It is the mere presence of the late Anne Bancroft in GRABO TALKS that keeps the film from being totally intolerable. This rather silly 1984 comedy is about a dying woman (Bancroft)whose dying wish is to meet Greta Garbo, the actress of whom she has a lifelong obsession and knows everything about. This dying wish sends her son (Ron Silver) on a journey to make this wish come true for his mother. It's kind of interesting watching Silver do the detective work required to find a recluse like Garbo but it is lovely to see the lengths the guy goes to in order to fulfill his mother's dying wish. Some talented veterans are seen to good advantage in supporting bits including Steven Hill, Howard Da Silva, Hermione Gingold, Adolph Green, Dorothy Loudon, and Richard B. Shull, but it is Bancroft who really makes this film worth watching. I love the scenes of her laying in her bed talking about Garbo's career and sharing intimate details with her son about Garbo's movies and life. This kind of material would have been maudlin and sappy in the hands of other actresses, but Bancroft makes this material sing and makes this movie worth watching. BTW, that is legendary screenwriter Betty Comden appearing at the end of the movie as Garbo.
Review of Garbo Talks
