Factory Girl (2007)

Underrated Gem

This production is an underrated gem. Guy Pearce is "over-the-top" as Andy Warhol, while Sienna Miller IS Edie Sedgwick, the "Factory Girl." See this movie first, then buy "Ciao! Manhattan" to complete your collection. September 14, 2008

Poorly Acted, Poorly Executed Film

Factory Girl is a poorly executed, poorly acted film about poor little rich girl Edie Sedgwick. The socialite/drug addict who starred in Warhol films and made a celebrity splash is portrayed by Sienna Miller, who simply does not do justice to the tragic socialite. Factory Girl is a biographical film and as such is obligated to adhere to some semblance of "what was" or "how it happened". In this film, it does neither.

Edie Sedgwick's rise to celebrity was due to her charism and waiflike charm that drew people to her. Miller acted as if she used Liza Minelli as her role model! The film viewer is left confused as to why anyone would want Edie Sedgwick in their life--she is portrayed as shallow, boring,and without an ounce of sexuality, despite the R rating for nudity.

Overall, the film doesn't add up. Don't waste your money on this one.
September 10, 2008

(2.5 STARS) Good Acting, But Empty Overall

"Factory Girl" is not a terrible film. It is just strange. The film is supposed to be about Edie Sedgwick, a college dropout-turned-Andy Warhol's muse in the early 1960s, but what you remember after watching her tragic life story is not anything about her; it is Guy Pearce's chilling portrait of Andy Warhol as self-absorbed artist. For all Sienna Miller's strong acting as troubled Edie, "Factory Girl" does not get under the skin of the character for whom it has been made. It is as if Warhol is taking over her story.

So many (possible) references to her in pop culture (especially music) suggest she has been still influential as cultural icon long after her early death, but George Hickenlooper's film never gets deeper than the top layer of the topic it deals with, going down the familiar course. Her romance with the "Musician" (Hayden Christensen impersonating Bob Dylan) leaves no impression on us. neither the supports from Jimmy Fallon, Mena Suvari, Shawn Hatosy, Edward Herrmann, Illeana Douglas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

But I may be too harsh. Maybe her life story was really as familiar as anyone else's. If the film's Warhol seems taking over the story of Edie, maybe it is because that's exactly what happened to her. (One of the characters refers to him as a "blood-sucking vampire.") Also, the film is filled with blurred images, split screen and other superficial camera works that only detract us from the purpose of the film: showing Edie as a person.

In one scene of the film the "Musician" refers to the "empty" nature of Warhol's painting. Intentional or unintentional, I don't know, but "Factory Girl" sometimes makes us feel the same way. September 1, 2008

Forget the press, the girl CAN act!

I hated Sienna Miller in Layer Cake. She pranced around in her underwear a lot of the time. She does the same in this too, there are quite a few scenes where Edie seems to live in her underwear, but there's almost a certain innocence to it somehow.

Sienna Miller is of course more well known for her personal life these days, than her film career, and people seem to forget that. This is actually the first film I've seen of hers since Layer Cake, and was surprised when she was actually really good. It shows a great actor when you forget who they really are, they manage to become that character. It would have been especially hard to become such a tortured character like Edie Sedgewick was.

The film is basically centred around Edie's short life. Interspersed with scenes of Edie being interviewed when she's in rehab I think? Those scenes were the only parts I didn't like, as it didn't seem to add anything to the movie.

Guy Pearce who plays Andy Warhol in this, was the weirdest character. He actually gave me the shivers watching him on screen. I don't really know anything about Andy Warhol (or Edie Sedgewick for that matter) and the apparent similarities between Hayden Christensen's character and Bob Dylan I didn't notice. Really, this was a blind impulse buy.

For anyone who wasn't from the era this movie was based in, like me, won't really know the music. It didn't really do anything for me, add to the movie or anything. The fashion was cool, but I've seen better. It didn't really scream sixties if you know what I mean?

Overall, Factory Girl was a good little movie, not too long, not too short, quite sad towards the end, and with a couple of interesting features. But I finished it feeling I hadn't really found out anything about Edie Sedgewick. It skimmed over the top of her life, and left me feeling a bit empty afterwards. August 19, 2008

Great acting, a sad story

Factory Girl is a movie that weaves three major characters Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan together in a tragic, real-life drama. Movies about the lives of famous people allow us to open the door to their life-time choices and it was sad to see the trajectory of Edith Minturn Sedgwick, known by all her friends as "Edie."

Born on April 20th, 1943 to a wealthy family, Edie was the daughter of Alice Delano de Forest and Francis Minturn Sedgwick, who was a sculptor, philanthropist and rancher. Edie came from a well established family in Massachusetts, but her parents had moved to California, where she is born in Santa Barbara. Her ancestors can be traced back to her seventh grandfather, who was the first Major General of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

At the early age of 22, she meets Andy Warhol and begins a relationship with him, appearing in many of his movies, becoming a regular at The Factory, the studio where Warhol met with associates and friends while pursuing his endeavors. Andrew Warhol was born on August 6th, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so when he met Edie he was in his late 30's. Andy started his career as a commercial illustrator and soon became famous for his work as a painter and his unique pop art, the name given to his 60's paintings of American products such as Campbell's Soup and Coca Cola cans.

The movie shows an insecure, troubled young woman, who involves herself in drug use which ultimately causes her demise. At some point, she meets Bob Dylan, an American song writer, author, poet and guitar player, but Andy Warhol becomes either jealous or resentful and he stops devoting his attention to Edie, who can not understand the motives behind his abandonment and loses control of herself.

The movie is well done, providing great detail into the lives of people we did not know much about, but the story of Edie Sedgwick left us saddened to see a young girl with great promise deteriorate to the point of self-destruction. Great acting.



August 11, 2008

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