Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Roommate: What the generic still photos actually tell us

There is a little subtext in the marketing campaign for The Roommate. Oh you didn't know? Well I'm a decoding master blaster and I'm going to break this subliminal marketing wide fuckin open. By now you've probably seen the trailer. You know it stars Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly. Seems Ms. Meester is on some fancy schmancy show on the CW....Gossip something. Minka Kelly however I DO know. As Mrs. Derek Jeter, she's like baseball wife #1.

Sure its a blatant ripoff of the vintage 90s Single White Female, but could this film be hiding something more?

Let's start off with the tagline:

"2,000 colleges. 8 million roommates. Which one will you get?"

the jaded viewer says: This statement is purely racist. What? Can't see it? What they're actually saying is if you don't get someone that doesn't look like you, they are completely fuckin crazy. Man your screwed if you get a brotha from South Central or a Latina from the Bronx. Thanks Hollywood for the advice.

Now on to GENERIC STILL PHOTO #1

the jaded viewer says: See our crazy white girl is Rebecca and she goes off our medication. What this is really saying is all white people have to be fearful of getting addicted to meth. Because the movie is saying if you start becoming a meth addict you can go from fun loving, beautiful normal white girl to a obsessive compulsive angry insane meth tweaker.

GENERIC STILL PHOTO #2

the jaded viewer says: Now where does the path of a meth addict lead to? Lesbianism of course. Seriously Hollywood? Your not so subtle subtext isn't so subtle. See college is a breeding ground for girl on girl action. Women meth addicts: all lesbians according to a recent poll.

GENERIC STILL PHOTO #3

the jaded viewer says: So where do meth heads get their fix? The streets of course. Remember when white people go to the projects, it's just to score some drugs. Of course this is a momentous occasion which one has to take a photo of. As a meth whore, it's Rebecca's duty to get her new roommate addicted as well. Who wants to get fucked up alone right? I mean look at that graffiti. It screams "we're in the fucked up dangerous part of town, there might be gangstas here".

GENERIC STILL PHOTO #4

the jaded viewer says: Look at that product placement. VAIO. Damn you Sony. The Roommate is going to be filled with more product placements than a Michael Bay film. Just you watch it. From Mountain Dew to KFC to American made cars, you'll be bombarded by 18-34 year old teen targeted ads. Sure this is all normal to you all because you can't even filter through the static. But after you see The Roommate, you're going to head to a Chilis because Rebecca and Sara went to a Chilis. Their in your head!

MOVIE TRAILER STILL PHOTO #5

the jaded viewer says: OK this isn't a production still but a shot from the trailer. Of course you can't use the privacy breaking, biggest social media network by name. So you make your own! Frienderz! Oh how I love fake websites in movies.

But of course this is slickly intertwined to get you to Facebook a little more. Open up your "likes" to the world. To slowly get you into the habit of divulging more info out into the Internet. Because if Facebook asked you, I think you'd post your social security number and mother's maiden name in your status right?

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Well now you're prepared to see the hidden meaning in The Roommate. What else can you "see" from the trailer? You tell me. Check it out below and let me know if you figure out what's the what behind the hot girls, glitzy lights, popular soundtrack and generic quick editing.




Also, The Roommate has got an interesting college marketing plan as they've been posting flyers with this phone number on it:

1-866-666-6001.

Seriously, call it up. It's kinda hilarious.


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5 comments:

  1. I thought the whole point of the tagline/poster/movie/casting/whatever was that Crazy Girl looked almost exactly like Other Girl, thereby scaring people away from people who look like them? Or whatever?

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  2. All you had to say is that The Roommate is 2011's version of Single White Female. But I do like what you brought to the table.

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  3. Had to have the tocan shower scene didnt it?

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  4. Token black girl party slut is so going to die.

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  5. Ha, great observations and the second I post this comment, you bet I'm calling that number. Still, I have a wicked soft spot for movies like The Roommate, so I'll check it out at some point and probably love it for exactly now bad it will be! Plus Minka Kelly is yummy, even if she bones a Yankee! ;)

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