The Roommate

Sara Matthews is starting her freshman year of college in Los Angeles. She meets party girl Tracy, frat boy Stephen—her love interest—and Rebecca, her wealthy but shy college roommate who bears an uncanny resemblance to her. The girls begin to bond and Rebecca learns that Sara had an older sister, Emily, who died when Sara was nine, and an ex-boyfriend, Jason, who keeps calling her in attempts to reconcile.

Over time, Rebecca's obsession with Sara grows, which causes her to drive away anyone who could come between them. Claiming that she is a bad influence, Rebecca attacks Tracy in the shower, pins her down, rips out her belly button ring, and threatens to kill her unless she stays away from Sara.

Tracy moves to another dorm, fearful of Rebecca. An old friend of Sara's named Irene invites Sara to move in with her when Rebecca's cat Cuddles is discovered by an RA. Rebecca kills Cuddles, lying to Sara that the cat ran away. Rebecca inflicts injuries upon herself, and says she was assaulted by a thug.

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• Leighton Meester as Rebecca Evans
• Minka Kelly as Sara Matthews
• Cam Gigandet as Stephen
• Danneel Harris as Irene Crew
• Matt Lanter as Jason Tanner
• Nina Dobrev as Maria
• Aly Michalka as Tracy Long
• Kat Graham as Kim Johnson
• Cherilyn Wilson as Landi Rham
• Billy Zane as Professor Roberts
• Frances Fisher as Alison Evans
• Tomas Arana as Jeff Evans
• Alex Meraz as Frat boy
• Nathan Parsons as Cashier Boy

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Sonny Mallhi first thought of shooting the film in New York City but it was eventually shot on location at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and at Loyola Marymount University.{{cite web|title=The Roommate – Production Notes – On The Dark Side Of The City Of Angels|url=http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=6271|publisher=CinemaReview.com|access-date=August 17, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200010/http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=6271|url-status=dead}} Leighton Meester was originally set to play Sara but was replaced by Minka Kelly and Leighton played Rebecca.{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/18466|title=First Ever Look at Screen Gems' 'The Roommate', Hi-Res 'Priest' Teaser|website=Bloody Disgusting|date=22 December 2009|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=17 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117001718/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/18466|url-status=live}} Billy Zane and Frances Fisher had both starred together in Titanic fourteen years earlier, though in this film they shared no scenes.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 3% based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 2.86/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Devoid of chills, thrills, or even cheap titillation, The Roommate isn't even bad enough to be good."{{rotten-tomatoes|the_roommate}} On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 23 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".{{cite web |title= The Roommate Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-roommate |website= Metacritic |access-date= November 28, 2020 |archive-date= October 23, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201023220915/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-roommate |url-status= live }} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/box-office-roommate-beats-sanctum-on-slow-super-bowl-weekend.html|title=Box office: 'Roommate' beats 'Sanctum' on slow Super Bowl weekend [Updated]|last1=Kaufman|first1=Amy|last2=Fritz|first2=Ben|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 6, 2011|access-date=February 7, 2011|archive-date=February 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208145942/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/02/box-office-roommate-beats-sanctum-on-slow-super-bowl-weekend.html|url-status=live}}

Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, saying it "is really just a far-below-par thriller that desperately wishes it were a different movie – a longing it shares with the audience," but praises Meester for bringing "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role. When she smiles, it's perfectly located between a sweet display of affection and a snarling warning."{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Staskiewicz|url=https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,20463974,00.html|title=The Roommate Review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Meredith Corporation|location=New York City|date=February 4, 2011|access-date=March 30, 2018|archive-date=September 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908081902/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20463974,00.html|url-status=dead}} Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it a half star, stating that "The Roommate – the umpteenth uncredited remake of 1992's Single White Female – sucks bad, real bad" and that "Danish director Christian E. Christiansen has no flair for suspense".{{cite magazine|first=Peter|last=Travers|author-link=Peter Travers|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-roommate-20110204/|title=The Roommate|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|location=San Francisco, California|date=February 4, 2011|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=December 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203065401/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-roommate-20110204|url-status=live}} Meester's performance garnered praise from other top critics, including the Los Angeles Times, which states: "Here, her performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of."{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Olsen|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-roommate-20110205,0,3499973.story|title=Movie review: 'The Roommate'|work=Los Angeles Times|location=Los Angeles, California|date=February 5, 2011|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=March 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303224431/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-roommate-20110205,0,3499973.story|url-status=live}}

