Reviews

If you're familiar with the work of Parker Posey, Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, or Kevin Kline, it may surprise you to know that so much talent could result in such a *horrendous* film. None of the characters are likable (with the exception of the dog). Another reviewer described this film as "self-indulgent" and they were right. It's Jason-Leigh and Cummings movie, and while they both shine in other films, they bite off more than they can chew with this film. Gross overacting and ego-stroking abounds. Sure, it has it's moments (Gwyneth Paltrow, probably unknowingly, plays a parody of herself, and Jane Adams steals the show as a neurotic, frazzled new mother). My advice is: If you like Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Parker Posey or Kevin Kline, DO NOT watch this film, it will ruin them in your mind forever.

The worst thing I can say about this film is that the droids were better actors than the humans. The best thing I can say about it is that it seemed to end rather quickly, I hardly noticed I had wasted two hours of my life. With that in mind, it's necessary to watch Star Wars: A New Hope so you can enjoy the greatly superior sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Don't let this film put you off Star Wars forever.

If you've seen Jayne in her two most successful movies ("Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter" and "The Girl Can't Help It"), it might be easy to dismiss her as a one-trick pony. However, she's startlingly good in her best dramatic role as a clubowner's girlfriend in "Too Hot To Handle". I'm still looking for the plot in this movie (if there even is one), but Jayne steals the show (her motherly talk to mixed-up, ambitious Ponytail played by Barbara Windsor is one of the best moments in Jayne's career). She also demonstrates her singing and dancing skills in a couple of cute musical numbers (watch for her ridiculously long cigarette holder, her see-through gown with strategically placed beaded fringe, and a baffling feathered swimsuit). After seeing this movie, it's hard to believe anyone ever called Jayne Mansfield "the poor man's Marilyn Monroe".

Collette thought she had found her perfect Gigi in Audrey Hepburn, so it makes perfect sense that Hollywood casts the inferior, bland, and ultimately unlikeable Leslie Caron in the film version of "Gigi". She whines, she snivels, she wails, and her portrayal of Gigi completely wrecks the film. Maurice Chevalier has never been creepier than when he sings "Thank Heaven For Little Girls". However, he and Hermione Gingold light up this dire film for a brief moment with their duet "I Remember It Well". As delightful as that moment is, it's not good enough to make me sit through this film again.

As much as it pains me to criticise Marilyn, I must say that her performance in Bus Stop was an embarrassment. Her quasi-Southern accent is like nails on a chalkboard, sounding more like a speech impediment than any accent. The love story is totally unconvincing. Beau, the simpleminded cowboy, treats Cherie (Marilyn) like nothing more than cattle to the very end, yet she still falls for him. However, it is Marilyn, and she comes across as sweet & lovely as she ever has. It's a must-have for Marilyn fans simply because she tries so hard in this film (even if she does fail miserably), but if you want to see Marilyn in a very different role than the dizzy blonde we all know her as, rent "Niagra" or "Don't Bother To Knock". She did have talent, contrary to what her detractors will have you believe, but don't rent Bus Stop expecting to find any evidence of it.

Gone with the Wind, for me, is one of those films that, as soon as it's over, you can't wait to watch it again. I won't bore you with the story-line (as everyone knows it, surely). People complain that Scarlett's character isn't likeable, but that's not the point. In Scarlett, we see something that's rare in films - character development. I loathed her the first time I started watching it, she was flighty and spoiled and utterly obnoxious, but by the second half of the film, she has completely grown up. The hardships of the war turned her into a self-sufficient woman - she comes back to her plantation to find her family starving and takes charge, slowly rebuilding their ruined lives almost single-handedly. It's a magnificent film, although some parts were miscast. Ashley Wilkes comes across as a total drip. How are we to believe that beautiful, vivacious Scarlett is pining away for someone so utterly dull? Melanie Wilkes is equally as dull, but more likeable because she's so kind and forgiving. However, so many stellar performances are given that the boring Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes are readily forgotten. Clark Gable is, as always, Clark Gable, playing the man's man, the loveable scoundrel. Hattie McDaniel is superb and earned her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (the first African-American to ever win an Oscar). Belle Watling and Gerald O'Hara are particularly interesting characters which could have been developed more.

I always put off watching Gone With the Wind because most love stories set during a war end up being horrid movies, but it's well worth 4 hours of your time to see just why it's heralded as one of the greatest movies ever made.