George Cukor is and always will be one of my favorites. The unsung hero of his generation. Nobody mentions Cukor in the same breath as John Ford, Howard Hawks, William Wyler or Billy Wilder and yet, look at his filmography. From sparkling comedies "The Philadelphia Story" "Adam's Rib" "Holiday" Psycho melodramas "Gaslight" "A Double Life" a great semi western "Heller in Pink Tights" not to mention "My Fair Lady" or "Travels with my Aunt" He was at the service of his actors, he never put himself in front of the camera. I feel a certain tenderness watching "Rich and Famous" flashes of the old master still very much in evidence. Candice Bergen gives us for the first time in her career glimpses of the wonderful comedian she was about to become. Jacqueline Bisset is a throwback to the days of Greer Garson and Loretta Young and Hart Bochner steps in, teasing us, promising something spectacular that will eventually materialize in 1989 with "Apartment Zero", Meg Ryan, as Bergen's daughter is already Meg Ryan. As tired as the formula is, it remains a Cukor film and for what I gather one of Almodovar's favorite movies.
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arichmondfwc29 December 2004
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SnoopyStyle6 May 2020In 1959, roommates Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bisset) and Merry Noel (Candice Bergen) are best friends in Smith College. Merry runs off to marry Doug Blake. Liz goes on to become a serious writer. Merry has a daughter, a large beach house in Malibu, and writes a trashy novel about her neighbors. Liz brings it to her publisher and Merry becomes an overwhelming success.
Hey! It's Meg Ryan in her debut. This wants to be a serious movie about a female friendship but at times, it falls down into trashy romance novels. Candice Bergen is too flighty and she doesn't fit the role. As for Bisset, she's solid until the movie gives her a boy toy. It's not so much a meet-cute but rather a creepy stalking. For every step forward, this movie takes a step back. The potential for a great movie about female friendship is here. It has two solid actresses. It needs more scenes with them together. They could show the changes in their relationship with those scenes. It also needs to cut out some of the more pulpy elements and clunky dialogue. -
marcslope18 December 2015Not-bad-at-all swan song for the great George Cukor, a "women's picture" remake of 1944's "Old Acquaintance" that actually improves on it somewhat. That's thanks mostly to screenwriter Gerald Ayres, who has updated it in credible and interesting ways and cut down on some of the excesses of the genre. As old friends who become romantic and professional rivals, Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen appear to be having a marvelous time, and David Selby's quite all right in the Gig Young-ish role of the dreamboat who married the wrong Smith graduate. Cukor's venture into R-rated filmmaking is a little self- conscious, and he dwells perhaps too long on the various beautiful young men who make the acquaintance of these two, but it's professional, attractive filmmaking. Notable also for the fascinating party guests who turn up as extras--Nina Foch, Christopher Isherwood, etc.
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nomorefog26 May 2011This film was made in 1981 and was George Cukor's last directorial effort before his retirement from the silver screen. It stars Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen as two childhood friends who meet at an exclusive girl's Ivy League college. Naturally it is the good old 1950's, a decade not renowned for its tolerance of women having careers. Jackie remains single and is allowed a career, whilst Candice marries and becomes a homemaker who envies Jackie's freedom as a single woman (who, being single, at least according to this film, is not expected to have children). Candice herself feels tied down by the one child that she has ( isn't it nice to know that they've figured all of this out for us before we get started). Anyway, Candice becomes frustrated and unhappy because she is married to a bit of a boring simp and since her daughter is growing up and doesn't need her any longer, she decides to beat Jackie at her own game by becoming a writer too, and naturally things get complicated. Well, they don't really, the movie just wants you to think that they do. In a nutshell 'Rich and Famous' charts the shifting relationship between Liz (Bisset) and Merry Noel (Bergen) in a way that is empowering. Husbands and boyfriends come and go but their sometimes rocky friendship is meant to remain.
The plot takes the usual twists and turns. There is a love scene that takes place in an aeroplane bathroom at 80,000 feet which was considered quite racy in its day and some very boring plot contrivances concerning sexual relationships and the fear of getting old, topics which were considered to be of consequence during the late 70's and early 80's. Both women are dressed well and look good, the men they are involved with aren't up to much and I would defy any man to stay awake during the proceedings. In retrospect, this movie would be best described as an eighteen year old girl's wish fulfilment: the women are smart and have careers, the men are dumb and almost laughably unthreatening, and all the characters seem to have access to an income that comes from God knows where. They live in beautiful houses in big glamorous cities like New York and Los Angeles where there is no crime or conflict and without any of the normal stresses and strains of ordinary human existence.
It's already been noted that director George Cukor was an elderly man when he made this film. As a veteran of the golden age of Hollywood it seems obvious that these were the kinds of movies he was used to making, where people are civilised and nice to each other, have plenty of disposable income and have the opportunity to live exemplary lives as an example to the rest of us. But the movie seems just too old fashioned in its sensibility to be believable. It is pretty to look at, all of the aspects of the filmmaking are performed professionally and the two leading ladies deport themselves admirably. It's just that...well, neither character seems properly rooted in any kind of realistic context, and nor does the plot.
I find 'Rich and Famous' to be a guilty pleasure. I'm almost ashamed to say that I enjoy it, but have to admit that I do. Don't expect brain surgery, just 1 hour and 40 minutes of escapism deftly presented for your visual enjoyment . Don't give it too much thought and who knows, you might have a lot of fun. -
dbdumonteil11 June 2003George Cukor is an actresses director.He told himself it was nothing but an old cliché ,probably as old as the hills ,as old as "gone with the wind" when Leigh and De Havilland went on rehearsing with him even after he was fired.
But this cliché is completely true here.Every scene where Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen are together is riveting,dazzling,moving,funny all at once.but when the movie deals with Bisset's love affairs,it 's an awful bore.Doug's scenes are watchable at a pinch because the actor has a certain presence ,but the Rolling Stone guy's ones are almost unbearable,being bland ,pseudo-intellectual ;this is really a lightweight performance ,to put it mildly.
But the two actresses work wonders when they share the screen.Two scenes highlight the movie:the first ,in Malibu,where the two women spend a whole night reading Bergen's writing prowess;the second in NYC,when they have an ultimate quarrel :Bisset tells her mate she's only one part of a woman:you easily guess which one.
Of course ,it's a very uneven movie and inferior to Cukor's precedent work ("travels with my aunt",not counting his ill-fated "the blue bird") but the fast forward button is useful when the movie begins to drag on. -
Poseidon-35 August 2004Throwing his hat into the ring one last time before retiring (and then dying two years later!), legendary director George Cukor helmed this remake of "Old Acquaintance", the type of film that would not have been a surprise to see on his resume back in '43 (but the director was actually Vincent Sherman.) Cukor was noted throughout his remarkable 40 year career for his way with actresses (some of which were considered the most famous under the sun!), so it is appropriate that his last film featured two of them in showy starring roles. Bisset and Bergen are college friends in 1959 when Bergen skips out of the dormitory to marry Selby. A few years later, Bergen is a seemingly contented housewife and mother while Bisset has published a highly acclaimed first novel (and a second one is slow in coming!) Eventually, Bergen expresses a desire to write as well and this kicks off a feud between the ladies regarding art versus entertainment. meanwhile, they each experience heartbreaks in the romance department. Bisset produced this film (understandably, to get out of dreck like "When Time Ran Out") and is the more prominently featured of the two. She has many strong moments in the film and more than a few silly and/or tiresome ones as well. She makes no attempt at any point in the film to display even a shred of period detail in her hair or costuming (insisting on a shaggy-poodle hairstyle that is neither appropriate nor flattering to her gorgeous features) and this hurts the quality of the film more than one might expect. Bergen, on the other hand, looks smashing in a time-tunnel-tour of fabulous hair and clothing pieces. She gives her role every ounce of zest and humor that it can contain. In short, she comes out way on top in the acting and presence horse races. At times threatening to become a parody, she manages to imbue her character with depth and resonance. Also in the cast are (the oddly cast) Selby as Bergen's emasculated husband, (gorgeous) Bochner as a laid-back Rolling Stone reporter who admires Bisset and a wet-behind-the-ears Ryan (in her first role) as Bergen's impetuous daughter. Though some of the dialogue gets a little out there every once in a while and the story is bound by its old fashioned roots despite modern (foul) language and sexual implications, some degree of true human emotion still comes through and the ladies share a nice onscreen rapport. Georges Delerue provides a lovely pre-"Steel Magnolias" score. The plot occasionally gets a little off track and the film resorts to overdone melodrama at times (the teddy bear scene), but enough intelligence went into the portrayals and the script for this to have some meaning. As an added treat, impossibly young Lattanzi shares his much-lauded rump with the camera and the delectable Dack Rambo makes an unbilled appearance.
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If you're old enough to remember when television networks aired movies of the week--usually part 1 on Sunday nights and part 2 on Tuesday nights--you'll probably understand how this film fits into that, at least in my view. Remakes, reboots, and reworkings have been a part of storytelling since it began, but the question I'm left with is...why? Why did someone decide that Old Acquaintance, with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins, would work as an updated, R-rated film, especially with a television-like feel to it?
I disagree with reviewers who say this is wonderfully cast. Yes, there is chemistry between Bisset and Bergen, but that doesn't mean it works for the film as a whole. I do, however, agree that Bergen's southern accent is more than just distracting. She slips in and out of it so often, I wanted to stop watching.
The movie did, in my opinion, pick up around the 1 hr 30 min mark; and that's the only reason I watched it in its entirety. It was fun and slightly nostalgic to see Meg Ryan in her debut. And I also agree with other reviewers who comment on Ms. Bergen's cool wardrobe. I also reluctantly concede that Deleure's music score is too sappy for this production.
In all, it's average and nothing more. If you're big fans of either of the lead actresses, it's worth your time. Otherwise, it's kind of a snooze fest. -
Most known as an "Actresses director" and with a long career in Hollywood George Cukor made in 1981 "Rich and Famous" his last film. Compared to some of his classics such as "Born Yesterday" and "My Fair Lady" and other of his positive filmography this movie is quite disappointing and a mediocre swan song for a brilliant career. And despite the names of Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset among the main characters both actresses are not that well considering that Cukor directed several Oscar winning performances (that includes the rehearsals he made with Vivien Leigh and all the casting of "Gone With the Wind").
I think that much of my dislike is because of the strange screenplay based on a play written by John Van Druten. It is awkward at some points, it never fully allows an interesting presentation of characters, many of them appear and disappear out of nowhere, the focus in only Bisset's character made the film with one track to follow and the title is about the two friends and nothing is really well developed. And that might have ruined the acting of the cast (except for Hart Bochner who is quite good) and even worst perhaps the casting director didn't work well and made some unfortunate mistakes.
The story of two great friends (played by Bisset and Bergen), their happy and sad moments; their affection for the same man (David Selby) who married with one of them and was in love by the other; also focuses on their search for love, happiness, comprehension, sex, success, and everything that humans wants or do.
Just like any other classic of the genre these friends are always disagreeing in some things, and their discussions are excessive, sometimes meaningless, other times it just makes you falling asleep. But despite all that it is a good effort from director Cukor, who actually made an impressive and surprising thing here. Although he was part of an old school tradition of directors he really made a 1980's movie, exploring good sexual scenes, something inexistent during most of the time he directed some of the most important classics of all time.
I didn't learn anything with the plot except that writers are so sentimental about awards (Bergen's character infuriated for sharing an award she received along with another writer) and about their friends starting a career as...writers!
If you like all the people involved in this film watch it, you might enjoy more than I did. It was a good chance to see a very young Meg Ryan in her first film appearance as the troubled daughter of Bergen. 6/10. -
sol-18 January 2006This was the last film that George Cukor directed, and the subject matter - looking at how a friendship develops over time - is appropriate content for a swan song from a director who had made many very different films over the years. However, as fitting as the premise might seem, the film is certainly not a high note for Cukor to end his career on. It is uneven in tone, and jumps through time without giving the impression that it is doing so, as the characters hardly change or age. It is no help that the characters are hard to like either, or that Bergen is an annoyance to have on screen. Bisset handles her part fairly well on the other hand, and she is able to pull through despite the excessive sexual antics given to her character. The film suffers from being too talkative too, but the dialogue does contain some wit, and there are some amusing moments in the mix. Overall, it is not a strong end to George Cukor's career, and it is not even a particularly good film. Still, for Bisset and Cukor completists, there will enough of interest here to be worth a look.
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libbybrown-0454921 September 2018I can understand why the stars were rumored to have had an affair...Candice Bergen starts out in a closet and the movie ends with Jaqueline Bisset asking her oldest friend to kiss her.
But there is so much in between! It is a great story of long friendship...how there are highs and lows for both and jealousy all around.
The movie has one of the weirdest sex scenes I've ever seen (between Liz and the young stranger). I really didn't care for Candice Bergen's southern accent. The score is a little too sappy for me.
