Customer Reviews

Once Is Not Enough

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What a disppointment! I loved the novel, but this movie is a lobotomized version of the original story that leaves out SO much. Brenda Vaccaro and David Jansen weren't bad given what they had to work with, but the rest of the acting was awful. And to add to the general awfulness, this is a pan-and-scan version of a scratched and dirty print with bad audio.

Although I wasn't as disappointed with this film as the previous reviewer, it was quite a letdown after reading the book. The "vitamin shots" and other assorted goodies (gang rapes, Karla's secret retarded daughter, etc.) that didn't make it on screen severely lower the scandal and glamour level of this film, but the exotic locales and Deborah Raffin's innate charm are undeniably great. It's also fun to see some of the retro kitschy sets (especially George Hamilton's swingin' bachelor pad), and the disco sequence. The film's saving grace is definitely Brenda Vacarro as the unabashed man hungry corporate sleep around Linda Riggs. Her Oscar nomination for the role was well deserved, and I am disappointed she didn't win. The bottom line, however, is this: NOT ENOUGH DRUGS!!!

the book is better than the movie, but it's so bad that you have to watch this over and over again!!

Being afflicted with the father figure syndrome can be such a drag. Just ask Deborah Raffin's January character who seems unable to shake off her dad's imposing cleft chin presence (Kirk Douglas) however hard she tries. From hanging out with younger yet still tan-obsessed George Hamilton to sleeping with alcoholic and impotent David Jensen (in a pre-Viagra role), to butting heads with closet lesbian stepmother Alexis Smith or striking a friendship with magazine editor-in-chief and insatiably distraught Brenda Vaccaro, nothing works. The girl is hopeless with a capital H. Of course, rubbing shoulders with the elite and swimming in money sure help ease the pain. Well, sort of... Go get yourself a VHS copy of the guiltiest of pleasure that is ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH and see it all in action. In no time you'll be caught into the jetsetting world of the rich and the depraved, Jacqueline Susann style. For, yes, it is based on her best-selling novel of the same name, with all the cheese factor intact. O.K. perhaps a bit more sticky-stretched with its excessiveness, yet fun fun fun in all its campy flavor, thanks to Susann's hubby Irving Mansfield who acts as executive producer and scripter Julius J. Epstein who keeps the author's colorful dialogue essence. With slick production values and pretty decent performances to boost (specially from Vaccaro who was nominated for an Oscar), you've got yourself one lavish treat that high camp seekers will devour in no time, even more so if it ever makes it to DVD. Bon appetit.-----Martin Boucher

I like the movie and the cast was great.But if I was writing the story I would have the lesbian scene steamed up even more and Melina Mercouri's character stalking Deborah Raffin's character.I am sadden the Jacqueline Susann is no longer with us but her good works live on.

Jackie Susann is my favorite writer. So after I saw Valley Of The Dolls and read the book I was eager to read and see The Love Machine and Once Is Not Enough. I saw Once Is Not Enough on Sunday and was quite impressed This movie and the book are definately a Susann masterpiece. She is the queen of trash literature.

I give this movie 5 stars because when I first saw it, I was a VERY young girl, and it left a lasting impression on me as being a very good movie. Being a young girl at that time, it had enough drama and sex, to keep this movie in my memory all these years. I was surfing for drama films, and this film popped into my head! I performed a search, and there it was!. If you take it as a movie made during the times of the "70's", and not judge it by today's movie standards, you will enjoy it. This movie will be in my collection for a long time to come.

This is just the WORST movie Hollywood has ever made out of a book!!!!!

If you loved Jackie Susann's novel "Once is not enough" then you will be very dissapointed by that piece of garbage.

Every pointes, every tention and most of all, the really catching end of this novel have been LEFT OUT and the movie made into a 2 1/2 hours of bore- dome and leaves you there as if you had taken a whole hand-full of "Dolls"!!! For example; the whole story about the A-shots have only been MENTIONED once, there's not one sleeping pill to be seen in the movie and neither is the final drug/sex orgy, which leaves you in the book like paralyzed. And as for the final end, you will only find, January walking smiling through Central Park. I couldn't believe when the end-credits were rolling over the screen and I thought that maybe there was something wrong with my VCR.

I don't know why this movie is still around on video and I can understand Susann's disappointment about that movie

If you love Jackie's books, then DO NOT buy this one. Go for "Valley of the Dolls" instead... Trust me! I'm still fustrated!!

If you watch that movie, you might end up with an overdose of fustration!!!!

I love anything by Ms. Susann. She is brilliant. They don't make movies like that anymore. Very Glitzy.