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Suspenseful, But Better Back In '92

Here's another film I really enjoyed on the first viewing but lost its impact on subsequent viewings.

This interesting story was quite a topic of conversation when it came out 17 years ago. By now, it's probably considered fairly tame, and nothing that shocking or special. Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh star with Leigh getting the juicier role as the wacko, "Hedy Carlson." Character studies of people like her are usually entertaining. Leigh has made a career of playing totally immoral women. She also shows a lot of skin in this movie, something else she likes to do in her films.

Fonda's character, "Allie Jones," is no Mary Poppins, either, or should I say Fonda isn't exactly Shirley Temple. The movie shows several scenes of her having sex with her boyfriend.

The movie starts building its suspense about halfway through when Leigh - the roommate and admirer of Fonda - begins to lose her girlfriend to that guy....and decides to do something about it.

There really isn't a lot of violence in this movie, mainly just at the end. It's a good suspense movie, though, which builds and builds. Tha's why I gave it four stars because it does keep your attention, big-time, if you've never seen this movie.

A pretty good movie.

Bridget Fonda and J.J. Leigh are roommates but Jennifer is a psychotic weirdo who not only wants Bridget's tampons but her life.IT's a good movie and I enjoy watching it.If there's nothing new or good to rent get Single White Female. You'll be suprised how good Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bridget Fonda mix.

Oh, behave!

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.

Apartment Less Than Zero

I finally seen this with my own eyes. What a missed opportunity. If their intention was to remake "Apartment Zero" with two females in the lead, they failed miserably. They missed the point of the original,totally. Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh are very good but the movie isn't. I lost patience with the convoluted phony attempt to capture my attention within the first 15 minutes of the film.. I'd seen it all before. I felt treated like an idiot. There is no psychological road to follow because the characters are replicates from better movies, they don't have a life of their own and as a consequence, I didn't care. By the way, where are Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh? I haven't seen them in a long time and I think they are wonderful - in other movies that is.

A "cut" above

This movie starts off as one kind of movie, but soon evolves into a "slasher flick" that delivers a real punch. Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance is the star of the film, as she moves from sweet, shy small-town girl in the big city to big league slasher. The fact that most of the violence is telegraphed is a plus, as the creepy dread builds and builds. Well worth your time.I just saw this movie in July of 2006; long enough after release for any memories of the movie's PR efforts to be not even a distant memory, so I had no expectations. Strong performances by all those with significant roles were still more to enjoy.

Grusome and pointless

This film did have one permanent effect on my life. It made me never want to live with anyone ever. Fortunetly the feeling was fleeting-and so was this movie. Absolutely awful from start to finish and while I concede that Jason and Fonda are both great acctresses(Rush, best little girl in the world for Jason) (Point of no return for fonda), why these fine actresses would star in a movie like this is beyond me.This movie is about 2 roomates, one of coarse becomes obsessed with the other. Really creepy but falls to the typical horror cliche in exchanging good movie making for blood and gore. Another one that COULD have been marvelous, it certainly had the right cast.This movie should have based it's fear factor on psychological horror, in the form of Silence of the Lambs which doesn't show much gore but still manages to be reeally scary! I laso think this movie rips off other good horrors such as "Fatal attraction".I would never see this movie again and am sorry I saw it in the first place. Just a poor substitute for a great thriller.

Unusually good, a solid addition to the genre, but not without flaws

The "stranger comes into main characters' life, screws everything up and then tries to kill them" sub-genre of the thriller genre is(or was, in the early 90's) popular, and this addition to it might, at first glance, seem like it's every bit as shallow and predictable as the next one. However, it deserves a closer look, since on closer inspection, it displays a very accurate and credible psychological portrayal of the villain, some top-notch acting and some pretty good cinematography. The plot is fairly standard for the genre, as are the twists. No real surprises here. The pacing is quite good; the film is never truly boring. The visuals are nice, but not really anything exceptional. The acting is quite impressive... everyone gives in a credible performance. The real force of this film, however, is the incredibly psychologically accurate behavior and presentation of the villain. Every action of hers, every train of thought was entirely psychologically accurate, as far as I could tell(through my new-found love for and somewhat sparsely educated experience in psychology). The film has some very direct and revealing scenes of nudity and sex. They aren't exactly explicit(we're not talking soft-core here), but they don't leave that much to the imagination, either. Definitely not for the faint of heart or the easily offended(though I've never understood why someone could be offended by something as natural as nudity). Then there's of course the lesser parts of this film... notice how everything I've written up to this point has been either positive or neutral? Well, that's about to change. The death scenes are more than unusually unrealistic, and they pretty much lose any shock effect because of this. The film is littered with the same usual clichés that plague the other films of the genre. In the end, the film doesn't really hold any surprises to fans of the sub-genre. The old saying is pretty much true, even in the case of this film... "If you've seen one, you've seen them all." All in all, better than most of this type of film, but still far from perfect. I recommend it to fans of the genre, the actors or skin-flicks(since there is a fair bit of skin in the film by the three leads). 7/10

