I first saw Single White Female (1992) in the theaters when it was new. I liked it okay but at the time didn't think it was all that significant.

And yet, while some films are hard to recall even one week after watching, this one kind of lingered across the years. And I've also seen it referenced, whether consciously or unconsciously, in other films since, so it's been influential.

Allison (Bridget Fonda) needed a roommate & settled on Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who seemed likely to be a quiet & unthreatening choice. But day by day, Hedy like some chameleon is becoming more & more like Allison in appearance & behavior, until it's clear she is usurping Allison's life.

In the vanguard of "stolen identity" films, it builds to a slasher crescendo, yet remains somehow a decent psychological thriller rather than merely a psycho killer movie. The central performances are dead-on successful.

If there is any flaw in it for my tastes, it's too real. It's a little hard to laugh it off afterward. I mean, I had a roommate once who always left a slimy ring in the tub, & I thought that was unbearable.

copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl