Did Harlan Ellison really contribute to the screenplay of this film? Did he really script the scene at the end when Oscar nominations are read and we find that Richard Burton is a nominee for something called "Grapes In Winter"? Worse than "Valley of the Dolls," even worse than "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," this one deserves a permanent place in the video library of all those who love deplorably bad movies. It's impossible to decide who gives the worst performance in this film, but Stephen Boyd has the most screen time so he deserves the prize even more than the laughably inept Tony Bennett. The movie is incredibly naive about the importance of the Oscar. Sure, it can make a career, but losing one isn't likely to end one either. Like they say, it is an honor just to be nominated, but when Boyd learns he will not go home with the gold, well, the movie suggests it's all over for him. But for all its glorious badness, this movie's greatest contribution to popular culture came in the 80s when SCTV produced a memorable spoof called "The Nobel" that is even more side-splitting.
