Queen Bee
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Movie Reviews of Queen Bee
Movie Review: That's Acting?!!
Summary: 3 Stars
Oh, Lord! The makers of this film were obviously taking their turgid little melodrama quite seriously, but this camp howler can only be viewed today as an overblown relic of the "star system". Joan Crawford, in make-up that makes her look like The Joker (calling Caesar Romero), acts up a storm but, sadly, the cinema tyro is not at her best here. Crawford was always an underrated actress, primarily because her posturing could easily override everything in its path until you got just "too much Joan". But when she threw all that away and applied a smaller, more natural approach, the results could be stunning (she's the only reason to see "Baby Jane"). Well, don't expect any of the latter in this potboiler. Oh, brother! From the opening scene, when the memorable Fay Wray does an unmemorable (and overdone) turn as a mad Soulthern belle, you know your in for hard knocks. Then Betsy Palmer starts her usual projecting to the rear mezzanine and your just waiting for Joan to come in and spice up the proceedings with a little camp fun. This she does in classic Crawford style...and the laughs keep coming. The dour John Ireland and the dourer Barry Nelson are no match for the corsetted Miss Shoulder Pads, and some of Crawford's posturings are a real hoot. This may be damning with faint praise, but it's the only way to take this movie. However, 90+ minutes of the diva begins to wear you down, and there simply isn't enough left to enjoy in what's left in the wreckage. Only little Lucy Marlow (whom Crawford reportedly detested) resembles anything close to a human being, and there's so much scenery chewing you expect the final scene to be played on a bare soundstage (now that would really be a howl). No such luck, though, and in the end "Queen Bee" is much ado about drivel. For Joan watchers only...but they'll love it.Movie Review: Love It
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is silly. Wooden - wooden - the director is from outer space. Anyway, I love Joan and this is her meat. But everyone looks like they're waiting for someone to call "cut". Watch Betsy walking out of the room - looks like she's waiting for someone to call "pause".
This is all silly wonderful nonsense. I loved it for that.
Movie Review: Has Potential But Never Gets Going
Summary: 2 Stars
"Queen Bee" is not a terrible movie, but the story never quite gets moving in any direction. Joan Crawford is the biggest asset and the main problem of "Queen Bee." Her Eva Phillips comes across as a washed-out version of her character in "The Women." She does have a few zingers in this film but she should have played this role 20 years earlier. As was often the case with later period Crawford films, Joan is overly made up, over-dressed, and laughably too old to have two young children, as she does in "Queen Bee." Poor Betsy Palmer is stuck with a drab wardrobe, lousy lighting, and neurotic dialogue, all designed to make Crawford look better. Crawford did this to Hope Lange in "The Best of Everything" and to Mercedes McCambridge in "Johnny Guitar," two other marginal Crawford films of the 1950's. The men in "Queen Bee" look like drones compared to Joan, until the predictable finale, which is unsatisfying. Not enough camp to enjoy but not as wretched as Crawford's late 1960's slasher films.Movie Review: Not classic Crawford
Summary: 2 Stars
What a disappointing film. A dull storyline, and an overacting Crawford to make it pathetic. It's not a classic even though on the box it says 'Columbia Classic'. It's only worth owning if you are trying to get the complete Crawford set. While 'Strait Jacket' was bad too, it is ten times better than this because it has some funny scenes. Queen Bee fails in two ways - weak storyline, and poor acting from everyone.