But one could very well ask if the films depiction of Andy Warhol isnt a bit one-sided. Guy Pearce, gamely sporting splotchy face makeup, makes a tremendous effort not to let Warhol degenerate into the role of a ravenous villain who leaves emotionally shattered innocents in his wake. Though the film makes a half-hearted attempt to recognize that Edies self-destruction was as much self-inflicted as it was catalyzed by her association with Warhol, it falls to Pearce to do the heavy lifting and counterbalance the films apparent bias. He makes the pop-artist less like a truly malicious person than one so emotionally detached that human relationships seem to be a great mystery to him.
In a similar vein, Sienna Miller brings the right blend of glamour and pathos to make her Edie as believably loveable as she also tragically prone to self-destruction. Theres genuine power in that performance, which, perhaps more than anything, keeps the film on track.
Directed by George Hickenlooper in a kinetic style that favors the mockumentary but doesnt induce camera motion sickness he balances the whole thing by splicing in some conventional cinematography and staging Factory Girl is a pop-biopic that doesnt really tell us anything new. As a cautionary tale, weve heard it all before. But though the film is surrounded by negative buzz understandable, perhaps, if we accept the charges leveled by most critics that the film only has the illusion of depth the film nonetheless holds a certain fascination. There is enough detail to form a more complex picture of the characters than a superficial viewing might suggest, and Factory Girl succeeds at generating sympathy and interest in Edies proverbial downward spiral.
The real miracle, however, might be that Hickenlooper extracts from Hayden Christensen the best performance of his career so far: not a single wince was evoked by Christensens presence on-screen. Its rather interesting that he plays Bob Dylan even though Dylans name is never actually mentioned apparently, the singers portrayal in the film is rather controversial. But this just goes to show the problem with biopics in general: Its hard to sort out what really happened and what is fictional license. Thus, the film can only be judged on how it holds up on its own. Factory Girl holds its own just fine.
Entertainment Value: ** (out of two)
Technical Quality: ** (out of two)
Factory Girl. Written by Captain Mauzner. Directed by George Hickenlooper. Starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce and Hayden Christensen. 90 minutes. Rated R (for pervasive drug use, strong sexual content, nudity and language).
