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Single White Female poster

Single White Female

year 1992decade 90sdirector Barbet Schroedergenre Psychological thriller

108 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Bridget Fonda Allison "Allie" Jones
Jennifer Jason Leigh Hedra “Hedy” Carlson / Ellen Besch
Tiffany Mataras young Ellen in the film's opening sequence
Steven Weber Sam Rawson, Allie's fiancé
Peter Friedman Graham Knox
Stephen Tobolowsky Mitchell Myerson
Frances Bay Elderly Neighbor
Jessica Lundy Talkative Applicant
Renée Estevez Perfect Applicant
Ken Tobey Desk Clerk
Krystle Mataras Judy Besch, Ellen's twin sister

Single White Female | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathanhost Mallory Rubinproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduard Ocampoproducer Matt Pevic theme From Hell Month
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Most Rewatchable Scene

The shoe scene in which Hedy kills Sam is the unanimous winner after an extensive list of alternatives.

In the discussion (20)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:23Read transcript
  • The prospective-roommate montage is nominated for its intentionally comic parade of candidates.
  • Hedy catching Allie at a low moment, fixing the water, and earning her place in the apartment is discussed as a separate setup.
  • Hedy walking in on Allie using her earrings and perfume is nominated.
  • The early topless scene is nominated as a signal that the movie has few boundaries.
  • Hedy trying Allie’s earrings and sniffing her neck is nominated as a distinct violation.
  • Hedy bringing home Buddy without asking is nominated and criticized as bad puppy care.
  • The three-character family portrait is nominated as ominous foreshadowing.
  • Hedy’s anger when Allie returns after two days away is nominated.
  • Hedy kicking Buddy is discussed as a disturbing scene and later as something that aged poorly.
  • Allie and Sam’s chair sex is nominated.
  • Hedy’s masturbation followed by the breakfast-and-eggs scene is nominated; the discussion emphasizes her desire to enter Allie and Sam’s relationship.
  • Buddy’s murder is deliberately labeled non-rewatchable but also the moment the film sharply escalates.
  • Devastated Hedy hitting on Sam and Sam thinking about it are nominated, followed by debate about his ex-wife.
  • Allie finding Hedy’s unlocked shoebox of personal evidence is nominated.
  • Allie following Hedy into the Hellfire sex club is nominated despite frustration with Allie’s obvious surveillance.
  • Hedy’s twin history and the question of whether she deliberately killed her sister are discussed around the scene choices.
  • Hedy’s makeover, impersonation of Allie, and seduction of Sam are nominated as the movie’s central identity-theft sequence.
  • Sam realizing the sexual deception is nominated and provocatively called the greatest orgasm of his life.
  • Hedy preparing to kill Allie with a knife is considered part of the long final confrontation.
  • All participants explicitly select the shoe scene as most rewatchable.

Gandolfini Butter on My Ass So It Pops in My Mouth Award

The film’s charged identity triangle and its extraordinary apartment are the main pure-enjoyment choices.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:52Read transcript
  • The attraction-killing-identity triangle is praised as a recurring story engine.
  • The inexplicably great apartment is selected because it becomes a character in the movie.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

The existing title is celebrated as one of the best of the 1990s.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:55Read transcript
  • Single White Female is retained because it instantly communicates the premise and became cultural shorthand.

What’s Aged the Best?

The film’s continued influence, Bridget Fonda’s style, and Jennifer Jason Lee’s physical performance are praised.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:27Read transcript
  • Modern stories still use pet peril, while Fonda’s styling and Lee’s performance are praised.
  • The movie’s early-1990s atmosphere and lasting thriller template receive further support.

Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?

The movie already contains ample sexual material, though an uncomfortable bath scene and stronger staging of the chair scene are proposed.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:52Read transcript
  • The participants inventory the existing chair sex, apartment sex, masturbation, sex-club, oral-sex, and coerced-kiss material and question whether more is needed.
  • A bath scene in which Hedy offers to wash Allie is proposed to make the same-sex subtext more explicit.
  • The chair-sex scene is criticized as underlit and overly staged.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Air-vent eavesdropping, animal mistreatment, a rapist’s redemption beat, lack of roommate searches, kink shaming, Allie’s vague technology career, and overwritten dialogue are criticized separately.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:02Read transcript
  • Listening through an apartment air vent is called an implausible dated thriller device.
  • Allie’s silver-purple raincoat is rejected as never having made sense.
  • The live-action puppy kick and early-1990s sexual-harasser trope are criticized.
  • The attempted redemption beat for Mitch after his assault is called something a modern edit would remove.
  • The premise is said to collapse today because a new roommate could be searched online.
  • The era’s BDSM kink shaming is criticized.
  • Allie’s ill-defined technology business and implausible coding/payment powers are called dated.
  • The finale is said to need a campy eviction one-liner.
  • Hedy’s identical-twin speech is criticized as overwritten, while the performance is said to have typecast the actor in one viewer’s mind.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Allie is criticized as dangerously oblivious, and an alternate ending where Hedy replaces her is proposed.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:38Read transcript
  • Allie’s decisions are called so poor that she may be too dumb to survive the plot.
  • A darker ending in which Hedy kills and replaces Allie is proposed.

Casting What-Ifs

No documented casting what-if is found.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:52Read transcript
  • The participants explicitly say they have no casting what-ifs.

Recasting Couch

The small cast prompts proposals for another neighbor and a larger role around the building.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:30:49Read transcript
  • The hosts consider adding another neighbor, including the previously imagined Darius.

Apex Mountain

Jennifer Jason Lee, evil roommates, puppy-murder revenge, and early-1990s hair receive separate Apex debates.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:26Read transcript
  • Lee’s career longevity and this performance are weighed.
  • John Wick is preferred for puppy-murder revenge, while this film is called the apex of evil roommates.

Picking Nits

Allie’s job, the stiletto death, neighbors’ inconsistent reactions, and Hedy’s disguise generate objections.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:06Read transcript
  • Allie’s glamorous software career and the plausibility of the stiletto death are questioned.
  • The apartment’s noise reactions and Hedy’s attempt to pass as Allie receive further objections.

Best Double Feature

The Net and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle are distinct main picks; erotic thrillers are also discussed broadly.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:55:29Read transcript
  • The Net and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle are separate participant choices.
  • Other erotic-thriller pairing logic is discussed.

Who Won the Movie?

Jennifer Jason Lee receives two clear choices, while Bridget Fonda receives substantial support and one unresolved lean.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:57:36Read transcript
  • Jennifer Jason Lee is selected for creating the movie’s most enduring character.
  • Fonda’s career moment is argued as a competing rationale, but another final vote goes to Lee.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Jennifer Jason Lee
Speaker not identified
Jennifer Jason Lee

More from the conversation

The opening discussion places the movie in the roommate-from-hell cycle and compares its cultural durability with other early-1990s thrillers.
Approx. transcript time · 00:00:59Read transcript