Rish's Reviews
I know what you're going to say: Single White Female is a Thriller, not a horror movie!" Oh boy, is it time for that talk again? Sit down, son. You're mother and I have been thinking, and we've decided it's time for you to know some basics about life. First, there's no such thing as a Thriller. There's simply Horror and non-Horror. "Thriller" is just a word conservatives made up to justify seeing genre movies they normal frown upon. Secondly, whatever we say is a horror movie is, and that's that. Thirdly, you were adopted.
With that in mind, Single White Female isn't tremendously Horror-ific. It tells the story of a pretty young thing (Bridget Fonda) living in a posh New York apartment who breaks up with her boyfriend (Steven Weber) for your basic annoying girl reasons. Then, needing a roommate, she places an ad in the newspaper, and it's answered by what looks like the perfect girl: plain and timid Hedra (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The girls get along great at first, but before long, it becomes clear that one of them is a complete nutcase, obsessing about the other in a kind of smothering, dangerous way.
Whether it belongs on the Horror Film Compendium or not, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It was pretty well-written, had interesting character dynamics, and used neat lighting. I never saw it when it was initially released, but it must have been pretty successful, since I'd seen it parodied countless times. Bridget Fonda hasn't done a lot of roles I've liked her in, but she sure is button-cute. I've always liked Steven Weber, who is best known for his stint on "Wings," but is no stranger to Horror. Jennifer Jason Leigh is brilliant and multi-faceted (she's really one of our generation's less-appreciated actresses), who the filmmakers tried to make ugly, but didn't entirely succeed at (they also showed her naked a lot, which is a bit hypocritical, if you ask me). Bizarrely, both actresses get naked (especially surprising, since I pegged Fonda as a no nudity-type gal).
I'd Recommend It: To people interested in the premise, who haven't seen it already. I do have to recommend it, though, if only for the scene where a character is killed by a high-heeled shoe.