Reviews of Leighton’s Performance
Los Angeles Times:
For much of “The Roommate’s” early going any deficiencies in Meester’s character are signaled largely by the fact that she has meekly limp hair, in counterpoint to Kelly’s luxuriantly bouncy locks. Meester is the brassy, belligerent Blair Waldorf on TV’s “Gossip Girl” and there she often seems to be performing in a slightly different register than the other actors, as if she alone is in on the joke. (There was also her scene-stealing sass and vinegar turn in the recent “Country Strong.”)
Here her performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of, as in a seduction scene with Billy Zane as a skeevy design teacher.
Entertainment Weekly:
Only Meester brings the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role. When she smiles, it’s perfectly located between a sweet display of affection and a snarling warning.
IGN:
The Roommate is never truly edgy enough to develop thrills nor is it titillating enough to fully exploit its hot chicks in trouble premise. Your run-of the-mill slasher flick does a better job of capitalizing on sexy chicks in peril. At least Meester’s performance is effective enough to be creepy at times.
MetroMix:
Meester’s creepy, committed performance is the only contribution in front of or behind the camera that nudges “The Roommate” in the direction of an actual movie. Without her, you’d have nothing more than hopelessly generic psycho-thriller filler destined to get lost among a zillion other movies just like it on Netflix.
Hollywood Reporter:
Meester manages a few creepily intense moments in her Jennifer Jason Leigh-inspired role.
