Here's Coen Sister with her first film of the festival, ISN'T SHE GREAT. Often times the accomplishments of Coen Sister are overlooked by her brothers' limelight lives, but neverthless... she continues forward... a brave soul... setting out to do her thing. And for the next 10 days she's planning on seeing 5 movies a day over the course of SUNDANCE... Let's see if she can survive! Here we go...
ISN'T SHE GREAT
Every once in a great while, a film will come along and surprise you. Not because it's groundbreaking cinema and not because it affects the viewer passionately. Sometimes there are just films that you're happy to see don't suck as badly as you expected.
ISN'T SHE GREAT is one of those pleasant surprises; a somewhat mediocre idea for a movie with a horribly unfunny trailer that literally made me cringe. It's not going to win any Oscars and it doesn't present a terribly new twist on an old story, but it doesn't need to be anything more than it is: a very funny movie with absolutely charming performances and even a few moments of true sentiment. It's also the perfect vehicle for the often-misused talents of Bette Midler and Nathan Lane.
ISN'T SHE GREAT is the true story of Jacqueline Susann, the author behind VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, one of the biggest and campiest hits of all time. While never considered a great work of art, VALLEY was the wildly popular and daring (for 1966) chronicle of three young women trying to become stars and their escapades with booze, sex and drugs. In many ways, the film is a lighter version of the great ED WOOD, taking a look at the woman who proudly created trashy novels, but treating the subject as though it deserves the royal treatment.
When we first meet "Jackie" Susann, she is coming to the end of a very unsuccessful acting career. She's been dumped by her married lover, hasn't had a role in over a year, and seems on the verge of a major breakdown. But there is one man who believes in her--Irving Mansfield, a grade B manager who never considers Jackie anything but a star. As played by Lane, Irving adores Jackie without question or judgement. He recognizes her behavior is off-putting to some, but he wouldn't have her any other way. They are soon wed, and it's the supportive Irving who decides his wife should try her hand at writing. Having pretty much failed at everything she's done so far, Jackie figures she has nothing to lose. She decides to write what she knows about; and since all she knows about are sleazy Hollywood characters and drunken actresses, the result is VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.
Of course, writing the book is only half the battle and some of the best lines in the film come from the many editors who reject the novel outright. And when a publishing firm finally recognizes its potential, it assigns a fussy editor (played by the master of fussiness David Hyde Pierce) to work with Jackie. The scenes between the wonderfully crass Midler and the uptight Pierce are easily the movie's high point. But the actors don't just play stereotypes; and the grudgingly tender relationship that develops between the two makes for many memorable scenes. In fact, all the performances are wonderful. With Jackie, Midler has finally found the perfect showcase to be brassy, vulnerable and hilarious. And Lane is matches her scene for scene with his endearingly sweet Irving. If there is one complaint, it's that we don't see enough of some of the characters. John Cleese is sadly underused as the head of the publishing company that finally sees the potential in Jackie's book. And as usual, Stockard Channing steals every second she's on screen as Jackie's longtime friend. I know I said this film isn't going to win any Oscars, but I might reconsider that statement if Channing was only in a few more scenes. She is a joy to watch and expertly delivers some of the best dialogue in the film.
It's no surprise to learn that ISN'T SHE GREAT was written by Paul Rudnick, one of the wittiest screenwriters working today. Rudnick made a name for himself writing a hilarious column for PREMIERE MAGAZINE under the alias Libby Gelman-Waxner and also penned the script for IN & OUT. The director is none other than Andrew Bergman, who has made the wonderfully understated comedies THE FRESHMAN and HONEYMOON IN VEGAS. (Of course, he also directed STRIPTEASE but we'll disregard that one.) As they've shown with their previous films, they are both experts at taking a slight concept and make a wildly enjoyable movie out of it. Check your expectations at the door; not only does this movie not suck, it's a fun and breezy ride.
Coen Sister