In general, I enjoyed the movie. -
moonspinner5529 June 2001Screenwriter Gerald Ayres' crazy dialogue throughout "Rich and Famous", a remake of the Bette Davis chestnut "Old Acquaintance", continually sounds like failed poetry (or, perhaps, an amateur poet's idea of what movie dialogue should sound like). When college chums-turned-literary rivals Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen are arguing, Bisset refers to herself metaphorically as a dedicated dog. "One come into the yard, we'd kick it out!" Bergen hisses to her. Bisset: "They're refreshingly loyal!" Bergen: "They'd **** a snake if it stood still!" It gets worse. While cuddling with her boy-toy (a writer from Rolling Stone!), Bisset asks if men weep. Her fella says, "We have little hairs that stand up on the backs of our necks." Bisset: "Are your little hairs standing up?" This is a flaky, camp-melodrama, ostensibly aimed at just the sort of women depicted on-screen. Though the two ladies look beautiful, they're acting styles clash: Bisset, trying for depth, comes off as cold and dour; Bergen is hyped-up for a battle, yet her southern accent is shaky (to be charitable) and her approach to this part seems out of place--she's a puff pastry on a dinner table full of oysters. At the end of the film, New Year's Eve, Bisset is feeling lonely and reaches out to her lifelong friend/enemy/whatever. "I need the press of human flesh!" she whispers dramatically to Bergen. "And you are the only flesh around...kiss me!" Somebody send this writer back to movie-school. ** from ****
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budmassey28 January 2001George Cuckor, known as a director of women, couldn't have hoped for two more talented and beautiful women for his last film. Itself a remake of Bette Davis' campy "Old Acquaintance" written by John Van Druten, this film is definitely dated, but still delightful.
Bergen and Bisset sparkle as best friends who compete at everything, but manage to remain friends. Liz Hamilton (Bisset) is a "serious" writer, intellectual, and elegant. She meets her lifelong best friend Merry Noel at an exclusive girls school and they begin a lifetime of not always friendly competition. Later in their lives, when Liz is a "promising" but blocked writer of serious fiction, Merry decides to try her hand at writing, which infuriates her pal because of Merry's casual approach to the craft she herself takes perhaps a little too seriously.
Much to Liz's chagrin, Merry's trashy novels hit pay dirt, and ultimately, her old friend Liz is judging her novel for the National Book Award. Bergen steals the show as the haughty writer of steamy bestsellers who schemes to bring together the broken pieces of her life in conjunction with her final literary triumph, but alas, things are never that simple.
The supporting cast includes David Selby, whom you might remember as the tragic Quentin Collins from Dark Shadows, Hart Bochner and, of course, a deliciously young and mercurial Meg Ryan in her first film role since leaving the soaps.
Rich and Famous is catty, campy, witty and wise. It culminates in a New Years fiasco that stresses the enduring nature of true friendship, and I never let a year go by without watching it on New Years Eve. Watch it and you'll see why. -
julie-821 November 2022I saw this in the 80s and I can't say I truly realized then what a stinker this movie is. Candice Bergen is beautiful, even in some over-the-top costumes and hair, but the character she was given to portray is so awful and nasty that it makes no sense that Jacqueline Bisset's character would waste five minutes of friendship on her, let alone 30 or 40 years or whatever it's supposed to be. The movie is funny occasionally, but not in ways that seem intentional. Still, some of the lines are simply ridiculous and you find yourself spitting out your beverages at inopportune times. But it does succeed at keeping your attention, in that "I can't look away from this mess" way. Overall, I would say that its picture of friendship is just about as appalling as its picture of what it means to make your living as a writer, especially for women. Having said that, I must also add that the male characters aren't treated any more kindly than the women. Everybody in the movie is vapid, unpleasant, unbelievably selfish, and mostly just silly. What is it supposed to mean? I have no clue. That you should put up with craziness and narcissism just to say you have a friend? Maybe that's it.
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Olivier-328 November 1998Okay, it is not the most upbeat movie ever shot, but it is for sure one of the smartest and deepest pictures about friendship. Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset shine as two intelligent women who found wiseness, if not happiness, through the cracks of personal failure. Plus, this was Meg Ryan's first appearance, in a small role as Candice Bergen's daughter!
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jmillerdp7 December 2015Incredibly embarrassing final film for director George Cukor. His great career wheezes to a stiflingly bad conclusion in "Rich and Famous." I am guessing it is supposed to be an R-rated version of the popular "women's pictures" from times previous.
