Reviews

If you haven't seen this movie it is essential you rent it tonight! It is so clever, so witty, and so generally entertaining that I spent half of my childhood watching this movie. I know pretty much every word and every song and am proud of it!

First of all, Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene are outstanding and perfect for each other as their bumbling characters. Ellen especially stole my heart in the "Somewhere That's Green" sequence---her voice is so real for her character. And Moranis is hilarious as always.

Also great are Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, Christopher Guest, and especially Bill Murray as the masochistic yet pleasured-by-dental work patient. And the trio of girls who serve as the narrator in true theatrical fashion are great!

This movie is one of a kind and I recommend it to everyone, old and young! It has no age limits---everyone is a child at heart!

Come on, cut this film some slack! I mean this is no "Music Man" or "the Sound of Music" but it is a lot better than some movie musicals I have seen! There is absolutely nothing wrong with Lucy's performance as the ever-cheerful but bumbling Mame Dennis. I think she creates her own world to the character! The songs are very bouncy and appropriate for every scene! Jerry herman's finest score is not wasted in the least!

Of course, one of the best parts to this film (and one which we don't see enough of) is the irreplacable Bea Arthur as Vera Charles! ("Who's been sleeping in my dress?") She recreates her Tony-winning stage role with every ounce of charm in her soul. Other supporting shiners include Jane Connell as Agnes Gooch and Robert Preston as, umm, Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside.

There is very little I don't like about this movie. it is a camp classic by this point and should start being regarded a little more highly because it deserves it!

The title of this movie makes it sound like some kind of child's movie where some little old woman has a series of events in a strange town. Well, it is all true, but I don't know if children would find this story as touching as it is.

Ada Harris wants to buy a Dior dress and "scrimps and saves and slaves" for three years to get it. But upon arrival in Paris to buy a dress from "Dior's dress Shop", she begins to encounter all sorts of mishaps, including the Dior director who refuses to let her have a dress because she is common.

To get these out of the way, there are many parts of this film that are unbelievable. For instance, it supposedly takes place in 1953 but there are many scenes in the film where it seems like modern times. It is also highly bloody unlikely that that many things could happen to the same woman and her naivete, while being likely, is overcome way too easily in the film, but that's HOLLYWOOD!

But every little petty detail in this film can be easily overlooked by the delightful presence of Angela Lansbury! She is just absolutely terrific in a role that, while supposed to be lightly entertaining and kind of frivolous, she makes touch your heart. She is so wonderful and makes you feel so sorry for this old lady!

And then she is backed by a wonderful supporting cast, most wonderfully, Diana Rigg, as the show director at Dior, as well as the characters of Natasha, Andre, and, of course, Omar Sharif as the Marquis who befriends Mrs. 'Arris.

Fan of Lansbury or not, you cannot go wrong with this movie and you will love it!

It is hard to believe that this is Redford's directorial debut!

There are lots of movies out there dealing with the human mind and its problems within society and change, but this is THE ONE to watch! Timothy Hutton, in his film DEBUT, earned a well-deserved Oscar for his performance of the troubled Conrad Jarrett. Judd Hirsch, his psychiatrist, and Donald Sutherland, his father, give powerful performances and go far beyond the one dimension that these types of characters usually limit themselves too.

But the real gem of the film is Mary Tyler Moore. Here we see America's Sweetheart, the bubbly little thing that gained laughs from us for years on TV by crying "Oh Rob!" and "Oh Mr. Grant!", become the stone-hearted woman who never sheds a tear. We see every inch of her cold soul and identify her with someone in our own families. It is a real performance and one in which we see that Mary Tyler Moore is indeed an actress of no equal.

Everything about this movie is perfect---the lighting, the music, the excellent camerawork creating a sense of the character's often fast-paced feelings to correspond with those of the viewer. Sheer perfection and truly a work of art!