Opening in 2,534 theaters, the film grossed $15.6 million on its opening weekend to take first place at the box office. Its distributor estimated that females under the age of 21 accounted for two-thirds of its audience.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12380374 | work=BBC News | title=Roommate thriller tops US box office | date=February 7, 2011 | access-date=June 20, 2018 | archive-date=August 20, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820173035/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12380374 | url-status=live }} By the end of its run, the film grossed $37.3 million in the United States and Canada and $15.2 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $52.5 million.

Some of the promotional posters and displays for the film used the Christy Administration Building from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas as its backdrop. The college administration voiced concern that permission to use the photograph of the building was not properly obtained and investigated the legality of its use.{{Cite web|first = Allen|last = Twitchell|url = http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2010/12/03/news/news/doc4cf932cdb33af858348853.txt|title = Image of SC building on movie poster|work = The Winfield Daily Courier|publisher = Winfield Publishing Company|location = Winfield, Kansas|date = December 3, 2010|access-date = January 17, 2011|archive-date = December 18, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211218033558/https://www.ctnewsonline.com/|url-status = live}}

Primary concerns hinged that the image of the college (particularly the image of the building) could be damaged, while other concerns were that the college's primary iconic image was being used for the promotion of an unrelated business venture.{{Cite web|url = http://scupdate.org/?p=5240|publisher = Southwestern College Student Media|title = Christy photo on movie poster causes concern|first = Korie|last = Hawkins|date = December 9, 2010|access-date = January 17, 2011|archive-date = August 26, 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110826214222/http://scupdate.org/?p=5240|url-status = live}}

Though the film successfully earned $15.6 million in receipts to top the box office during its debut weekend in the United States, concerns continued. By that time, the image of the building had been replaced on the film's official website and on subsequent promotional material. The photo of the building reportedly was licensed from iStockPhoto based in Calgary, Alberta. As of February 8, 2011, no lawsuits had been filed but discussions had taken place.{{cite web|first=Allen|last=Twitchell|url=http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2011/02/08/news/news/doc4d5183cc7aa41324106218.txt|title=Movie poster image remains a concern for SC administration|work=The Winfield Daily Courier|publisher=Winfield Publishing Company|date=February 8, 2011|access-date=February 10, 2011|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018191432/https://www.ctnewsonline.com/|url-status=live}}

Students at the school reported "mixed feelings" about the topic – some believed that it may have been helpful for the college and others reported that they saw how it could have been harmful to the school's image.{{cite web|first=Craig|last=Andres|url=http://www.ksn.com/mostpopular/story/Southwestern-College-unhappy-with-national-movie/XvqmwuPHREOM_ZbKJZ7kgw.cspx|title=Southwestern College unhappy with national movie poster (with video)|publisher=KSN TV 3|date=February 11, 2011|access-date=March 9, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211230733/http://www.ksn.com/mostpopular/story/Southwestern-College-unhappy-with-national-movie/XvqmwuPHREOM_ZbKJZ7kgw.cspx|archive-date=February 11, 2011}}

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The Roommate was released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 17, 2011.

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• {{Official website|http://www.theroommate-movie.com/}}
• {{IMDb title}}
• {{Mojo title}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roommate, The}}

Category:2011 films

Category:2011 LGBTQ-related films

Category:2011 psychological thriller films

Category:2010s American films

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:American LGBTQ-related films

Category:American psychological thriller films

Category:Films about stalking

Category:Films directed by Christian E. Christiansen

Category:Films produced by Roy Lee

Category:Films scored by John Frizzell (composer)

Category:Films set in Los Angeles

Category:Films set in universities and colleges

Category:Films shot in Los Angeles

Category:Lesbian-related films

Category:LGBTQ-related thriller films

Category:Screen Gems films

Category:Vertigo Entertainment films

Category:English-language thriller films