Isn't She Great: Amazon.ca: Video

Product Description

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Most people probably approached Isn't She Great looking for a screaming camp-fest, only to discover a surprisingly sincere love letter to trash-novelist Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls and Once Is Not Enough. Bette Midler plays the brash, self-obsessed Susann, who started as a struggling actress yearning for fame and not too picky about what she was famous for. Fortunately, she catches the eye of personal manager Irving Mansfield (Nathan Lane), who seems to have no particular skills either but who is so passionately devoted to his client that he marries her. It's Irving who first suggests that Susann write a book about the sordid lives of celebrities and beautiful people, and Irving who pushes the book to publisher after publisher with dogged devotion. The movie lurches a bit in Susann's early life--it wants to approach the difficulties of Susann's life (an autistic son, breast cancer) with a mixture of sentimentality and irreverence, which doesn't always mesh--but once Valley of the Dolls finds a publisher, the movie finds its legs. The ever-dependable David Hyde Pierce plays the uptight WASP assigned to edit Susann's manuscript, and much mileage is gotten out of the conflict between Pierce's blue-blood manner and Midler's broad Jewish glitz. John Cleese and Stockard Channing also provide able support. Paul Rudnick's script shows a genuine affection for its heroine; Rudnick also wrote the screenplays for Addams Family Values and In and Out. --Bret Fetzer

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better...much better, May 20 2004

By

Mr. Wynn (State of Confusion) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isn't She Great (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

2 things were wasted in the making of this film: the fabulous life of Jacqueline Susann and the tremendous talent of Bette Midler. The director must have been asleep at the wheel of had his mind elsewhere but the filming.

The film seemed disjointed in every sense. There have been dramedies that have been successful but the marriage of drama and comedy isn't compatible in this film. Also, the musical direction in this film is poor! Akay, so Burt Bacharach wrote the song from the first Jackie Susann movie, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. However, his music just didn't fit with the LIFE of Jacqueline Susann or even the movie.

Stockard Channing glows in this film and hers is the stand-out performance. The costumes are amazing and vividly depict the fashions of times and then some. Bette looks great in the retro look.

Hopefully, someone can remake this film properly. The life of Jackie Susann should be told, whether it be a comedy or a drama. Unfortunately, this version is not worthy of storytelling.

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1.0 out of 5 stars like a100 car pile up, Mar 10 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Isn't She Great (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

Isn't She Great is so terrible that it's like watching a car wreck in slow motion. Bette completely gives in to camp and Nathan Lane, well bless his heart he is a true stage actor and over projects on screen. Jackie Susann was a complicated woman behind the hard as nails exterior and this movie never shows that. The whole thing was just dreadful and you will wonder just what the producer and director were thinking of.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie; Nathan Lane is H.O.T.!, Feb 5 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Isn't She Great (Widescreen/Full Screen) (DVD)

What more can you ask for, Bette Midler and Nathan Lane, two of favorites. Plus, I loved Valley of the Dolls, so I saw this. It was great! I kind of already knew about a lot of Jacqueline Susann's life, but it was pleasant to see it on the screen. I wish they had done more stuff on how she viewed the actual film Valley of the Dolls. Maybe Patty Duke could have made a cameo as Neely O'Hara.

While this isn't necessarily one of Midler's best, it's good for a couple of hours, and if you have an interest in Susann, this is pretty good. As always, Nathan Lane makes me burn with desire.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars bette is wonderful as Jackie Susanne
i loved the movie.bette was wonderful aswell, as Stocker Cahnnind!

Published on Oct 22 2003 by charles

2.0 out of 5 stars Superficial on superficial
This is a stunningly superficial film about incredibly superficial people. Bette Midler plays Bette Midler, of course, and Nathan Lane is simply wonderful. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2003