Single White Female (1992) – Review

Whenever something comes along to stir up the public consciousness, you can always expect a simpler knock-off to follow in its wake to provide similar thrills in a trashier package. Thus, much like how Friday The 13th reworked Halloween into something simpler and more commercial, a slew of psychological thrillers emerged in the wake of Fatal Attraction that suggested that every move you make in modern day living will inevitably plonk you in the presence of a duplicitous murderer.
But while Adrian Lyne had some things to say about reaping that you sow in his steamy, slick, erotic thriller, the later variants just nailed you with trauma no matter what you did and arguably the most notorious was Single White Female. Directed by Barfly and Reversal Of Fortune’s Barbet Schroeder with that shiny veneer that 90s psycho-thrillers seemingly had to include by law, it become quite beloved in certain circles, but does it still have the same impact it once did when people like these could actually afford a gargantuan apartment in New York.

Allison Jones is a software designer who seems to be on the verge of a perfect existence. The revolutionary new program she’s created us being eyed by a fashion house owner who could bring in plenty more clients and she’s engaged to Sam Rawson, a man she apparently loves very much. However, when it’s revealed that Sam has slept with his ex-wife recently, a distraught Allie kicks him out and breaks off the engagement which leaves her in something of a bind when it comes to paying rent on her inexplicably cavernous apartment. Sticking an ad in the paper (pre-internet, remember), Allie interviews prospective room-mates and eventually settles on shy, little Hedra Carlson, whom she quickly nicknames “Hedy”.
Hedy may be soft spoken, but she’s seemingly empathic to Allie’s needs and while she gets a little overzealous at times (she buys them a puppy out of the blue), all this girl-time is exactly what the doctor ordered for a cheating ex. However, when Sam manages to win Allie back with the usual promises to change, Hedy’s demeanor noticably shifts and it’s not just down to the fact that she may soon have to move out. In fact, it soon becomes apparent to Allie that Hedy may have latched onto her via some kind of twisted need that’s all but confirmed when she gets her hair made up to look exactly like her flatmate.
With alarm bells starting to go off, Allie tries to find proof that Hedy isn’t quite playing with a full deck, but while she seeks to uncover her friend’s past, Hedy’s getting busy herself. Slowly targeting Allie’s other friends and Sam, Hedy seems to be trying to clear a path for her and Allie to be alone together, with no one else around to ruin the illusion and she’s seemingly willing to even resort to murder to get it.

I’ve never overtly been a fan if the 90s psycho-thriller craze that constantly stuck a deranged, high functioning lunatic in every aspect of modern life, be it a one night stand, a babysitter, or a first boyfriend – however, with Single White Female, there’s a feeling that the sub-genre managed to crystalise itself into it’s most marketable form despite the fact that the movie has aged about as well as a bottle of milk. However, while spotting the tropes is a major part of the fun when watching a movie from the early 90s, my issues have never been the usual clichés. My issue is with the fact that at the time, these types of movies were edging out horror movies in favour of “classier” material in the aftermath of Silence Of The Lambs, but while Jonathan Demme’s magnificent serial killer thriller dived deeply into horror tropes, films such as Single White Female were a bit too soft and slow for my liking.
It seems that even after all these years, my impatience for the sub-genre still holds true as watching Single White Female now, it seems less like a functioning movie and more like a succession of effective clichés and stereotypes bolted together to cover all the bases. It admittedly still holds together after all this time mostly due to the two main performances, but at the same time, a lot of the movie ends up being a bit too clunky and laughable to be seen as anything other as an amusing cult watch. For a start, it’s tough to bond with Bridget Fonda’s Allie predominantly because despite her complaints, she’s living an existence that any one of the Sex In The City girls would punch a nun for. Peerless fashion sense, gay best friend who’s a wannabe actor; dreamy fiancé who turns out to be a bed hopper; stylised job that laughably doesn’t resemble reality and flat that no single human being her age should be able to afford – she has it all, but obviously ot all turns out to be a house of cards once it’s revealed that Steven Weber’s smug fiancée is a bit of a cheater. Still, Fonda does well to keep Allie likable, although it also helps that the plot keeps dumping on her to keep her at her lowest ebb, such as enduring an instance of workplace sexual harassment by the guy who went on to play Ned in Groundhog Day.

Enter Jennifer Jason Leigh’s psycho in waiting, who latches onto her new roomie and gradually embeds herself in every part of her life and while Leigh is hardly required to give a nuanced portrayal of complex mental issues, behind the constant glaring and slurring of words when she get really mad, she manages to elevate what could have been an overly camp performance. The problem is that Hedy’s mission to become the centre of Allie’s world is so gradual, at times it starts to grate on the patience until you’re willing the petite antagonist to hurry up and fucking do something beyond passive aggressive mooching. Still, it’s worth noting that even though she racks up a fairly tidy body count, it’s interesting that almost all of her kills are born in the heat of the moment and aren’t coldly pre-planned like a Max Cady or a Mrs. Mott.
Obviously some parts work better than others. The erotic parts of SWF feel oddly awkward and a moment that sees Allie follow the secretive Hedy to an underground sex club (complete with “Sadeness” by Enigma blasting over their sound system) just feels out of place. But while this film features one of the most prominent scenes where a hidden shoe box contains all the photos and news clippings you need to get Hedy’s backstory (so 90s), there’s no doubting of the sharp intake of breath when Hedy reveals she’s gotten Allie’s exact bowl cut for her own. Now that’s crossing a line.

Still fairly effective for what it is, Single White Female takes an annoyingly long time to get to the point and despite the two leads putting in memorable work, there’s just too much dead space between Hedy’s acts of devotion. And yet, it’s still part of the public’s consciousness, so it’s obviously done something right when it comes to delivering a girl who literally slays.
🌟🌟🌟