Factory Girl

Journeying into the world of the young cult artist and celebrity Andy Warhol, Factory Girl focuses on the tragic tale of Edie Sedgwick, a Radcliffe party babe who became a Warhol obsession and sensation until her addictions brought her down. Although Edie had no real discernible acting ability, Andy put the young novice in his movies and included her in his own eclectic circle of friends and hangers-on in the swingin' New York underground scene of the '60s. There's such promising material to work with here; unfortunately, what we get is mostly a static biopic dwelling on Edie's drug problems, affairs, and relationship with Warhol as he exploited a girl whose biggest talent was knowing how to get down. The film certainly had a chance to be a fascinating look into a uniquely odd corner of a legendary decade, but fumbles the ball. As Edie, Sienna Miller (one of the most promising new screen actresses) gives it a try, but is allowed to only scratch the surface of a troubled life. Guy Pearce as Warhol upstages her with a dead-on impression of the man who made Campbell's soup cans the pop art image of the 20th century. Hayden Christensen as a Bob Dylan-like singer who takes up with Edie and Jimmy Fallon as her buddy are generally wasted, which is too bad, because Factory Girl had the cast and promise to be so much better than what finally ended up on-screen.