The "crazy chick" sub-genre of thrillers is entertaining. It generally features a gal who seems normal at first ... but goes totally nuts by the end. Glenn Close perfected the genre with Fatal Attraction, and films such as The Crush, Swimfan, and Obsessed have done what they can to keep the genre going strong, but it was Single White Female that took it to another level by replacing the romantic relationship crazy with friendship crazy. The Roommate is essentially SWF for today's modern teenage audience. Though it is not nearly as good, it's surprisingly entertaining and delivers the crazy as promised.
Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly) arrives on the campus of the University of Los Angeles with high hopes and aspirations to be the next big thing in style and fashion. She's super excited to live in the dorms and to have a new roommate. What she gets is Rebecca (Leighton Meester), an artsy loner who becomes a little too obsessed with Sara to the point where creepy doesn't begin to describe it.
By taking one look at that synopsis, you know if you'll find this film enjoyable or not. A sweet innocent girl has a crazy roommate. What's not to like about that? Whether you've gone to college or not, chances are you've had a roommate, a housemate, or a friend at some point. Now imagine that person was absolutely out of their mind and completely obsessed with you. Sound scary? You betcha. Does it come off as scary in The Roommate? Well ... it has its moments.
Don't get me wrong, the movie itself isn't scary, but there's this feeling of anxious dread every time Meester is on the screen that's almost unbearable. There are no real boo-scares and it won't invoke nightmares, but the movie reaches respectable heights on the "creep-o-meter."
A solid script, intelligence, and more than just extremely pretty faces might be high on your list, but unfortunately, you're not going to find those here. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, as the characters are given enough juice to make you care about them (the roommates in question, anyway), the dialogue isn't as horrendous as it could have been, and the decisions that are made to keep the movie going aren't all that stupid or careless. And behind those pretty faces there are some decent performances, including Meester, who can do crazy just as well as any of her predecessors.
The casting definitely adds to the film's quasi-success. Meester and Kelly look like they could be the same person, and even the overhyped Cam Gigandet rocked the role as the boyfriend with charm, grace, and just the right amount of comic relief. No one involved will be recognized for their stellar acting abilities, but in the confines of this movie, everyone does a decent enough job .
The only real fault the film has is in its execution of the crazy. The character of Rebecca just isn't crazy enough. She doesn't take it too far in any direction, pulling back from being really psychotic to just your standard level of crazy. Because these films are a dime a dozen, they really needed to push the envelope to set it apart from all the rest, but instead they produced a "by the numbers" crazy chick who lives in a world of predictability. In other words, everything Meester does you see coming a mile away.
No one could ever accuse The Roommate of raising the cinematic bar, nor would anyone label it as being a "good movie," but there's no denying its entertainment value. In many ways it oozes into the "guilty pleasure" territory. Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly (not to mention Cam Gigandet) make for solid eye candy, easily enjoyed throughout. And when Meester lays down the crazy ... she really lays down the crazy. If that's all you're looking for, then The Roommate mostly delivers.
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