But, instead, it lurches so uncomfortably with terrible dialogue that no one would EVER speak. The performances are rudimentary, at best, with Bergen's terrible come-and-go attempt at a southern accent the most egregious.
I only watched it on TCM because: 1.) There was nothing else on, and 2.) To see how bad this trainwreck would be. Conclusion: Pretty bad!
** (2 Out of 10 Stars) -
dhmoninger23 September 2010This was a really awful movie. It was like a plane crash. I kept watching, hoping that there was some kind of chance that it would escape certain death, but I finally turned it off halfway through and returned it to Netflix. A shrieking Bergen and aimless intellectual wanna be Bisset were such a turn off, I was ashamed to think there were women who actually live this way. Maybe they were brain damaged by all the hairspray Merry Noelle used. Can't imagine how Cukor was involved in any of this. I actually laughed at the airplane bathroom montage which blended sex-with-a-stranger and commentary/visuals of landing gear. Yuck. Double yuck.
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Turfseer17 November 2022As famed director George Cukor's swan song, Rich and Famous must have been a huge disappointment to him. It was a huge critical and box office fiasco and deservedly so!
Rich and Famous chronicles the friendship between two college friends, Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bisset) and Merry Noel Blake (Candice Bergen). We first meet them while they are co-eds at Smith College in 1959. Flash forward ten years later and Liz is now a successful New York-based novelist on the college circuit while Merry is happily married to Doug Blake (David Selby), a businessman, settled in Malibu, California, with a young daughter.
The screenplay is an adaptation of the 1940 play Old Acquaintance and it's quite dialogue heavy. Merry, a Southern belle, is the comic relief here with Liz playing the "straight man."
The plot hinges on Merry suddenly becoming a novelist in her own right after Liz graciously hands Merry's sudsy manuscript to publisher Jules Levi (Steven Hill) for a quick read. Before you know it, Merry's far less sophisticated work becomes a huge sensation, and she becomes an even bigger success than her more intellectual friend.
Bergen overacts in the lame role as the jealous wife who incorrectly assumes Liz is making a play for her Doug. Eventually Doug walks out on the ditsy Merry due to all the overbearing jealousy.
The "straight man" Liz fulfills her sexual desires as a liberated single woman, forming quickie dalliances with a stranger in the lavatory of a plane headed back to New York City, an 18-year-old hustler who she bumps into on a NYC street and a 22-year-old writer for Rolling Stone Magazine. What this has to do with her friendship with Merry beats me.
The "big" climax has Liz sitting on a committee which decides whether Merry will receive a distinguished award for her latest novel. When Liz decides to approve of a joint award with a celebrated up and coming African American novelist, Merry goes ballistic expressing rage at Liz for not supporting her one hundred percent.
If you're expecting to find something out about the publishing business, think again. This is strictly about petty jealousy between friends, marital discord, and a single woman's lack of success in finding true love.
The ending is predictable as the two friends reaffirm their friendship with a chaste kiss. Despite decent enough acting, don't waste your time with this lugubrious soaper as ultimately you will not care a lick for these characters. -
lambiepie-27 August 2005Gosh, I am learning pretty fast that sometimes when you see a film as a youngster and then again 20 years later you gain a different view -- primarily because in 20 years you learn more. For example, I had no idea who George Cukor was - how great of a director he was and how much of that made this film fly. All I can say is..I really liked this film for it touched on an area that paralleled my life: lifelong friendship between two women. Can that EVER exist? Well, in certain doses, yes...and this film let out in a bit on ... "how".
Being a youngster with not a lot of life experience at the first time I saw this so I focused more on the "rich" and "famous" part between the two. At the time, I had no idea there was a difference and what would happen to two women who discovered there was...and how that would effect their friendship. Through their men, their career, the decades that defined them. And coming to realize one thing remained stronger than anything else...their friendship and knowing each other more than anyone else could have.
