Factory Girl review by Jackass Tom

Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) came from a wealthy family. On her parent’s dime, she attended Cambridge to become an artist but decided to go to New York City and find herself. She found what she was looking for at an exhibition: Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce). The two are captivated by each other: Edie by Andy’s fame and wacky following, Andy by Edie’s beauty, free-spirit, endless cash supply, and many emotional issues. She joins Warhol’s community and gets wrapped up in his little society. Along the way Edie is tagged by as the new “it” girl by staring in his minimalist films and escorting to public events. The two are nearly inseparable but only in a friendly way. While they are never sexual together, there is a sort of tension where Warhol needs her and never wants her to leave for a romantic love.

Since it’s the 60s, drugs and alcohol were involved in Warhol’s decadent factory commune. Edie’s life spirals out of control. She loses touch with reality and support from her parents as she outspends her worth. Most ironic of all is that her only hope and savior is none other than “the” Bob Dylan (Hayden Christensen). You know that the problems in your life are many if Bob Dylan is telling you that your drug filled relationship with an artist is really unhealthy for you.

Factory Girl isn’t so much a biopic about the life of Edie Sedgwick, as it is a tale about the complex relationship between Sedgwick and Warhol that starts out fun and crazy but quickly turns sour and deadly. Warhol is portrayed beautifully by Pierce as an irresponsible and jealous boy with internal conflicts so great that he has a hard time dealing with the outside world not to mention his homosexuality. As he is brushing off Edie’s cries for help, you never feel its completely malicious as it is childish. Sedgwick herself is also childish and has no understanding of responsibility. In their hey-day together she spent her money freely on him, and somewhat unprovoked. Its only when she really needed help that Warhol is shown pushing her away as sort of a revenge for leaving him for another celebrity.

I can’t help it think that when a movie like Factory Girl is made, that there is some inspiration beyond the actual character. Edie Sedgwick is a “girl gone wild” who comes from a wealthy family and described as an heiress in the newspapers. Why did this story come to screen now? Because the public is so captivated with the exploits of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan that they are willing to spend money to see it fictionalized (or at least bio-pic’d). The story of Edie Sedgwick could be viewed more like a cautionary lesson to someone like Lohan, more so than entertainment.

The inclusion of Hayden Christensen as Bob Dylan is a bit…how should I put this… distracting. I hated the guy as Darth Vader’s whiny adolescent side, and now I feel like his Bob Dylan shtick is more like an extended impersonation of Dylan’s voice and maybe a few mannerisms but never looking authentic. Miller’s performance, on the other hand, was superb. Before seing this movie I just knew her as the girl who Jude Law cheated on. Now I see her as that talented actress that Jude Law cheated on. Guy Pearce gave a performance that should be awarded in someway. He won’t get an Oscar (because the Academy is like a high school year book committee) but I sincerely hope he gets some sort of award or nod of approval.

Despite some great acting, the movie really never rose above being “ok” to me. The story is only interesting for so long and I can’t help it think that I’ve seen the whole “drug binge in the 60s and 70s destroyed my life” movie before. Factory girl is an interesting part of pop art nostalgia, with a few great performances but as a whole, I don’t know if I’d seek it out again.




5 out of 10 Jackasses
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