The Roommate
| The Roommate | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Christian E. Christiansen |
| Produced by | Roy Lee Doug Davison Irene Yeung Sonny Mallhi |
| Written by | Sonny Mallhi |
| Starring | Leighton Meester Minka Kelly Cam Gigandet Aly Michalka Danneel Harris Katerina Graham Nina Dobrev Billy Zane |
| Music by | John Frizzell |
| Cinematography | Phil Parmet |
| Editing by | Randy Bricker |
| Studio | Vertigo Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Screen Gems |
| Release date(s) | February 4, 2011 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million[1] |
| Box office | $40,424,438 [2] |
The Roommate is a 2011 thriller film directed by Christian E. Christiansen and starring Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Cam Gigandet, Danneel Harris, Matt Lanter, and Aly Michalka. It was theatrically released on February 4, 2011. The film is an unofficial remake of the 1992 film Single White Female.
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[edit] Plot
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This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (April 2011) |
Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly) is starting her freshman year of college. She meets Tracy (Aly Michalka), Stephen (Cam Gigandet), her love interest, and Rebecca (Leighton Meester), her roommate. Initially, the girls begin to bond and Rebecca learns that Sara had an older sister, Emily, who died when Sara was 9. She has Emily's name tattooed on her body. She also has an ex-boyfriend, Jason (Matt Lanter), who keeps calling her to reconcile. As time goes on, Rebecca's obsession with Sara grows and she tries to drive away anyone who could come between them.
Rebecca attacks Tracy in the shower and threatens to kill her unless she stays away from Sara. Tracy, fearing for her life, moves to another dorm. Sara's friend Irene invites her to move in and when she tells Rebecca, Rebecca takes Sara's pet kitten, Cuddles, and puts him in the dryer, effectively killing him (offscreen). Rebecca lies to her and tells her that the kitten ran away. When Sara's philandering fashion design professor (Billy Zane) kisses her, Rebecca seduces him, while recording their dialogue on a tape recorder to make it look like he was assaulting her. Later Rebecca claims to have been attacked in order to gain the sympathy of Sara, in reality the wounds are self inflicted. Sara, feeling bad, decides to spend Thanksgiving with Rebecca and her family.
During her stay, Sara overhears a conversation between Rebecca and her father (Tomas Arana), hinting Rebecca has had trouble making friends in the past. Rebecca's mother (Frances Fisher) mentions Rebecca is supposed to be taking medication. Sara and Stephen later find a full bottle of Zyprexa pills. They find out it is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Irene (Danneel Harris), an old family friend of Sara's and who is also a lesbian, goes to a club and sees Rebecca and they kiss in the club's bathroom and, not knowing that she is Sara's roommate they go to Irene's place. The following morning Sara goes to Irene's place but she does not answer.
Rebecca gets Sara's sister's name tattooed in the same place on her body as Sara. Sara, shocked and upset, packs all her things, except her sister's necklace, which she can't find, and moves in with Stephen. Later, Stephen and Sara find Rebecca's sketchbook filled with sketches of Sara's images. Jason arrives at Sara's dorm and slips a note under her door, saying he wants to see her. Rebecca reads the note, poses as Sara with her sister's necklace, the tattoo, and her newly-dyed hair, and goes to Jason's hotel room. She stabs him to death with Sara's art knife.
Sara gets a text from her friend, Irene, saying she needs her right away. Sara informs Stephen she will be at Irene's place. When she gets there, she finds Irene held hostage by Rebecca with a pistol. Rebecca reveals that she was responsible for what happened to Tracy, the professor, Cuddles, and Jason and that she did it all to win Sara's friendship. When Sara apologizes, Rebecca forgives her but wants to kill Irene. Stephen arrives just in time to help stop Rebecca from pulling the trigger on Irene.
In the ongoing struggle, Stephen is knocked unconscious and Sara is left dangling out of the window. Although Rebecca pulls Sara back to safety, Sara reaches for the pistol to shoot Rebecca; however, the cartridge is empty. Enraged, Rebecca attacks Sara and attempts to strangle her. Sara stabs Rebecca with a boxcutter whispering "You were never my friend." Sara moves back into her dorm and moves the extra bed out of her room, proclaiming that she does not want a roommate for a while.
[edit] Cast
- Minka Kelly as Sara Matthews
- Leighton Meester as Rebecca Evans
- Cam Gigandet as Stephen
- Danneel Harris as Irene Crew
- Matt Lanter as Jason Tanner
- Aly Michalka as Tracy Morgan
- Katerina Graham as Kim
- Cherilyn Wilson as Landi Rham
- Jerrika Hinton as Shiana
- Ryan Doom as Rick Shaefer
- Elena Franklin as Jessica Smith
- Carrie Finklea as Marina Hudgens
- Billy Zane as Professor Roberts
- Frances Fisher as Alison Evans
- Tomas Arana as Jeff Evans
- Nina Dobrev as Maria
- Jennifer Cadena as Dorm R.A.
