The Best of Everything
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Movie Reviews of The Best of Everything
Movie Review: "Here's to men. Bless their clean-cut faces and dirty little minds!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Rona Jaffe's breakout novel THE BEST OF EVERYTHING was prime fodder for a splashy 1960s Hollywood melodrama right from the start, so it's little wonder the movie is still such a delight to behold some forty years after it's original release.
It's kind of like "Valley of the Dolls" with typewriters... Bright-eyed Caroline Bender (Hope Lange) comes to Fabian Publishing clutching the job advertisement which proudly promises it's secretaries "the best of everything!". Instead, Caroline winds up as the latest gumshoe to the imperious senior editor Amanda Farrow (Joan Crawford in a glorified cameo). Fellow secretary Gregg Adams (Suzy Parker) is only holding on until she lands a role on the Broadway stage; whilst sweet newcomer April Morrison (Diane Baker) finds herself knocked up by a guy who keeps an abortion doctor on speed-dial.
Hope Lange, riding high on the success of her Academy Award-nominated performance as Selena in 1957's "Peyton Place", is luminous as Caroline; yet the star performance (in my opinion) belongs to Suzy Parker. Gregg is kind of like the older, nuttier sister of Neely O'Hara from "Valley of the Dolls", and Ms Parker's performance is a master class in how to eat the scenery! The rest of the sets are reserved for La Crawford, and her "rabbit-faced wife" telephone call is beyond belief. Diane Baker also aquits herself nicely; she'd be sparring with Joan Crawford yet again in 1964's camp classic "Strait-Jacket".
The Fox DVD comes equipped with an audio commentary provided by author Rona Jaffe and film historian Sylvia Stoddard (well worth a listen!), in addition to MovieTone news footage and the trailer. Trashy fun for a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Movie Review: See you in the snake pit...
Summary: 4 Stars
I first watched this movie because cinamatic legand Joan Crawford was one of the stars in it. Joan plays Amanda Farrow, a rather bossy publishing executive. However, her part is small and the movie has little to do with her character. It's a fine picture, though.
At first glance, "The Best of Everything" looks like "9 to 5" meets "The Devil Wears Prada." But after the first twenty minutes I was convinced that this was a much more complicated tale about relationships taking place in the Big Apple.
The main plot focused on three clerical workers at the same publishing firm, played by Hope Lange, Diane Baker, and Suzy Parker. Each women has their own trials and tribulations. But I think the one thing that they all have in common is that the men in their lives are all cads. I would say that just about all the men in this film are rather unsympathetic and uncaring. Is this how men really were in the 1950's? I hope not.
Normally I'd reserve two maybe three stars for a picture like this. But since it's Joan's "last great picture" (not counting "Baby Jane," of course) it deserves four.
Movie Review: Those were the days when woman were pretty and feminine
Summary: 4 Stars
I remember those days. I used to dress up for work, the high heels and stockings and garter belts, before pantyhose. I like this movie and always try to catch it when it's on TV. I know I'll catch heck for saying this, but I miss those days. During the so called "women's lib" days women were very cruel to other woman who wanted to be married and raise a family. I used to say back to these woman "this is America, we have a choice". Of course I was shouted down so I learned to keep my opinions to myself. Whatever we've gained from "women's lib" (much, much more work, if you ask me and our children are suffering for it)doesn't make up for all we've lost.Movie Review: Another VC Andrews
Summary: 4 Stars
I did enjoy the film which I opted to watch instead of reading the book. I was disappointed to see the similarities between this movie and her other book "the roomating season". Accidental death of character, married men and adultery, broken big city dreams. There was no real originality maybe I should have read this one before the other but the premise was the same. Lose of youth and innocence to the cruelties of city life. Much like everyone's favorite author VC Andrews Jaffe simply reminded us of how good her other works where.Movie Review: Good movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I watched the DVD right after reading the book, and I was aware of all of the little inconsistencies between the book and the movie (hair colors wrong, some male characters parts cut way down or not in the movie at all, etc.) The ending was also very different than the book. I liked the movie, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't comparing it to the book all of the way through.