MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Psychological Erotic Thriller/Stars: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman, Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, Jessica Lundy, Rene Estevez, Ken Tobey/Runtime: 108 minutes
I think a fairly strong argument could be made that, if you asked a fair number of young people around my age what one of their most nerve-wrecking fears was that they either had at one point in time or still currently possess, one of the items that you might hear more often than not I feel would have to be getting a roommate regardless of if it’s a roommate that you are assigned during that distinct 4-7 year period of time known as “college” or if it’s a roommate you manage to get once you are out in “adult school” or as it is also referred to: “the real world”. Of course, this really isn’t all that surprising when you stop to think about it. I mean not only are you dealing with the possibility of rooming with a person who you might have some pretty significant disagreements with that could escalate from there into full-blown fights, but also you are dealing with a potentially decent-size shift in terms of the amount of privacy you are going to be able to possess for the foreseeable future to say nothing of the fact that you honestly have no idea about the kind of person that you are, for all intents and purposes, letting into your life among other examples. It is perhaps for these, and other, reasons why (big surprise coming up here) the land of movie magic has managed to make at least a decent number of films that are part of the fairly vast catalogue of cinematic entries known as the “psychotic individual” subgenre that deal primarily with the delightful concept I like to call “the roommate from hell”. Yet even though some of the films amidst that group are ones that I wouldn’t watch again even if it was the only thing on TV, there are also entries which I do manage to hold a fair degree of both regard and/or respect for. Not just because of how well-made they are constructed in terms of behind the camera work, how well they are performed by the cast that the filmmakers have managed to assemble in front of the camera, or a mixture of both. Rather, it is also because of how good/riveting the story being told is to say nothing of how it manages to do a fairly solid job of keeping me engaged and entertained from the first shot up until the moment the end credits begin to roll. Thankfully, I can confirm that the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, Single White Female from 1992, is definitely an example of this distinct phenomenon in action. To be sure, this slice of cinema is one that is by no stretch of the imagination a flawless endeavor, but with the aid of fairly well-done work on both sides of the camera this is still a fairly taut cinematic ride that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat even as it also inspires you to take notes for what to look for….just in case.
The plot is as follows: Based on the 1990 novel SWF Seeks Same by John Lutz, Single White Female gets its spine-tingling story underway by taking us to that iconic locale of dreams, cinema, and Blue Bloods lore that is New York City. It is here where we meet our hero in the form of a young woman by the name of Allison (or Allie as those in her life know her best as) Jones. A young woman who, among other things worth knowing about her, is a highly innovative software designer who has just invented an incredible new program and who is engaged to a fairly charming guy named Sam Rawson. As our story gets underway however, we see that it is in that last category where our heroine’s life hits perhaps a wee bit of a snag. One that takes the shape and form of Sam’s ex-wife calling and Allie accidentally overhearing that she and Sam recently did the bedroom tango together if you get my meaning. To say Miss Jones is upset about this particular revelation might be perhaps a teeny tiny bit of an understatement. Rather, I think it would be a heck of a lot more accurate to say that she not only gets furious about this, but she also proceeds to both call off her and Sam’s engagement while also kicking him out of her apartment and life post haste. A day or 2 later and we see that Allie comes to the conclusion that if she wants to keep her apartment, to say nothing of the plan for her life on course, she will have to find a roommate that she can share the space with. To that end, we see that Allie decides to file an ad in the local newspaper from which several applicants come….and several applicants go. Yet just as it looks like our intrepid heroine is about to call the last applicant, who she felt the most comfortable with, when Lady Fate in that mysterious way of hers throws a slight curve into that particular plan. A curve that takes the form of a slightly shy and withdrawn yet quite kindhearted young woman by the name of Hedra “Hedy” Carlson and who Allison, much to her own inner astonishment I’m sure, finds herself quickly befriending and so she decides to take her on as her new roommate rather than the person that she was only mere minutes away from doing. Yet whereas in a lot of other stories we would see that this would mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship that would see these 2 single gal pals pull a Laverne & Shirley and get caught up in some misadventures while trying to find romance I’m afraid this isn’t that kind of movie. I say this because it isn’t long before Allie starts to notice there might be something….off about her new friend/roomie. As for if there is or not to say nothing of the impact that this has on our heroine and some of the other people in her life however…..I think I’ll let you see for yourself.
