Review of Factory Girl (2014) by Alex B — 02 Apr 2011

Edie Sedgwick becomes the 1960s version of Paris Hilton, famous for her association to achievement and her downfall.

The highlights of this film are the performances by Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce who are remarkably believable as Sedgwick and Andy Warhol. In fact, Pearce's performance frequently reminded me of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winning turn in Capote, and Miller embodied the tragic beauty of Angelina Jolie's Golden Globe-winner in Gia. Without a doubt, they are the only aspects of this film that keep it from falling into a morass of montage-ridden, depressing display of frenetic camerawork.

I've read from multiple sources that Factory Girl has numerous factual errors. The Village Voice called it "Edie Sedgwick for Dummies," and Bob Dylan threatened to sue the film for defamation resulting in Hayden Christensen's character being called "Billy Quinn" instead of Dylan.

By the end of the film, I didn't think I learned anything true. The articles I read about Sedgwick and Warhol helped me understand them as people more than the film, and I can only wish that Hollywood screenwriters would trust in the realization that sometimes real life is more interesting than what they could make up.

Overall, see this film for Miller and Pearce, then do your research.