Known for her role as Blair Waldorf Queen Bee of the CW’s hit series “Gossip Girl Leighton Meester tries her hand at playing a different type of control freak in the cinematic thriller, The Roommate.”
The movie which hit theaters Feb. 4 stars Meester as the obsessive and mentally unstable Rebecca roommate to the sweet Sarah Matthews played by Minka Kelly. Meester took some time to talk to the Graphic about the upcoming film.
“I think it’s an interesting subject that this movie touches on Meester said. You go to college you’re without your parents for the first time and you’re paired up with someone who is literally going to be in your space 24 hours a day and has a lot of access to you.”
“Everyone’s probably at one point had a friend that is a little bit too needy or too nosy or sort of feeling like they have a right to your business and your clothes and your belongings or whatever Meester continued.
She makes a valid point. The Roommate although hyperbolized, takes a page straight out of normal college life — that of living with a complete stranger, your new roommate. This subject matter is especially relevant today because attending college has become such a cultural norm. So, how could Hollywood not take advantage of this idea?
The film follows Kelly’s character, Sarah, as she moves into her dorm (coincidentally at the fictional University of Los Angeles), assimilates into college life with a roommate. Cue Meester’s Rebecca: Externally she is an introverted, overall nice girl who also manages to ooze a weird vibe that should have been a warning to Sarah of events to come.
Instincts always prevail — at least if you’re the audience. Sarah doesn’t really pick up on the obvious signs, which is a good thing because then there really wouldn’t be a film. Rebecca becomes obsessed with Sarah and sadly for everyone in contact with Sarah, Rebecca knows no bounds. Pieces fall into place as the movie progresses and you learn that Rebecca has a very intense mental illness. Worst nightmare ever.
Meester does a great job at portraying the deranged Rebecca. It’s a dark, intensely complicated role and she manages to pull it off well. She creates a character that seems realistic, even if Rebecca is not exactly relatable.
The character’s facial expressions are especially important and Meester does a great job at translating Rebecca’s conflicting, psychotic emotions to scenes. It’s subtle, but if you really watch her, Rebecca is incredibly creepy. She does a great job terrorizing Sara and the other characters and gives the film some truly cringe-worthy moments.
As much as Meester did a solid job as the psychotic Rebecca, she wasn’t able to hold up the movie single-handedly.
The movie is like a walking commercial for all the CW’s television shows. Aly Michalka from Hellcats Nina Dobrev and Katerina Graham from Vampire Diaries Danneel Harris from One Tree Hill Matt Lanter from 90210″ and of course Leighton Meester from “Gossip Girl.” There were so many up-and-coming actors in the film who popped in and out that it was mildly distracting. With the exception of Meester most of the their acting was sub-par.
Kelly was decent but often times her performance was overshadowed by her cliché romance subplot with a frat boy played by Cam Gigandet. The dramatic irony helped fuel her performance especially when she begins to piece together the clues she finds in regards to Rebecca’s craziness.
Unfortunately the movie is rather bland. It’s classified as a thriller but honestly there wasn’t too much thrill. It’s tame even though the subject of the movie had so much potential to be really exciting and startling. There are some good cringe-worthy moments that Meester executes wonderfully but they are few and far between.
“The Roommate” won’t exactly have you worrying about your roommate’s mental health with its lack of thrill but it’s not a horrible movie. It’s an interesting subject with a young good-looking cast. But if you don’t see it in theaters you’re not missing much. It’ll come out on DVD soon enough if you’re that torn about missing it.