Now right off, it should be said that in terms of the work done by the various units operating behind the camera, this particular slice of cinema might in some ways be a mixed bag, but it still manages to prove fairly effective all the same. Without any doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done from the director’s chair by Barbet Schroeder (1987’s Barfly, 1995’s Kiss of Death, and 2002’s Murder by Numbers among others) and this isn’t that bad of an effort. Indeed there are a couple of elements on display here which Schroeder manages to achieve fairly well. The first is that Schroeder is able to give us a roster of characters that are a tad bit more three-dimensional and nuanced than you might see in a slice of cinema like this. As a result, the film really permits us as an audience the opportunity to view them as people much like you or I even if some of them still do things that are, if we’re being completely honest, fairly lecherous and/or despicable. Along with that, Schroeder also does a terrific job of really making this very much a slow-burn type story rather than one where all the chills and suspense is taken out of the equation either too early or too late in the game as it were. As a result, not only is the film (despite some of the more ludicrous moments in the story) one that does a fairly skilled job of effectively conjuring up an atmosphere of tension and dread right from the word go, but it then manages to continue to tighten the screws ever so slightly as the film goes thus leaving you continuously on edge as to where things are going to go next. Besides the fairly solid work by Schroeder at the helm, this slice of cinema also gives undeniably skilled work done by Luciano Tovoli (Titus from 1999, the take of Suspiria from 1977, and most of Schroeder’s filmography) in the cinematography department. Indeed through the masterful utilization of such elements as light and shadows, we see that Tovoli is able to do a terrific job of conjuring up an equal parts haunting and riveting atmosphere that brilliantly reinforces the psychologically thrilling components to this movie while also making it one that is fairly engaging from a visual perspective as well respectively. Lastly, I feel like this section would most assuredly be lacking if I didn’t take some time in it to talk about the work done by the iconic Howard Shore (the Lord of the Rings trilogy, 2006’s The Departed, and the 2005 take on King Kong to name a few) on the score for this slice of cinema. Indeed Shore’s score here manages to do an incredibly effectively job of both aiding the aforementioned spine-tingling atmosphere on display pretty much throughout the film right from the first frame while also managing to be truly ominous in its own right. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account a decent screenplay as penned by Don Roos (Bounce from 2000, 1995’s Boys on the Side, and of all things Marley & Me from 2008) plus not-bad work from the editing department as headed by Lee Percy (Re-Animator, Year of the Gun from 1991, and 2005’s The Ice Harvest) to name a few, it’s clear that the script might veer at points into gloriously absurd territory, but thankfully (by and large) the work done behind the camera does what it can to keep things taut all the same.
