Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 16+
Intense, sexual, violent tale of worst roommate ever.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
A psychopathic killer wreaks havoc. A male boss tries to force sex on a female employee, but she punches him in his genitals and escapes. A puppy either fell off or was pushed off a high balcony to its death. A man is shot. Two women punch and stab each other. One is strangled. A woman is bound and gagged and then kissed by another woman. A woman smashes a glass in another's face. A man is knocked out with a metal pipe. A woman draws blood as she puts a knife to another woman's neck. A man is killed by stiletto heel to his eye. A woman is shot in the arm. A woman is slashed with broken glass to her chest.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
A woman is seen alone under the covers moaning. A woman sneaks into the hotel room of her roommate's boyfriend and, disguised as the roommate, gives him oral sex. A couple is seen nude in diffused light making love. Breasts and buttocks are seen. A man admits he slept with his ex-wife while engaged to someone else. A boss tries to force sex on his female employee. Adults at a sex club presumably watch an offscreen sex act. Hedy seems to want to seduce Allie as much as she wants to become her, nonchalantly undressing in front of her new roommate, as if to initiate a sexual relationship.
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See AlsoAnalyzing IMDb Data The Intended Way, with R and ggplot2'Single White Female' Turns 25: Why Lesbian-Phobic Thriller Is ProblematicSingle White Female | Rotten TomatoesSingle White Female (1992)Get started
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Language
a lot
"F--k," "s--t," "bitch," and "damn."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Adults drink at a bar.
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Positive Messages
very little
Don't take in new roommates without references.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Allie is a trusting innocent who can't see the threat in front of her face. Hedy is a deceptive, duplicitous agent with ulterior motives, an unstable mental condition, and evil intentions.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Single White Female is a high-end slasher movie for mature audiences, with frank depictions of sexuality and violence forecast from the earliest scenes. A seemingly nice character turns out to be a psychopath and although murders aren't graphically depicted, violence is unmistakably conveyed. A male boss tries to force sex on a female employee, but she punches him in his genitals and escapes. A puppy falls to its death. Characters are shot, strangled, stabbed, knifed, slashed. Characters visit a sex club. A woman has romantic longings for her heterosexual female friend. A nude man and woman make love. Breasts and buttocks are seen but no genitals. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," and "bitch." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Single White Female
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (1)
- Kids say
age 18+
Based on 1 parent review
SallyAllan Parent of 10-year-old
March 24, 2022
age 18+
Really good film. Not suitable for children. Lots of nudity, sex and dark themes.
Rate movie
See all 1 parent review
What's the Story?
SINGLE WHITE FEMALE is the kind of person Allie (Bridget Fonda) advertises for when seeking a new roommate, having kicked out Sam (Steven Weber), her cheating fiancé, from her huge rent-controlled New York City apartment. From among numerous neurotic and weird applicants, she invites Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to move in. Hedy seems nice at first, but it starts to look like she's trying to turn herself into a clone of the attractive Allie, maybe replace Allie in her own life. Or perhaps she's trying to turn Allie into Hedy's "lost" twin. Soon Hedy dresses like Allie, cuts and dyes her hair like Allie's, calls herself Allie, comes on to Allie's boyfriend, and even performs oral sex on the guy, disguised as Allie. It's a roommate-from-hell, horror film so no spoiler alert is necessary in describing the mayhem and murder inevitable from frame one.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated Rate movie
Horror fans may tolerate this movie, with its generic pacing, music, lighting and other alarm bells signaling bad things to come, but the plot doesn't work even on the most basic level. The material here is suitable only for older teens and adults, but viewers of any age won't miss the clear sense that in the face of threat and danger, over and over, seemingly reasonable and intelligent characters refuse to act to defend themselves, to prevent looming disaster, or to expose a wrongdoer. If anyone did anything that sensible, it would bring the threat, and the movie, to an abrupt end. Under those circ*mstances, Single White Female's constant tension and frequent scares become annoying rather than dramatic. The action lumbers along until the final half hour, which is simply a chore to get through.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about mental illness. How does Single White Female portray this issue? Do you think it fairly depicted it or added to existing stigma attached to mental issues?
How does the movie's slick and realistic style affect the audience's perception of unrealistic behavior? Does that style work against the audience questioning the plausibility of unreasonable behaviors?
Is this movie still relevant? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 14, 1992
- On DVD or streaming: March 17, 1998
- Cast: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman
- Director: Barbet Schroeder
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 107 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: for strong sexuality, and for violence and language
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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Single White Female
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