The Roommate

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The Roommate

PG-13

2011

1h 33m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

3%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

27%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When Sara (Minka Kelly), a young design student from Iowa, arrives for college in Los Angeles, she is eager to fit in and get to know the big city. Her wealthy roommate, Rebecca (Leighton Meester), is more than eager to take Sara under her wing and show her the ropes. The two become close, but when Sara begins to branch out and make more friends on campus, Rebecca becomes resentful. Alarmed, Sara moves in with her new boyfriend, causing Rebecca's behavior to take a violent turn.

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Critics Consensus

Devoid of chills, thrills, or even cheap titillation, The Roommate isn't even bad enough to be good.

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Philip French

Guardian

Apr 10, 2011

Christiansen's witless, badly acted thriller is a throwback to the early 1990s.

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Robbie Collin

News of the World

Apr 9, 2011

2/5

Bunk.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Apr 8, 2011

1/5

A disaster from start to finish.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jan 30, 2024

2/5

It's just so damn boring.

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Jan 25, 2024

2/5

A disappointing re-tread of Single White Female that pulls its narrative punches and wastes its talented "teen" cast. Leighton Meester deserved better; let her cut loose!

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jul 31, 2023

1/4

The movie was made for tame crowds out for safe chills and a predictable outcome, and that level of banality is exactly what’s delivered.

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Daniel B

@Daniel172 Sep 1, 2026

I love this movie I've watched countless times since it came out in 2011.

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The W

@TheWagners Jul 4, 2026

One of the laziest, horribly written and acted thriller remakes I've ever seen. Terrible plot with writing that's so inconsistent.

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Elina B

@Elina145 Jun 30, 2026

It was SO GOOD. The acting was literally amazing and super entertaining. I would recommend for a late night and a thriller for a horror movie.

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Taylor H

@TH0809 Jun 20, 2026

I thought it was good. Tight timeline. Escalating stakes. Gorgeous main actresses putting on good performances. Very entertaining and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

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Blake- N

@PBSAniDom Apr 20, 2026

The Roommate (2011) is a textbook example of a thriller that completely misses the mark. Instead of building real suspense or tension, it relies on tired clichés and predictable plot turns that you see coming almost immediately. What should have been a psychological thriller ends up feeling flat, uninspired, and unintentionally funny in all the wrong places. The characters are poorly developed and make questionable decisions that constantly pull you out of the story. Even the supposed "dangerous" moments feel staged and lacking any real stakes. There’s no real buildup, no meaningful payoff—just a repetitive cycle of weak drama and shallow conflict. The performances don’t do much to elevate the material either, stuck in a script that never gives them anything compelling to work with. Overall, it feels like a wasted concept that never had a clear direction. Easily a 0/10.

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Jose R.

@aljjandro Apr 19, 2026

I don’t understand why I couldn’t find any comments about the obvious LGBT agenda that Netflix seems to be trying to promote in its movies. Haven’t they learned anything from Disney? Why does every movie have to be about gay people? I don’t have anything against it, but I feel like I see it in every Netflix movie... Bad acting and agenda-based movie.

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Christian E. Christiansen

Director

Leighton Meester

Rebecca

Minka Kelly

Sara Matthews

Cam Gigandet

Stephen

Aly Michalka

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Synopsis

When Sara (Minka Kelly), a young design student from Iowa, arrives for college in Los Angeles, she is eager to fit in and get to know the big city. Her wealthy roommate, Rebecca (Leighton Meester), is more than eager to take Sara under her wing and show her the ropes. The two become close, but when Sara begins to branch out and make more friends on campus, Rebecca becomes resentful. Alarmed, Sara moves in with her new boyfriend, causing Rebecca's behavior to take a violent turn.

Director: Christian E. Christiansen
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee
Screenwriter: Sonny Mallhi
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Vertigo
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|Sexual Content|Teen Partying|Violence and Menace)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 4, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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