I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)

Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 60s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to ... See full summary »

Director:

Mary Harron

Writers:

Jeremiah Newton (book), Diane Tucker (research)

Stars:

Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lili Taylor	...	Valerie Jean Solanas
Jared Harris	...	Andy Warhol
Martha Plimpton	...	Stevie
Lothaire Bluteau	...	Maurice Girodias
Anna Levine	...	Iris (as Anna Thomson)
Peter Friedman	...	Alan Burke
Tahnee Welch	...	Viva
Jamie Harrold	...	Jackie Curtis
Donovan Leitch Jr.	...	Gerard Malanga (as Donovan Leitch)
Michael Imperioli	...	Ondine
Reg Rogers	...	Paul Morrisey (as Reg Rodgers)
Bill Sage	...	Tom Baker
Jill Hennessy	...	Laura
Coco McPherson	...	Brigid Berlin
Myriam Cyr	...	Ultra Violet

Storyline

Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 60s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he continued to ignore her. So she shot him. This is Valerie's story.

---

Plot Keywords:

misandry | feminist | feminism | manifesto | hatred | 

---

Taglines:

You only get one shot at fame.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, language, drug use and brief violence

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ela Baleou Andy Warhol

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,814,290

Company Credits

Production Co:

Playhouse International Pictures, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, BBC Arena

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The filmmakers were given permission to reproduce some of Andy Warhol's paintings and silk screens for the set, but they had to destroy them after filming.

---

Goofs

There are a couple of shots during the party at The Factory in which the camera crew can be seen reflected in the Mylar balloons.

---

Quotes

Ondine: What the fuck is a gay bar? Can you tell me? What is that? As a homosexual, I will not go! I will not go to one! Why should I be segregated?
Fred Hughes: You're right, you should be isolated.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Mulholland Falls/Sunset Park/The Truth About Cats and Dogs/I Shot Andy Warhol/Wings of Courage (1996)

---

Soundtracks

Burned
Written by Neil Young
Performed by Wilco
Courtesy of Reprise Records

User Reviews

You got to go through a lot of sex to be ready for anti-sex.

When I first found this film I wasn't sure whom it was about. I recognized the name from the title, but I was pretty sure that it wasn't all going to be about Andy Warhol. I was perplexed and ready for yet another adventure down the path of our nation's undiscovered history. When I first started watching this movie I knew nothing about Valerie Solanas. She is not in the history books labeled next to Andy Warhol, or is she one that oozes sympathy. Solanas is a trash talking, independent thinker that somehow found herself next to one of the most modern men of our century, Andy Warhol.

Lili Taylor helms this unbridled beast Solanas like no actress I have seen before. I honestly felt as if Taylor had transformed herself into this brutal feminist. After the first ten minutes, I didn't even recognize Taylor because she had successfully transformed herself into this insane (?) character who carried this film on her shoulders. Taylor plays this woman who, for reasons unknown, constantly seeks Warhol's attention and approval. When Andy refuses to devote his entire attention to her, her mental stability begins to fail. In hopes to bring her back into the spotlight, and hopefully demonstrate to the world her manifesto, she does what the title of this film suggests. Sadly, this has the opposite effect and she is forced to live with the act that she committed instead of the words that she has written.

Taylor was phenomenal in this role. She stole the scene from everyone and was never afraid to take Solanas to the next level. Thankfully, she has some help from some amazing back-up stars to only help boost her performance. Jared Harris is superb as Andy (one of the best reincarnations of him) and Stephen Dorff blazes onto the scene as Candy Darling. Oscars should have been handed out for their parts in this film, but unfortunately this was yet another film the Academy ignored.

Outside of the acting, director Mary Harron does a fabulous job of setting the scene and building the image of this era. Warhol was a genius, and because of his fame and notoriety he somehow attracted some of the most interesting people in the world. This is one of those stories of a woman that wanted to attach herself to this great man, yet somehow couldn't. Harron directs these actors to show this with perfection. Her brash cinematography and direction seem to blend perfectly in this boiling pot of history. Her mix of documentary and biography genres works well in this film. She commands attention behind the camera, and her actors react with positive responses. This was a gritty story not for everyone's tastes. It was a very true story that is more than just Andy Warhol, but also develops themes of feminism and women's rights. Was Solanas crazy? I don't think so, I just think she was ahead of her time and not afraid to be herself.

Grade: ***** out of *****