Single White Female

It was in geat shape when I recieved this product. It was a gift for a friend

Not bad, for the early 90's...

if you compare what other fare was offered to the audience, in the way of suspense/psycho films. Also, Jennifer Jason Leigh is always interesting to watch, she adds depth to an otherwise one-dimensional character.Bridget Fonda is also good, as Allison Jones, a NY designer on her way up, (there is an amusing scene with Stephen Tobolowsky as her sleazy client). It is a bit hard to believe the square footage of the NY apartment however, for two young single girls to be renting something that size. Also, some scenes reminded me of Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby"; the laundry room, the storage area, etc.Steven Weber is the faithless fiancé, with whom Fonda has a falling-out, and then Hedy (Jason Leigh) decides he is fair game. She has a psychological disorder, apparently lost her twin sister at a young age, and has never recovered.The usual psychodrama ensues. Fonda's upstairs neighbor, Graham, attempts to help her, advises her to get Hedy to leave the apartment. One scene which is quite odd is where Allison follows Hedy to a bar, there is some inference to "S and M" type behavior, but this is not developed. Strange.Worth watching for Jason Leigh's performance, or if you like Bridget Fonda. Not the best thriller- If you want something truly psychologically frightening rent Polanski's "Repulsion", starring Catherine Deneuve.

Jennifer Jason Leigh steals the show.

I first saw this in the cinema many years ago and enjoyed it enough to buy it when it came out on video. While I don't rate it as highly as when I first saw it I still think it is a good film, mainly due to the quality of the two lead actresses, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh who seems to be excellent in everything I've seen her in.Bridget Fonda plays Allison Jones who learns that her fiancé has cheated on her with his ex-wife. She ends the relationship but doesn't want to live alone so puts an advert in the newspaper for a flatmate. Out of the applicants she chooses Hedra 'Hedy' Carlson a mousy girl played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, at first she seems like the ideal choice but things start to go wrong when it appears that Allie and her fiancé are getting back together. Hedy is determined to keep them apart, at the same time she starts to dress like Allie and even changes her hair style and colour to match. Things soon spiral out of control leading to a violent confrontation between Allie and Hedy. There is also a sub-plot about Allie's work involving a client who sexually harasses her then fails to pay for her services.Even though I ticked the "Contains Spoilers" box I have tried to keep them to a minimum as a thriller won't be very thrilling if you know too much. As mentioned before, the acting is good and the plot is fairly plausible till the climax when it becomes a fairly standard confrontation between the two protagonists. There isn't too much violence and what there is isn't all that graphic, there is however a fair amount of sexual content and nudity which I suppose some viewers might feel uncomfortable with.

Total .....

I Admit Ive Seen A Lot Worse, But This Movie Was Very Bad, It's Sick, Depresing, Disturbing, And Just Plain Stupid, With Very Wooden Performances And Predicible Endings. Although There's One Funny Scene Where Fonda Is With That Bald Guy (Steven, I Think), And She Slams Him In The Crotch When Steven Tries To Put The Moves On Her, I Laughed A Little, Then I Relized What I Watching And Went Back To Sleep

Don't Make The Same Mistake I Did, DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE !

This is REALLY good.

When Allison Jones splits up with her boyfriend, Sam, she places an add in the newspaper looking for a new roommate. The ad reads 'Single White Female'. After meeting a few applicants, Allison is not to keen on them. Until, she meets Heddie Carlson, a young woman about the same age as her, who's looking for a place to stay. When Allison offers her the room, Heddie agrees and they move in together. What Allison doesn't know about is Heddies secret haunted past. Now, before Heddie moves in, she asks Allison specifically if she has any plans to get back together with Sam. Allison tells her no. After, a few weeks everything is going well, until Allison gets back together with Sam. Heddie doesn't really mind that much at first, until Allison asks Heddie to move out, so Sam can move back in. Now, didn't Allison tell Heddie that this wouldn't happen. Yes, of course she did. Well, anyway, things get even worse when Heddie starts copying Allison, by wearing the same the clothes as her and by even getting the same hairstyle as her. The final straw occurs when Heddie resorts to killing people and even trying to kill Allison. Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh are both brilliant in there roles. They were perfectly cast here.Single White Female is a really good exciting thriller with loads of suspense. I'd recommend Single White Female to anyone who likes a good thriller. I give this movie a 9/10.

