I Shot Andy Warhol
A psychologically charged portrait of Valerie Solanas as radical feminist, aspiring screenwriter, and eventual shooter of Andy Warhol.
Overview
A radical woman's desperate plea for recognition leads to a shocking act of violence.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- volatile
- darkly comic
- intimate
- arthouse film night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film's sympathetic yet unsparing portrait of Valerie Solanas and its convincing reconstruction of Warhol's Factory, anchored by Lili Taylor's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Valerie is presented as intellectually forceful, emotionally wounded, and intermittently funny and moving while her attempted assassination remains morally disturbing.
Valerie's demands for recognition and production support repeatedly collide with Andy Warhol and the Factory's social and artistic power.
The film creates a convincing portrait of Warhol's Factory and its surrounding 1960s New York art-world culture.
Valerie's manifesto, frustrated screenplay ambitions, and escalating fixation on Warhol establish the path toward the shooting.
Films like I Shot Andy Warhol, and why
Pollock
shared biographical crime drama, volatile outsider protagonist, and art-world milieu
The Notorious Bettie Page
shared 1960s counterculture setting, radical politics, and psychologically intense female protagonist
Velvet Goldmine
shared unconventional biographical drama, queer cultural context, and abrasive outsider perspective
Monster
shared true-crime subject, alienated protagonist, and sympathetic examination of disturbing behavior
Movie Details
- Director
- Mary Harron
- Release Date
- 1996-05-01
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (96)
Cast
- Lili Taylor
- Jared Harris
- Martha Plimpton
- Lothaire Bluteau
- Anna Thomson
- Peter Friedman
- Tahnee Welch
- Jamie Harrold
- Donovan Leitch
- Michael Imperioli
Common questions
- What is I Shot Andy Warhol about?
- A psychologically charged portrait of Valerie Solanas as radical feminist, aspiring screenwriter, and eventual shooter of Andy Warhol.
- What is I Shot Andy Warhol like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Shot Andy Warhol as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is I Shot Andy Warhol violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in I Shot Andy Warhol as moderate.
- What did critics think of I Shot Andy Warhol?
- Critics generally praised the film's sympathetic yet unsparing portrait of Valerie Solanas and its convincing reconstruction of Warhol's Factory, anchored by Lili Taylor's performance.
- Which films are like I Shot Andy Warhol?
- Films with a similar feel include Pollock, The Notorious Bettie Page, Velvet Goldmine, and Monster.
- How long is I Shot Andy Warhol?
- I Shot Andy Warhol runs 103 minutes.
