Single White Female (1992)

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writers (WGA):

John Lutz (novel)
Don Roos (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Allie's new roommate is about to borrow a few things without asking. Her clothes. Her boyfriend. Her life.

Plot:

When a 'Single White Female' places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she's just left)...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Death | Puppy | Twins | Software

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bridget Fonda	...	Allison 'Allie' Jones
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Hedra 'Hedy' Carlson
Steven Weber	...	Sam Rawson
Peter Friedman	...	Graham Knox
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Mitch Myerson
Frances Bay	...	Elderly Neighbor
Michele Farr	...	Myerson's Assistant
Tara Karsian	...	Mannish Applicant
Christiana Capetillo	...	Exotic Applicant
Jessica Lundy	...	Talkative Applicant
Renée Estevez	...	Perfect Applicant (as Rene Estevez)
Tiffany Mataras	...	Twin
Krystle Mataras	...	Twin
Amelia Campbell	...	Check Cashier
Kenneth Tobey	...	Desk Clerk (as Ken Tobey)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for violence and language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/18 | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) | New Zealand:RP13 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To prepare for their fight to the finish scenes, both Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh took several self-defense lessons.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Allison is strangled in the elevator, there is a small hole in her shirt where she was shot a couple minutes earlier, but no bloodstain. However a few minutes later a bloodstain appears and her arm is fully functional to fight Hedy.

Quotes:

Hedra Carlson: [looking for Allison] Ally? Ally, come out of hiding now! I'm scared!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years: Marry Me (#1.17)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

TRIO SONATA IN C, RV 60

Oh but for the pandering to Hollywood endings...

Barbet Schroeder and especially photographer Luciano Tovoli are to be commended for attempting to bring a slick off beat thriller to mass release. Stuck in between "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and "The Hudsucker Proxy" Jennifer Jason Leigh turns in a solid performance and saves it from the clutches of Bridget Fonda (who was on her way to the inexcusable "Point of No Return" and struggling to find the talent she would display in her later films.) and the woeful Steven Weber. Unfortunately Leigh could not snatch the pen out Don Roos's hand and stop him from penning a typically ridiculous and cliche ending. SWF works all the way through until the last ten or fifteen minutes. At that point, you can no longer forgive Roos and to that matter Schroeder for their excesses. Unfortunately, it is the ending that reduces SWF to a level only slightly above stylized pap. Schroeder would again have this problem with "Desperate Measures", yet the man gave us "Barfly" so I guess we can give him some props for bringing style to the otherwise mundane.