Better than todays thrillers.

I saw this movie in theater in 1992 and remember it being very entertaining and somewhat racy. Fourteen years later the film holds up well to the test of time. A major difference is in the level of nudity between this film and the thrillers of today. Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh are hot! lets see them naked and often. Barbet schroeder understands this, and we see them both naked from the onset of the film. The story and acting develop well, the dialog is well written and the camera work is adequate. Jennifer Jason Leigh steals the show in this film, she does a superb job handling the transition in the character of Heddy with her body language and shyness into the transition of a sexually charged woman, who is assertive and obviously losing her grip on reality. She takes more risks and becomes bold and violent. Overall much better and more entertaining than any of the crap you will find being made today in Hollywood. Don't expect Shakespeare and just enjoy the ride.

Well Made, Sensual Thriller

This was a very impressive movie that I had somehow missed over the years. It features a simple story line (which makes it very easy to enter into) in which Allison (Bridget Fonda), having broken up with her boyfriend (Sam Rawson) places an ad in the personals for a roommate, and ends up with Hedra (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Everything works well for a while and Hedra seems to be the perfect friend, until it becomes clear that she is becoming obsessed with Allison, an obsession that turns dangerous when Allison and her boyfriend reconcile, and the three of them end up living together.Hedra was an interesting character. The point of her obsession wasn't clear to me, however. On the one hand she seemed to be using Allison to fill a void for a long lost sister; on the other hand there clearly was a sexual interest for Allison as well, brought out delicately but obviously by director Barbet Schroeder. There was never anything overtly physical between the two (except for one kiss, which needs to be seen in its context to be truly understood) but it's clear that Hedra is interested. Was she looking for a sister or a lover? We see examples of Hedra's bizarre sexual desires as Allison follows her to a sex club where (virtually disguised as Allison) Hedra enjoys - well, I'm not sure; could have been anything from the looks of it. This mistaken identity theme becomes the key to the movie as the story progresses.It's at times violent, but even the violence isn't gratuitous. It's a very good movie. The only fault in my opinion is what I thought were somewhat mechanical performances from Fonda and Leigh. They were fine in their roles, but I really thought they lacked a bit of passion that could have made a very good movie even better. Still, this movie is at least a 7/10.

lurrrv this guilty pleasure

dang i love this movie. Most people single out Jennifer Jason Leigh's sinister, neurotic performance but Bridget Fonda had me climbing out of the sofa with anxiety. She's fragile, trying to make it work in the big city, and just this side of a nervous breakdown. Will she be strong enough to withstand her lecherous boss, two-timing boyfriend, and JJL's psychic onslaught? There is an awesome song by Vangelis/Chrissie Hynde. There is a Front 242 song, played at the appropriate volume Front 242 songs should be played at. There is a song by Enigma.Just a lot of neat touches on the edges of this very early 90's, very delicious two-character-showdown of a movie.

Starts promising....

Single White Female starts with a lot of promise and then slowly turns into a cliche. This film seemed long to me, longer than the actual running time of 107 minutes. I didn't care much for the acting in the film, although I did like Bridget Fonda in this film. The movie had me going for 45 minutes, then let me go to another place. I just didn't find it very interesting.

A potentially good film spoiled by a lousy last part -- too long.

What a good film this could have been - if not for the painfully drawn-out ending! Both women give good performances - and Jennifer Jason Lee, who steals Alison's (Alison, played by Bridget Fonda) "identity" is eerily good.The film's strength lies i its beginning and middle, where understatement is the key, and Jennife Jason Leigh's transformation into her "heroine" or "idol" is well done.However, the film spoils all this by leaning towards silly melodrama and drawn out "fighting scenes" (badly put together at that) which are reminiscent of B-grade movies; it's a pity because what could have been a good psychological thriller compromises itself as it appeals to the LCD at the end.

The evil twin

It's a psychotic thriller about loss, human fragility and the twisted games that could come out of a disturbed mind.It all begins when Allison Jones (played by Brigit Fonda) rents a room in her apartment, after breaking up with her boyfriend, to a girl called Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), someone she didn't know. In the beginning everything was being OK but suddenly she starts finding out some strange things about her... and the troubles begin...This thriller has some good suspense scenes and a nice plot, but I was expecting a little more of it. I had already seen it some years ago, and at that time I did like it, as I did now, but it seemed to be a little better at that first time. Today I enjoyed it but found it nothing special, nothing too much above average; especially if we take count on its final disclosure. I think it could have been much better.I was thinking score it 7/10, mainly because of the plot, but after remember that standard and unsatisfying ending I can't score it more than a 6/10.

A truly terrifying shocker

I was watching "FearDotCom" tonight (which, for at least the first 30 minutes, is nowhere NEAR as bad as some people make it out to be), but the disk was all scratched up, and it stopped working. However, I was really in the mood for a scary movie, so I put in the next best thing. I had seen "Single White Female" a few times before, and I thought it was a decent thriller. Tonight I was scared out of my mind.I guess I had to be in the right mood.Like the best thrillers, the story is simple. Allison Jones (Bridget Fonda) has just broken up with her boyfriend Sam Rawson (Steven Weber), and is looking for a new roommate. She picks Hedra "Hedy" Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who seems like the perfect roommate. She's shy, but sweet. Things go great, but when Allison and Sam get back together, things start to go wrong."Single White Female" is like Roman Polanski crossed with Alfred Hitchcock. Director Barbet Schroeder takes the styles of both filmmakers and mixes them into a style that is both a homage and something original. It's hard to explain, but whatever it is, it works. Schroeder makes good use of the space he is given. About 90% of the film takes place in an apartment, and Schroeder takes advantage of it. At times, particularly toward the beginning, the apartment seems huge and daunting. But as the movie goes on, the apartment seems small and claustrophobic.Schroeder clearly knows how to make a thriller. Everything plays out like clockwork; things start out slow and calm as we get introduced to the characters, but little by little, things start changing, and the tension begins to grow.In a movie like this, acting is the most important part of the film. According to IMDb, Bridget Fonda was given the opportunity to play either Allison or Hedy, but chose to play the former because it was harder. I can hardly imagine her playing Hedy, but who knows? However, she is solid as the heroine. While the part isn't the most interesting in the film, Fonda does what she can. Her best scenes are when she's selling her fashion designing program. In these scenes she is very compelling as a professional New Yorker. Other noteworthy scenes are when she's acting sort of like a big sister and a mother at the same time (I won't get more detailed than that).Most surprising is Stephen Tobolowsky as the man who buys Allie's program. Known mainly for playing terminally geeky guys, Tobolowsky does a complete 180 and plays a complete jerk. His performance is a complete blindside because it's so effective. Less impressive is Steven Weber as Sam, though admittedly he doesn't have much to work with, and he does get better as the movie goes on. Peter Friedman is good as the gay neighbor upstairs, but again, he's not around much.The real scene stealer is Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's about as creepy as Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs," if not more so (on that note, if he won an Oscar for that role, then why wasn't Leigh even NOMINATED for this one?). A role like that of Hedra Carlson is an actor's dream job (or if they're only in movies because of tabloid saturation, it would probably be their worst nightmare). It's a well-developed role, but it leaves a lot open to the interpretation of the actor. Mannerisms, facial expressions, vocalizations, and all the little subtleties can make this role unique and effective, and Leigh clearly had a ball developing her character. It isn't so much what she says or does that makes Hedra so frightening, it's how she says or does it.The film doesn't do everything right. For most of the movie, the rise in tension goes steadily, but at one point it makes a huge leap, and it sticks out like a sore thumb (though this was done probably in the interests of keeping the film's time short enough, so one can't entirely find the film at fault, though Schroeder could have made it seem less jarring). Additionally, one of the twists at the end doesn't work, but you'll be so scared anyway that it really doesn't matter (that and Schroeder doesn't do anything with it). Finally, the final moment of the climax is hopelessly over-the-top.Still, if you want a good thriller, "Single White Female" is the way to go.

Pretty Good Slasher Movie

I agree with Roger Ebert that you have to judge movies by what the filmmakers want the movie to be, not what you would have liked for them to do. That is, if you don't like a certain type of movie, well, then don't watch them. If you do watch them, judge them on their own merits. That said Single White Female does a good job in the 'slasher' genre.The protagonist is recently jilted Bridget Fonda who needs to find a new roommate now that she's dumped her two-timing fiancée. She ends up with Jennifer Jason Leigh, a psychopath. Of course Ms. Fonda doesn't know this right away, but as she slowly patches up her relationship with the guy, Ms. Leigh begins to go over the deep end.The movie is very formulaic in a 1980s kind of way. The set characters are all present; the understanding gay neighbor, the not-understanding fiancée, the lecherous, predatory boss. And the final 30 minutes are so boilerplate its almost sad.Nonetheless this is one of the better of the genre, so if this is your cup of tea, go for it.