Just as primetime soaps were taking off, so naive came up with this idea that makes some of the worst of them look like classic theater. Tony Curtis is the head of a major fashion conglomerate who is described to be spending his life making women gorgeous when he doesn't even like them. He's seperated from wife Polly Betgen, presented with an illegitimate son he didn't even know exosted, prepares to marry the gold digging Sylvia Kristel, then suffers a life-threatening heart attack which she hopes will kill him and put her in complete power. Her only threat is the illegitimate son, David Huffman will be the one thing standing in her way. Business rival William Daniels also wants a piece of the pie, something that he knows would have Curtis spinning im his grave.
Weakly written one dimensional characters are all cliched archetypes of what has been written in trashy novels since that non-art form was invented, and the whole thing is a silly mess that made the later TV mini-series and short lived prime time spinoff "Bare Essence" so critically reviled. Lee Grant, who played the villainess in the mini-series, has the thankless role of an old lover of Curtis's whose company he stole. Bergen is a strong digress and gets the best scenes, but Kristel is over the top and eye rolling. Herschel Bernardi as Curtis's best friend has little to offer. It's obvious by the way this ended (with no real conclusion) that they hoped there'd be a follow up, and fortunately, the audience was spared that. Glossy isn't always glorious.
Weakly written one dimensional characters are all cliched archetypes of what has been written in trashy novels since that non-art form was invented, and the whole thing is a silly mess that made the later TV mini-series and short lived prime time spinoff "Bare Essence" so critically reviled. Lee Grant, who played the villainess in the mini-series, has the thankless role of an old lover of Curtis's whose company he stole. Bergen is a strong digress and gets the best scenes, but Kristel is over the top and eye rolling. Herschel Bernardi as Curtis's best friend has little to offer. It's obvious by the way this ended (with no real conclusion) that they hoped there'd be a follow up, and fortunately, the audience was spared that. Glossy isn't always glorious.
