
thriller from its R-rated glory for this new generation of teenyboppers. It
took me a long time to bring myself to watch this movie as I knew what it was
from the trailer and just sighed at the lack of creativity coming out of
Hollywood. I really didn’t want to see talented actresses like Bridget Fonda
and Jennifer Jason Leigh replaced by the cream of the CW crop in what was sure
to be a far less suspenseful film. It was playing on cable late last night, so,
rather than go to bed, I opted to finally give it a watch. The result? About
what I had expected.
Many plot points were lifted directly from the obvious
source material with only slight changes made – such as the roomies having a
pet they share that *SPOILER* eventually meets a bad end (In this film it is a
kitten, in SWF it was a puppy); the crazy roommate copying a very personal
aspect of the heroine’s appearance and eventually completely disguising herself
as the heroine; the heroine dealing with unwanted sexual advances from a man in
a position of authority; the heroine dealing with an ex that refuses to give up
on their relationship. All of these similar plot devices and the absurdly
obvious foreshadowing used early on cause the movie to be incredibly
predictable.
The body count is lower than its predecessor, with Rebecca
opting for assault and kidnapping over murder. There is little to no blood,
even in scenes where there should be, either during the numerous assaults, or
when Rebecca finally does resort to killing people. Her weapon is incredibly
impractical too – I’m sorry, movie, you have not sold me on the idea that stabbing
someone in the back with a 1 inch box cutter blade can fatally wound them.
The performances are okay at best, with Meester’s being the
strongest. Leighton Meester is able to bring Rebecca to life and even make her
somewhat sympathetic, while at the same time portraying her as crazy and a
little creepy. She was the only interesting character, and the only one I felt
anything for throughout the entire film. Her victim, Sara, is rather bland, and
despite her social life and varying interests, I found her rather dull and
boring. I couldn’t understand why Rebecca became so obsessed with Sara, as she
could barely hold my interest. Honestly, I found the character of Irene
(Harris-Ackles), Sara’s friend and mentor, to be far more interesting than Sara
herself, and Irene had maybe ten minutes of total screen time. Billy Zane is
charming as always, despite playing a lecherous professor – the man is far too
charismatic and talented to be reserved for such a bit role in a flick like
this. Cam Gigadet is somewhat charming as Stephen, but I was put off by his
character when his first conversation with Sara involved him and his fellow
frat brothers having to get women drunk to have sex with them.
Aside from the performances, the film does have a few other
positives going for it. Despite being predictable, it is able to generate some
decent suspense in places – such as the shower sequence and when Sara enters
Irene’s apartment toward the end of the film. I did like the atmosphere created
by the dimmed lighting, dull set coloring, and soundtrack – it gave the film a
tenser vibe. Lastly, I liked that the girl-on-girl kiss scene was done well,
seductive without being exploitive, which is a rather rare thing these days.
Overall, this is yet another rip-off of the far superior Single
White Female from 1992, only this time it’s based in college. The films are
incredibly similar to the point where each action Rebecca makes is predictable.
Some details have been altered from the original story, but not enough to cover
the glaring inspiration. There are some positive aspects to this flick, but
nothing to raise it above the mediocre copy cat that it is.
5/10
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