The Roommate

Screen Gems | Release Date: February 4, 2011

4.0	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 71 Ratings

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Forrestgump1Feb 14, 2011

"Tho The Grimace and premise make for an interesting story and minor "jumps & creeps" here and there. But With the lack of good performances and a predictable final scene Roommate proves to be one thing ... dumb , idiotic and extremely"Tho The Grimace and premise make for an interesting story and minor "jumps & creeps" here and there. But With the lack of good performances and a predictable final scene Roommate proves to be one thing ... dumb , idiotic and extremely unsatisfying" ... C-… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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slam_tasticFeb 9, 2011

There are millions of movies; over 8 million horrors; and I was stuck with this one. The roommate was a stereotypical college horror movie that had no surprises whatsoever or anything that exceeded expectation. The movie was extremelyThere are millions of movies; over 8 million horrors; and I was stuck with this one. The roommate was a stereotypical college horror movie that had no surprises whatsoever or anything that exceeded expectation. The movie was extremely predictable and you could of easily missed the entire first half of it and still pick it all up. It was a thriller that was just plain awful, but yet I couldn't look away.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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ShiiraFeb 11, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Single White Female" just turned eighteen, the age of an incoming college freshman. Now look what just came out of the woodworks. "The Roommate" has an animal slaying, a lecherous man who makes an unwanted pass at its heroine, and an unbalanced woman who tries to change herself into a doppleganger, similar to the perennial basic cable favorite. This familiar seeming story carries so many of the Barbet Schroeder film's traits, the moviegoer can only assume that the baby "S.W.F." is his. In "Single White Female", a computer consulting maven places an ad for a warm body to help occupy her rent-controlled apartment, a replacement for a philandering husband, and ends up with the roommate from hell. The ad read "professional preferred", not "murderess wanted". But there you go. With its two leads, Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the filmmaker took full advantage of the disparity in looks between the actresses, in which Fonda(a natural beauty by anybody's standards), as Allison Jones, teaches Hedra("Hedy" for short), played by Leigh(a modest-looking thespian not known for turning heads), how to dress, when the mismatched women go shopping, in what perhaps is the film's most pivotal scene. Moviegoers forget that "Single White Female" starts off as a femme version of "Pygmallion", before it turns into "Pygmallion On Her Own". Likewise, "The Roommate", starring Minka Jones, portraying the part of a hayseed fashion design student, takes it upon herself to reinvent the woman sharing proximal living space with her, but the woman she mentors, Leighton Messner, in a move that's somewhat detrimental to the film's internal logic, is as hot, or hotter than Jones, and probably doesn't need tips on sartorial matters, because her character, the self-possessed Rebecca, is a self-described "clotheshorse", privileged and snooty, who normally wouldn't be caught dead in the Iowa girl's vintage clothing. "The Roommate" takes a shortcut; it foregoes the "She's All That"-like process of transforming an ugly ducking into a swan, and presents Rebecca as a finished product. Being that the film is already formulaic and derivative, why be half-assed about its banality? Slap on some ungainly glasses and an array of self-defeating outfits on the blonde art major because it's easier to root for a dorky schizophrenic than a beautiful one. "The Roommate" fails to capture the best thing about "Single White Female", and that's how love, albeit a love riddled with disease, makes us want to be somebody else. Scarily, in Allison's case, that somebody Hedy wants to be, is her. Conversely, in "The Roommate", there may be a question as to who wants to be who, more. As Sarah eyeballs Rebecca's palatial estate, you hear the loaded girl downplaying her exorbitant wealth, which in turn, makes us hate the"modest" girl on a personal level, unlike Hedra, who remained sympathetic to the very end, in spite of her murderous shenanigans. Who is the alpha girl? Sarah loses her outright agency, she has a formidable opponent who is both rich and beautiful. Yes, the young woman is friendless, but that could be due in part to her entitled demeanor, a social defect that has nothing to do with her schizophrenia. For "The Roommate" to work, Rebecca needs to be the underdog. The poor little rich girl has no character arc. In "Single White Female", Hedra starts off as sane; she shows off an incorruptible side of her, the side untouched by madness, her true self, before the voices take over. The moviegoer understands why Allison takes a shine to the shy woman. On the other hand,"The Roommate" gives Messner one note to play, all bum ones, as the filmmaker conveys Rebecca's dark side, right off the bad, conveyed through lighting, which turns into an ongoing motif; her constant walking in shadows. Since we know that Rebecca is crazy from the outset, we wonder why Sarah doesn't see it too.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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MarcDoyleFeb 6, 2011

No, it's not a good movie, but it's not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be. It did clear something up for me, though. Minka Kelly can't pull off this kind of part. I love Friday Night Lights and thought she did a solid, minimalistNo, it's not a good movie, but it's not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be. It did clear something up for me, though. Minka Kelly can't pull off this kind of part. I love Friday Night Lights and thought she did a solid, minimalist job with her role as Lila Garrity. But that was just Minka. There apparently wasn't a ton of acting going on there. In a role like this one, in a movie like The Roommate, she needed to play it "bigger" than she did, and she comes off as an empty vessel as a result. A little boring. Meester isn't incredible in her role either, but at least she has fun with it. The movie just has a sterile feeling to it. And box-cutters? Are they really the new horror movie weapon of choice? And what's with the PG-13 rating?? That was the most depressing part as I walked into the theater. This kind of movie NEEDs to be Rated R.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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xXAnthonyXxFeb 11, 2011

Huh? Negative reviews? Why? This is a rip off of Single White Female or something like that. I saw a lot of comments exclaiming that it was a rip-off and after seeing it with my uncle and his wife with my mom, god, I wish I could have seenHuh? Negative reviews? Why? This is a rip off of Single White Female or something like that. I saw a lot of comments exclaiming that it was a rip-off and after seeing it with my uncle and his wife with my mom, god, I wish I could have seen something better than this worthless piece of film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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itm741Feb 6, 2011

A thriller the whole family can dislike. Why can't my review be less than 150 characters? WTF! What more can I say about this movie other than that it is boring, stupid and a waste of my time and money. Be sure to try to avoid getting draggedA thriller the whole family can dislike. Why can't my review be less than 150 characters? WTF! What more can I say about this movie other than that it is boring, stupid and a waste of my time and money. Be sure to try to avoid getting dragged to it like I did.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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morgulFeb 8, 2011

I was sorely tempted to ask for a refund of my ticket purchase after sitting through this abomination. My reason for asking would be to point out to the theater management that I had already seen Single White Female several years ago and II was sorely tempted to ask for a refund of my ticket purchase after sitting through this abomination. My reason for asking would be to point out to the theater management that I had already seen Single White Female several years ago and I paid for a ticket then. Single White Female was much better done in all respects. In addition, Minka Kelly looks as much like a college freshman as I do, and I graduated college more than 30 years ago.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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teddyjetsFeb 11, 2011

One word to describe this movie- Awful. One word to describe my experience in this movie - Suicidal. I wouldn't even call it a horror movie. The only thing that scared me about this movie was the realization during the movie that I can't getOne word to describe this movie- Awful. One word to describe my experience in this movie - Suicidal. I wouldn't even call it a horror movie. The only thing that scared me about this movie was the realization during the movie that I can't get back the 1.5 hrs that I wasted watching this film. My advice to Christian E. Christiansen, next time make it Rated R so it could be a little enjoyable and somewhat tolerable to watch.â… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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TetsuoAug 3, 2011

This is basically a rip-off of Single White Female. Not only is it predictible but also the actors looked bored, the script is lazy and it's not even scary at all.