Single White Female (1992)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writers (WGA):

John Lutz (novel)
Don Roos (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Allie's new roommate is about to borrow a few things without asking. Her clothes. Her boyfriend. Her life.

Plot:

When a 'Single White Female' places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she's just left)...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Death | Puppy | Twins | Software

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bridget Fonda	...	Allison 'Allie' Jones
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Hedra 'Hedy' Carlson
Steven Weber	...	Sam Rawson
Peter Friedman	...	Graham Knox
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Mitch Myerson
Frances Bay	...	Elderly Neighbor
Michele Farr	...	Myerson's Assistant
Tara Karsian	...	Mannish Applicant
Christiana Capetillo	...	Exotic Applicant
Jessica Lundy	...	Talkative Applicant
Renée Estevez	...	Perfect Applicant (as Rene Estevez)
Tiffany Mataras	...	Twin
Krystle Mataras	...	Twin
Amelia Campbell	...	Check Cashier
Kenneth Tobey	...	Desk Clerk (as Ken Tobey)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for violence and language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/18 | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) | New Zealand:RP13 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Like most old apartment buildings the building in this movie does not contain a floor 13. You can see the floor numbers on the elevator in a couple shots.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Apparently, the huge NY apartment complex where Allie lives has only four tenants: Allie, Graham, the landlord and the neighbor who brought the landlord down to open Allie's door when she turned the TV up too loud as a call for help after Hedy had tied her up. Gunshots, broken items thrown about, violent struggles - all were not loud enough for the one neighbor to complain, but they do complain about a rock music video. No other tenants are seen in this highly desirable section of the city in which to live, and the building looks all but abandoned. Additionally, the ventilation system that Graham (Allie's upstairs neighbor) pointed out carried sound so well did nothing to alert other neighbors that perhaps somebody should call the police.

Quotes:

Hedra Carlson: You know, identical twins are never really identical. There is always one that is prettier, and the other one does all the work.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La donna lupo (1999)

Soundtrack:

RHYTHM OF TIME

Good Back In '92, But Lost Its Shock Value

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

This interesting story was quite a topic of conversation when it came out 15 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 anybody pure. The movie shows several scenes of her having sex with her boyfriend. This actress isn't shy, either.

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. It's good for one viewing.