The Girl Couldn’t Help It

The new biopic Factory Girl will have you believe that Andy Warhol’s protégé Edie Sedgwick was nothing but a beautiful poor little rich girl, caught up in a whirlwind of glitz and glamour that would ultimately lead her down a path of no return.

For better and for worse, I suppose the film is right on the money.

For better, 1960s It Girl Sedgwick is portrayed as a beautiful poor little rich girl with ebullient energy by these days’ It Girl Sienna Miller.

But for worse, the film never engages; it wants to transport you back in time, but fails to do so by neglecting character and story development. Thus, sets are just sets, and it's somewhat difficult to imagine most of the actors that populate them as more than just actors playing dress up.

Only Miller and co-star Guy Pearce (Memento) in his magnetic turn as Warhol, truly excel in their assigned roles; she by shining like the brightest ray of sunshine in the lazily shown underground New York scene, and he by commanding and intimidating the artist’s milieu.

It’s a shame, really, that such a potentially cool film – one that could’ve informed its audience about an era about which many sordid tales are told – opted to victimize and/or vilified its subjects in myopic ways (could Sedgwick really not help it? was Warhol really that big of a selfish a--hole? just who are these people?).

Nevertheless, I must point out, Factory Girl showcased two fine performances, one by an undeniable talent and one by an underrated talent. Watch the film and guess which is which, but keep in mind that as far as biopics go, this one isn't one of the best.

My Rating **

Photo: The Weinstein Company.