Alongside the fairly effective work done by the various units operating behind the camera, this slice of suspenseful cinema also benefits from a collection of equally as fairly solid performances in front of the camera by a game and well-chosen cast of talent even if the fair majority of them are playing archetypes we’ve seen a million times before in movies much like this one. Without a doubt, this starts with the work done by Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown, A Simple Plan, and the first Lake Placid) in the lead role and she isn’t that bad here. Indeed as Allie Jones, we see that Fonda does a really good job of giving us a character that is one who yes is worthy of our sympathy for what she has to endure during this movie and who is definitely a genuinely good person that is worth following as the film goes along. With that being said though, we also see that Fonda gives the character a degree of naivety that not only helps to distinguish the character to a degree and give her a degree of vulnerability, but also make her a bit of a tragic figure to an extent as well. Any way you look at it though, there is no denying that no matter how weird this movie gets (and trust me it does go to some rather absurd places), Fonda does a good job at making this character one that is both relatable to the movie goer as well as one that feels less like a fictious creation and more like a real person we might cross paths with on the street every day. Besides the solid work done by Fonda, she is matched incredibly well by the work done by Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hitcher and Fast Times at Ridgemont High) as Hedra Carlson. Indeed Leigh does a genuinely unsettling job here at giving us a character who might initially seem like a congenial and truly encouraging individual who cares about her new roomie/BFF’s wellbeing only to, as the film moves forward, proceed to slowly but surely shed that to reveal the truly dangerous and terrifying individual that she genuinely is on the inside. Indeed it’s that multifactedness to the character that not only make Leigh’s performance engaging here, but also make this character one of the more iconic antagonists for this particular subgenre of movie magic. Besides the impressive work done by Fonda and Leigh, this slice of cinema also gives us a fairly effective performance from Steven Weber (Dr. Dean Archer on Chicago Med) as Allie’s boyfriend Sam Rawson. Indeed this is a very tricky character to bring to life because yes this does call for a performer who can be undeniably charismatic, but he also needs to be able to have a dark side as well due to a choice or two the character makes during the story. Thankfully, Weber does a fairly solid job at fulfilling that and giving us a guy that we might never know quite what to make of, but who is nevertheless worth following in this story. Lastly, this section would be lacking if I didn’t take the time to talk about the work done by noteworthy character actor Stephen Tobolowsky as Allie’s employer Mitchell Myerson. Yes he might only have 30-35 minutes of screentime tops, but Tobolowsky does a solid job of portraying a fairly morally bankrupt and slimy individual who, in his own way, definitely adds to the unnerving and taut atmosphere that the film is enveloped in. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account not-bad work from such individuals as Peter Friedman, Frances Bay, Jessica Lundy, and Renee “Charlie and Emilio’s sister” Estevez among others it’s clear that while most of the characters in this are ones we can predict where they will wind up by film’s end, the performances by this cast still make them worth watching.
All in all and at the end of the day is Single White Female “92” a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Honestly no, but if you think so then, to quote Jeff Bridges, that’s like your opinion man (though at the same time it does also provide for a fair bit of concern about the kind of person you would be as a roommate to someone). With that in mind though, does that make this the worst slice of cinema in either its respective subgenre to say nothing of the undeniably creative people involved’s individual resumes? Thankfully, and happily, I can tell you that is not the case though if you are inclined to think that then I definitely am not about to go out of my way to recommend to you such “gems” as 1995’s Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, 1998’s Sour Grapes, 2017’s Amityville: The Awakening, and 2001’s Monkeybone to name but a few examples. All sarcasm aside though dear reader, I must admit that I do happen to enjoy this slice of cinema a fair bit. Yes, the story does go off the rails at points to such an extent that credibility is less stretched and more thrown out the window with no hesitation whatsoever, yes the characters are (by and large) ones that you can very much predict just where in the world their respective arcs are going to wind up by the time the movie has ended, and yes the same can also be said for the story once you get past the aforementioned credibility issues. With that being said though, the work done from the director’s chair is undeniably fairly skilled, the cinematography is very much on-point, the score is well-done, and the performances (with particular regard to the ones provided by Fonda and Leigh) aren’t that bad even with the degree of predictability in mind. Suffice it to say then that it might not be a flawless masterpiece in every way, but there is also no denying that in terms of entertaining rainy-day cinema Single White Female “92” is definitely one relatively suspenseful example of that which I feel you are sure to enjoy time and time again. Now if you’ll excuse me: my friend has told me he’s looking for a roommate himself and I most assuredly think that he needs to see this movie before he commits to that course of action for his life. Not that there aren’t good people out there, but honestly I would rather him be better safe than sorry…especially after seeing how this particular decision turned out for the main character here. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Single White Female “92” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