I, like so many people, never knew for the longest time that Angela Lansbury could do anymore than show up at dinner parties where people would soon be killed. But this delightful Christmas flick, scored by Jerry Herman, who wrote music for two of Lansbury's Tony-winning roles, has everything a terrific holiday classic needs. First of all, Lansbury's portrayal of the bored Mrs. Claus reeks of charm as we see the type of woman we all wish was our grandmother. There is never a dull moment with her on the screen, and her renditions of the very catchy songs Herman so vividly wrote are superb! The rest of the cast is likewise wonderful, complimenting the "Almost Young" La Lansbury's every move. Of course, they never get a scene on her, but they add a nice background for a presence like herself. The only disappointment is the waste of Charles Durning's talents as Santa Claus. He appears very bland as the allegedly Jolly Old Saint Nick and seems to make Santa depressing. But, luckily, this movie is about his wife and he has maybe 10 minutes total of film time. If you like Christmas and you like musicals, you will adore and treasure this movie for years to come.

The "Mary Tyler Moore" spinoff, "Phyllis", is often hounded as a failure where spin-offs are concerned. Actually, it is a very funny show and, if it hadn't followed up such an astounding breakthrough show as its predecessor, it would have been quite successful. Though the character of Phyllis, by far the most interesting character on MTM, was changed somewhat in her switch to her own show, it was only to make her character more likable, which worked most of the time and was a very pleasant experience to finally see the softer side of that downstairs bubblehead. The ensemble cast of the first season was wonderful (and would have been even more so if Barbara Colby hadn't have been murdered after the third episode. She was terrific as Phyllis's boss Julie Erskine.) Henry Jones is especially good, as are Jane Ross and Richard Schaal. And, of course, Cloris Leachman is a treasure. The real problem was in the show's second season, when Phyllis changed workplaces to the downtown city building, where the characters were far less interesting and oft times depressing. The ratings show it, too, because in its first season, "Phyllis" was in the Top Ten, higher than "Rhoda" or "MTM". But in its move to the second season, it did very poorly, hence its cancellation. It's a show that tried hard, so give it a chance. You won't be too disappointed!

Let me just say that despite mixed reviews and public jesting, if it weren't Barbra Streisand that made this movie and it were someone else, no one would make fun of it like they do. Everyone just likes to pick on Barbra. But this movie is actually good! This film, about a man (Jeff Bridges) who goes looking for a nonsexual relationship and finds it with a middle-aged dateless professor (Barbra Streisand). As the two leads, these actors shine immensely! Mimi Rogers and Brenda Vaccaro are equally good in their supporting and often comic roles, as is George Segal. But the star of this movie, I must say, is Lauren Bacall as Streisand's beautifully aging mother. Bacall, who is not really known for her comedy roles, took the role and ran with it, making her character hilarious at times, heart-pouring at others. She is terrific! As for the actual storyline of the movie, it is somewhat predictable in its final outcome, but the routes it takes along the way are always interesting. The music is terrific; who doesn't like Luciano Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma"? A very delightful romantic comedy!

"Hey, Mr. Producer" is the most wonderful thing out there right now for fans of Broadway and the West End who can't quite make it to the theatre. What a roster: Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Michael Ball, Dame Judi Dench, Ruthie Henshall, Lea Salonga, Jonathon Pryce... it goes on and on!

The best parts, though, include: The reunion of Dames Millicent Martin and Julia McKenzie, and David Kernan for "Side by Side by Sondheim" (their performances are especially engaging in this title song, "You Can Drive a Person Crazy", and "You Gotta Have a Gimmick"); Ellen Green's brilliant performance in the forever-hers role of Audrey in "Little Shop of Horrors" singing "Somewhere that's Green"; The Les Miserables section in which the finishing "One Day More" song is a breathtaking effect on the film--I can just imagine how moving this was live!; Julie Andrews' entrance in the "My Fair Lady" montage---" I washed my face and hands before I came, i did."; and the sequence of "Miss Saigon", one of the most brilliant musicals ever written and perfectly recreated here with Lea Salonga returning to her lead role. This Cameron Mackintosh fest is a joy to treasure for years to come--i love watching my copy--i could watch it every day! And it's perfect to finish off with Stephen Sondheim's marking piece "Old Friends"---"But us, old friends, what's to discuss, old friends..... Who's Like us? DAMN FEW!!!!"