The Roommate, starring Leighton Meester (Country Strong, Gossip Girl) and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), explores the always-awkward experience of a college freshmen meeting her new dorm roommate for the first time. Only this roommate has ISSUES and an odd creeper/stalker obsessive relationship develops. For anyone that has ever had to room with a stranger, you understand the hope for a “cool” roommate with similar interests. The Roommate plays off of that hope/fear and runs with it! Unfortunately, the direction it quickly takes also eventually leads to the same place that movies like Skyline, Machete, and Splice belong….the discount movie bin at your local discount retail store.
First off, allow me to give credit to Leighton Meester for taking on a different role. Especially so quickly after her performance in Country Strong. While her acting skills still need sharpening, she very convincingly portrays the creepy roommate in this movie. Rebecca (Meester) is the obsessive psychotic roommate whose obsession with her new roommate from out of town, Sara (Kelly), quickly takes a trip down “Violent Avenue.” A word that consistently was uttered between myself and my friend Agent D as we watched this film was: Creeper!!
The Roommate follows the new college experiences of Sara Matthews. Having moved to southern California from Des Moines, Iowa for her first semester in college, she finds it rather easy to acclimate with new friends and environments. Only, once she meets her new roommate, things start to change. Sara soon finds herself battling the signs that are right in front of her that something is dead wrong (pun intended) with her roommate. Her inherent small-town girl unsuspecting belief that there is good in everyone soon begins to subside as Rebecca becomes more clingy and odd. Everything that you already think about this movie without even watching it is pretty much true. The acting is bad, the story is bad, etc. The one thing that was fun to watch was the audience! (??) As each little quick Shock-and-Scare moment came, I did not hold back my laughter as girls screamed and jumped! Go to the movie and watch the people!
I wish that I could say more about this film in a good sense, but only bad comes to mind. As expected, character development is lacking, predictability is high, unnecessary characters abound, certain background stories are forced and rushed, and the movie unbelievably drags. The ONE good thing about this film…is how believable Meester is as a “Crazy College Creeper Coed!” Surprisingly enough. (and that’s not saying much for this film).
I’m sad to realize that this movie won the box office last weekend….REALLY?? really? Skip this one. Don’t even RedBox it! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Thanks for reading!
Enjoy if you wish…or don’t enjoy! Happy Watching!
–TheSp1der’s Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars for “The Roommate”
up next: Review for Just Go With It and The Weekend Wrap!
thefocusedfilmographer.wordpress.com 