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Before there was Paris Hilton, there was socialite Edie Sedgwick. However, instead of hanging out with the likes of Nicole Richie, Sedgwick gained stardom as the muse of Andy Warhol, and in this movie a Bob Dylan-like “Musician.” Sedgwick was well educated, but naïve, used up and quickly discarded from the culture that made her the premiere “it” girl of her generation.

Sienna Miller (CASANOVA) plays Sedgwick as a beauty who to Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce, MEMENTO) represented the rich party glamour that he equally adored and despised. Along with her tagalong friend Chuck Wein (Jimmy Fallon, FEVER PITCH), she basked in the limelight, appearing as the central figure in Warhol’s art and especially his avant guard films. She quickly became one of the hottest models in the world. This drew the attention of the famous “musician” in the film, played by Hayden Christensen (STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH). The folksy singer with his message-filled tunes was in strict contrast to the pop culture emotional void that surrounded Warhol. Along with her lavish spending and eventual decline into drugs, her life spins out of control.

Miller does a great job carrying the weight of the story on her shoulders. Her electric personality makes it easily to believe why people would be so attracted to her. However, the real standout is Pearce as Warhol. Many actors have attempted to play the iconic artist, but few have relished in the contradictory personal as convincingly as he does. We feel his life-long obsession with his less-than-glamorous looks, understanding Sedgwick’s inspirational influence on him and his eventual betrayal of her when she was no longer his pretty puppet to control. Though they do not call him Bob Dylan, it is clear who the “musician” is supposed to be. Christensen impersonation is at times distracting, but never disastrous. Rumors stated that Dylan was still going to sue over his portrayal in the film, but I don’t see why. The Dylan-like character comes off as a man who cared about Sedgwick, but dropped her when she was unable to free herself from the Warhol grip. If anyone looks bad, it’s certainly Warhol, whose cold emotional detachment from the world makes him out to be a petty and mean user.

Director George Hickenlooper, helmer of the overlooked gem THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, charges this biopic with emotion. He is less interested with what Sedgwick did in her life and more interested in why. He brings this same attention to his supporting characters as well, making it a richly realized story. We’ve seen many tales of the tragic rise and fall of starlets, and FACTORY GIRL traverses a great deal of the same territory, but what’s intriguing about this tale is the wolf that stalks the lamb. Pearce deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance, a role that will forever change my impression of the pop culture icon.