Monday, January 01, 2007

Reviews for 'Factory Girl' trickling in

A few critics sunk their teeth into "Factory Girl" when it premiered in limited release on Dec. 29. The biopic of Andy Warhol's muse, Edie Sedgwick, was shot largely in Shreveport.

Here are excerpts from two reviews:

"A brisk, superficial treatment of the tragic supernova life of Edie Sedgwick, 'Factory Girl' disappoints as both biography and drama," writes Kevin Crust in The Los Angeles Times. He later adds, "'Factory Girl' really goes astray with the arrival of Billy Quinn (Hayden Christensen), a Bob Dylan-esque rock star set up to be the anti-Andy. Like Pearce, Christensen throws himself into his role, but both are crushed by the sheer iconographic weight of their characters. Warhol and Dylan are too huge to be used as support beams in such a slight film."

Sheri Linden in The Hollywood Reporter writes, "Focusing on the year or so in the mid-1960s when she burned brightest and crashed most dramatically, 'Factory Girl' boasts its own bright intensity, fueled in large part by leads Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce. Director George Hickenlooper captures the energy and ultra-irony of Warhol's scene, but his attempts to give the film a conventional biopic arc end up wallowing in dime-store psychology. The central performances will generate strong word-of-mouth for the picture ... .

"Playing '60s New York, Shreveport, La., lends a fitting vintage feel, while the production design by Jeremy Reed and John Dunn's costumes create an exuberant blend of high society and underground scene."

Two more reviews:

Robert Koehler in Variety calls "Factory Girl" a "tame biopic."

David Ehrenstein in LA Weekly focuses on the legitimacy of Bob Dylan's lawsuit.

Keep watching Metacritic for more reviews.

1 comment:

Alexandyr Kent said...

It will be curious to see if the buzz about Miller and Pearce turns into Oscar talk. Controversies like these sometimes draw attention, both good and bad, to craft. Pearce has a great track record as one of cinema's most unappreciated talents. Miller showed great promise in last year's "Casanova." Personally, I hope all the press about lawsuits doesn’t overshadow the merits of their work (good or bad).