- Lauren Storm as Maria's Girlfriend
- Evan Brown as Band Member
- Johannes Raassina as Band Member
- Cam Brousseau as Band Member
- Cindy Brunson as Reporter
- Ryan Doom as Rick the Gas Station attendant (uncredited)
[edit] Production
The film was shot on location at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.[3] Leighton Meester was originally set to play Sara but was replaced by Minka Kelly, then Meester took the role of Rebecca. Cam Gigandet and Alyson Michalka previously starred alongside each other in another Screen Gems film, Easy A. Nina Dobrev confirmed via Twitter that she filmed a scene, however the scene does not feature her with The Vampire Diaries castmate, Katerina Graham, who also co-stars in the film.[4] Billy Zane and Frances Fisher had both starred together in Titanic thirteen years earlier.
[edit] Release
The film was originally planned to be released on September 17, 2010,[5] but was moved to February 4, 2011.[6] The trailer can be seen with Devil and Burlesque.
[edit] Box Office
Opening in 2,534 theaters,[2] the film grossed $15.6 million its opening weekend to take first place at the box office. Its distributor estimated that females under the age of 21 accounted for two-thirds of its audience.[7] At the end of its run in 2011 the film grossed $37,300,107 in the United States and Canada and $3,192,652 in other countries for a worldwide total of $40,492,759.[8]
[edit] Reception
The Roommate was given almost universally negative reviews by critics; it is currently rated at 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 81 reviews with a consensus of it being "Devoid of chills, thrills, or even cheap titillation, The Roommate isn't even bad enough to be good."[9] CinemaScore polls indicated a "B−" rating from audiences.[10]
The film was originally rated R, but both Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester appealed with the film rating board not to and that they would change it in order to give it a PG-13 rating.
Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, saying it "is really just a far-below-par thriller that desperately wishes it were a different movie – a longing it shares with the audience," but praises Meester for bringing "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role. When she smiles, it's perfectly located between a sweet display of affection and a snarling warning." [11] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it a half star, stating that "The Roommate – the umpteenth uncredited remake of 1992's Single White Female – sucks bad, real bad" and that "Danish director Christian E. Christiansen has no flair for suspense".[12] Meester's performance garnered praise from other top critics, including the Los Angeles Times, which states: "Here her performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of." [13] Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert called Leighton Meester's character "A combination between Lindsay Lohan and Amy Fisher".
[edit] Home media
The Roommate was released on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and digital download in North America on May 17, 2011.[14]
[edit] Controversy
Some of the promotional posters and displays for the film used as its backdrop the Christy Administration Building from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. The college administration voiced concern that permission to use the photograph of the building was not properly obtained and is currently investigating the legality of its use.[15]
Primary concerns hinge that the image of the college (particularly the image of the building) could be damaged, while other concerns are that the college's primary iconic image is being used for promotion of an unrelated business venture.[16]
After initial success became realized when the film earned $15.6 million in receipts to top the box office during its debut weekend in the United States, concerns continued. By that time, the image of the building had been replaced on the film's official website and on subsequent promotional material. The photo of the building reportedly was licensed from iStockPhoto based in Calgary, Alberta. As of February 8, 2011, no lawsuits have been filed but discussions have taken place.[17]
Students at the school are reporting "mixed feelings" about the topic – some believe that it may be helpful for the college and others report that they can see how it may be harmful to the school's image.[18]
[edit] References
- ^ Fritz, Ben; Kaufman, Amy (February 3, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'The Roommate' and 'Sanctum' won't score on Super Bowl weekend". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/movie-projector-the-roommate-and-sanctum-wont-score-on-superbowl-weekend.html. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b "The Roommate (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=roommate10.htm. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ http://www.onlocationvacations.com/index.php?s=the+roommate
- ^ First Ever Look at Screen Gems' 'The Roommate', Hi-Res 'Priest' Teaser
- ^ "Priest and Roommate Release Date Changes". http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33912/priest-and-roomate-release-date-changes.
- ^ Sony Screen Gems' Major Date Shifts, 3D Maneuvers
- ^ "Roommate thriller tops US box office". BBC News. February 7, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12380374.
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=roommate10.htm
- ^ The Roommate at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Kaufman, Amy; Fritz, Ben (February 6, 2011). "Box office: 'Roommate' beats 'Sanctum' on slow Super Bowl weekend [Updated"]. Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/box-office-roommate-beats-sanctum-on-slow-super-bowl-weekend.html. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly – The Roommate Review
- ^ The Roommate Review – Rolling Stone
- ^ The Roommate: Movie Review – latimes.com
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Roommate-Minka-Kelly/dp/B002ZG99IG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301450133&sr=8-1
- ^ Twitchell, Allen (December 3, 2010). "Image of SC building on movie poster". The Winfield Daily Courier. http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2010/12/03/news/news/doc4cf932cdb33af858348853.txt. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ Hawkins, Korie (December 9, 2010). "Christy photo on movie poster causes concern". Southwestern College Student Media. http://scupdate.org/?p=5240. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ Twitchell, Allen (February 8, 2011). "Movie poster image remains a concern for SC administration". The Winfield Daily Courier. http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2011/02/08/news/news/doc4d5183cc7aa41324106218.txt. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ Andres, Craig (February 11, 2011). "Southwestern College unhappy with national movie poster (with video)". KSN TV 3. http://www.ksn.com/mostpopular/story/Southwestern-College-unhappy-with-national-movie/XvqmwuPHREOM_ZbKJZ7kgw.cspx. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
