I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)

Director: Mary Harron
Release: Available on DVD
IMDB

I love films about crazy artists and those who surround them. It makes me dream of the days when I can walk around and just let my internal filter go and be who I really am without having to worry. Watching any portrayal of Andy Warhol, this time played well by Jared Harris, always makes me wonder if Warhol was a little ahead or behind the rest of the world. It is quite obvious that he didn't usually operate on our plane of existence, but I am not quite sure where he was when he wasn't here.

The Story

The film follows the life of Valerie Jean Solanas (Lilli Taylor), and her struggle to get her artistic voice heard. In the beginning she writes a play called "Up Your Ass" that she wants Andy Warhol to produce. Warhol reads the play but he and his "consortium" believe the play is too dirty to produce. Then throughout the rest film, she writes what is to be know as the SCUM manifesto and tries to recruit other womyn to her cause of ending the male half of the species. Ultimately, she looses control of her life and her art and decides that the solution is to, shoot Andy Warhol.

The Film

Let me first say that this is just about as good as acting gets when it comes to Lilli Taylor's portrayal of Valerie. Her natural ability to assume this character was amazing. Additionally, while Harris' Warhol was not the best I've seen (see David Bowie in Basquiat) I was still impressed by his take on Warhol. Overall, I really enjoyed the film. If you are a fan of artists and art, then you will love it too.