After seeing I Know Who Killed Me yesterday, surrounded by a New York/East Village crowd, I am getting pretty annoyed by the sadly anticipated reviews claiming to whoever might want to hear it that this movie is as much of a joke as Lindsay Lohan's latest "career" moves.
Being familiar with miss Lohan's personal struggles much more than I am with her movies, I bought my ticket with a somewhat open-mind, even though after seeing the trailer (maybe the only bad element of the movie), I admit that I was basically expecting a teenage slasher movie. Obviously, so did the critics but they won't have the decency to review the movie for what it actually turned out to be.
From the little promotion we got, we basically were told that this would be Lohan's first "adult" role as a leading lady. I guess the people waiting for a 20yo to play an "adult" are indeed going to be disappointed, but let's leave those thinking about the absurdity of their expectations. Lindsay Lohan actually offers "adults" viewers a respectable leading performance. Because here what the movie is: a campy, slightly trashy, cult comedy for young adults familiar with the cheap horror flicks from the 80's and critical of the American values of suburban loss.
I read about how terrible the movie is because some genius knew who the killer was from the start. I read that the chills are laughable... Reviewers, guess what. You're not cleverer than the writers and director. However you might be one more prototype that movie studios rely on to produce pleasing blockbuster hits.
I know Who Killed Me could be classified in the same category as movies like Grindhouse or TV's Twin Peaks. It has a permanent subtle humor about itself and what it depicts. Bored teenagers, immature parents, unqualified teachers and overpowered police... here is the bunch of characters you will get to know. The casting was well directed and miss Lohan does suck you in the movie with her well known attitude and an unsuspected self-cynical humor. She's a teen actress playing a stripper, she knows it sounds bad and it makes the movie good.
The ending might be open to interpretation, like most interesting endings always are (Mulholland Drive, Basic Instinct, etc.) but who killed the poor girls won't matter much by the end of this movie. The psychological journey of Lohan's character is the central piece of the movie, and the foundations to it are its own comical elements.
Of course, I referred to Lynch, Tarantino and Verhoeven (who interestingly enough suffered the same kind treatment after the camp classic Showgirls) but I would not go as far as saying that I Know Who Killed me has the same rare genius that will make it last through the years, but it absolutely delivered the cynical fun that comes out from somewhere in between utter stupidity and sharp wit.
My little East Village crowd surprisingly was open-minded enough to clap the movie throughout the end credits. Of course I pleasantly joined the applause. I pretty much anticipate the movie to join the lot of "love them or hate them" flicks, so, just like the movie did, I will not take myself too seriously and just claim that: "I looooved it!"