Then I got older, studied film a bit... and watched this film again with my best friend from High School. We do understand the 'rich' and 'famous' angle ... and we are still the best of friends...but this film is not a cinematic masterpiece...it can be seen as a bit campy at times...a little over the top at points (kinda on a 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' level to me..) and honestly I can identify with the "teddy bear" scene for we do share a bear that means a lot more than a stuffed fun toy through our trials and tribulations with men/careers, et al..so its not as over the top as it seems....! As many already said, seeing Meg Ryan and Matt Latanzzi and Dack Rambo and David Selby are great in this 1981 piece. this is a nice "chick" flick! -
JHHPRO9 November 2007I finally received my DVD today, viewed it and I'm pleased to announce this is the original theatrical version of the film. As you may have read in previous reviews of "Rich and Famous" that the edited for TV version of the film that somehow made it onto VHS sometime in the late 90's but, now WB has corrected the error and released it on DVD complete with the airplane restroom scene, Matt Lattanzi's bare butt, and the scene in the Hotel room where Liz (Jacqueline Bisset) calls Merry (Candice Bergen) a C**t! It's all there and looks better than ever! A crisp clear digital transfer, widescreen, and special features that include original theatrical trailer and a vintage 1981 featurette called "On Location with Rich and Famous" with cast and director interviews. If you love this film as I do you won't be disappointed with purchasing this DVD. Glad to finally have this on DVD Well worth the wait! Thank you Warner Bros!
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Boyo-231 July 2000Both Jackie and Candice are terrific in this movie. They are well-suited to their roles and have several chances to shine. In particular, the way Candice pronounces the words "Puerto Rican" is very funny, as she is being kind as she can be but condescending at the same time. I had seen the original of this movie, called "Old Acquaintance", starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. They allegedly did not get along, so because the movie is about female friendship, that might have been a problem. Here, the actresses clearly admire and respect each other. Hart Bochner and Meg Ryan have supporting parts and are both excellent, in particular Bochner, who never got many decent parts in movies, as far as I am concerned. George Cukor did not make another movie after this, so this was a good one to go out on.
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donwc199616 July 2013Bergen and Bisset! What a blazing combo! Only George Cukor could have created such an incredible double tour de force as he has here. The performances of Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset are positively cosmic keeping the viewer at the edge of his seat every riveting moment. The dialogue is intelligent, witty and timeless and the men are ravishing. Boy does Cukor have an eye for the guys! It's amazing how much sex they were able to squeeze into such a literary story! I was amazed. And even when the sex was gratuitous I didn't mind in the least not when the package is as sublime as it is here. Oh brother! Hose me down!
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vitracm25 May 2006I loved this film because of the dialog and superb acting by Candace and Jacqueline. However, I never knew until now, watching a Bette David marathon on TNT that this film is a remake of a 1943 Bette Davis classic called Old Acquaintance. Bette co-stars with Miriam Hopkins who she was in a terrible feud with during the making of the movie because Bette had had an affair with Miriam's husband who directed her in a film before they made Old Acquaintance.
Anyway, both are worth every minute spent watching. I highly recommend this film if you like a lot of dialog and drama. It's a study in the psychology of women and their relationships with each other, in my opinion. -
ClassicMovieLuvva29 March 2021Invite your girlfriends over and have a blast with this vintage buddy film. Don't worry if your friends talk over the dialogue, everyone will enjoy the beautiful costumes and scenic locations.
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All I can say is watch this film, and if you don't have some jaw-dropping moments of self-realization and heartbreak at how this film so accurately portrays deep friendship, abiding love, elite intelligence, and the struggle for self-reinforcing confidence, well..... then you must be braindead......
I have always truly believed that the Oscars should have a "we missed this the first time around" Oscar to award to films that TRULY TRULY stand the test of time and show so clearly in later years that this film, these actresses, the screenplay... they ALL deserved Oscars.... and Hart Bochner.... well..... I'm 60 years old now.... but I remember like it was yesterday what my first reaction was to seeing him on screen..... I said to myself, "That is the most beautiful boy I have ever seen....." And he still is .... in that (thank God) perfectly and forever pristine celluloid format..... :-) This film deserves to be seen, appreciated, and praised :-) :-) :-) -
JohnHowardReid28 February 2018I wan't going to review this movie., as I felt sure there were probably already two or three hundred reviews at IMDb. I was quite surprised to find only fifty.
George Cukor was highly regarded as Hollywood's best director of women, so it's fitting that his final film should focus on two women who always come out on top -- except for one odd scene in an airplane in which a man outpaces the woman concerned.
As usual, Cukor has drawn fine performances from his cast, not only from his stars but all the way down the line.
I'm told that the film lost money. It was certainly expensively made and Cukor was the sort of director who would keep on shooting a scene until he felt the players had submitted an absolutely perfect take.
They don't allow directors to keep directing until the players submit the perfect take any more. Once they have a take with no slips in the can, that's it! They strike the lights!
An MGM movie, available on an excellent Warner's DVD.