Poison Ivy (1990)
Starring Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert, Cheryl Ladd and Tom Skerritt
Directed by Katt Shea
Genre: Erotic thriller
Rating: 8

Poison Ivy is a pretty well-known cult movie that I'd heard a lot about and always wanted to watch. My earliest memories of knowing about this movie were when I was a kid, and whenever I'd play make believe with my friends, I'd always want my name to be Ivy. I remember my mom saying "I don't like that name because it reminds me of when Drew Barrymore played a creepy girl named Ivy in a movie". Well, I was intrigued. And when I later found out that, in addition to Drew, both Cheryl Ladd, who I am a huge fan of from my favorite TV show Charlie's Angels, and Sara Gilbert, who I had a crush on from Roseanne, where in it, I KNEW I had to watch it! And (spoiler alert!) there's some lady kissin'!

Well, unfortunately, it took me a long-ass time to watch this movie. No one seemed to have it. I couldn't find it anywhere to buy, and no one had it to rent, even the hip movie store near my house! Some clips I could find on Youtube only piqued my interest. Eventually I found it at Amoeba Records, and the rest is history.

The movie starts out with Sylvie (Gilbert) sitting on a rock near a creek, writing in her journal about how she's fascinated by Ivy (Barrymore). ("I guess she's short of beautiful. I don't know. Those lips. You know, lips are supposed to be a perfect reflection of another part of a woman's anatomy. Not that I'm a lesbian. Well, maybe I am. No, definitely not."), who at that very moment is swinging on a rope over the creek, lookin' wild and free. A dog is hit by a car in a nearby street, and all the kids rush over to look. They wonder what to do until Ivy takes the matter into her own hands, killing the dog with a blow to the head via a pipe. Later, the two girls meet in the office of their rich private school (Ivy is on scholarship. Sylvie is actually rich.)They chat about how Sylvie's dad is an asshole, and then Ivy asks for a ride home. At Sylvie's house, Ivy meets Sylvie's sickly, bedridden mother (Ladd). Sylvie has a strained relationship with her mom, but after some initial tensions, Sylvie's mom becomes very fond of Ivy. Sylvie and Ivy become closer and closer. Eventually, Ivy has all but moved in, as the aunt she's staying with doesn't care about her. We can see some sexual tensions between Ivy and Sylvie's father, which I'm sure will come to no good. (Hint: I was right.)

Eventually, Ivy and Sylvie hit a rough patch in their relationship. Sylvie is jealous of Ivy having such a close relationship with her family members, especially her dog. Ivy has seduced Sylvie's father while his wife was passed out in the bed (Sylvie is not aware of this)to some cheesy sax music, which will be heard again. One day, Sylvie's mom, depressed due to her illness, is standing on the balcony in her room. Ivy walks in, and sees her, saying, "You think about it sometimes, don't you?" Sylvie's mom admits she has considered suicide a few times. Ivy is now behind her, and suddenly pushes her off the balcony. She is upset, and when Sylvie wanders into the room, she hides. Sylvie believes her mother has committed suicide, and is sad. Ivy convinces her to get into bed with her, and tell her everything she's feeling, like she was her mom. Sylvie is a little weirded out, but complies, finding it soothing.

Now that Sylvie's mom is dead, Ivy is wearing her clothes, and even cleans her car, bringing the urn with Sylvie's mom's ashes to the car. Sylvie sees this, and attempts to intervene, but Ivy convinces her to go for a ride with her, giving her mom's spirit the freedom she craves. On the drive, Sylvie becomes suspicious that Ivy was there when her mom died, as she is singing a song that was playing in her room that day. Ivy becomes upset, and they get into an accident. Ivy comes too, and positions Sylvie in the drivers seat to throw suspicion off herself. Sylvie is taken to the hospital.

At the hospital, Sylvie is becoming very paranoid about Ivy. She sneaks out of the hospital, despite her bloody head and inappropriate attire, and goes back to her house. Due to her head injury, she is experiencing some hallucinations. She walks into her living room, and sees her father having sex with someone, who at first she thinks is her mother, but is actually Ivy. She freaks, and runs out of the room with Ivy following her. Sylvie runs into her mother's room, and sees her mom standing, waiting for her. She approaches her, and her mother embraces her, and then starts making out with her (yes!). Sylvie is freaked out and pushes her away, when she sees that she was actually kissing Ivy. She accuses Ivy of killing her mom, who says that her mother wanted to die, and, "now we can all be a family" or something like that. In a fit of rage, Sylvie pushes Ivy off of the balcony, killing her. She stands crying on the balcony, while her father is in his car staring at Ivy who lies on the sidewalk in front of him. The credits begin as Sylvie states that she still misses "her".

I really like this movie. The genre of "obsessed best friends with somewhat of a lesbian interest in each other can't deal with their emotions and their attachment takes a step too far and turns into a blood bath" has always been a favorite. And, despite the creep dad-and-Ivy angle, Sylvie/Ivy is a relationship that I quite like. (They're hot, obsessed, kiss twice, and sleep in the same bed. Yes please!) Definitely recommended!!