Isn't She Great (2000)

Overacted and under-directed, you won't learn anything new (or at all) about Jackie Susann. Brought to you from the same director as Striptease, the movie people confuse with Showgirls, this schlockfest is incredible for its ability to wring the worst performances from a cast of talented actors. Nathan Lane is forced to narrate large portions of the film since the scripted action fails to tell much of a story, but even that can't compensate for the lack of a plot. Yes, it's true: there is no plot. Susann's life was more complicated, messy, and salacious than this thing would otherwise convey, but even Lane's narration of unimportant tangents doesn't come close to rescuing a story so neutered as to be incomprehensible. The camera work, set design, and lighting give a tightly-produced feel that distances the action from any sense of place in reality; scenes shot in Central Park look as if there were actually filmed on a sound stage decorated to look like Central Park. That's quite an achievement.

It's no mystery why this movie was a flop. I've watched it more than once & I never feel like I'm watching a film about author Jacqueline Susann. Just a movie starring Bette Midler (in a dark wig) playing Bette Midler, or a standard Midler character. It's obvious Midler did no research into Susann to portray her. There is plenty of footage around (game shows, talk shows, etc.) where Midler could have studied her a bit. She adopts none of her mannerisms, speech, anything. I think Midler's ego & persona are so gigantic, she just isn't equipped to play a real person. She was fine in "The Rose", but she wasn't actually playing Janis Joplin, just an over-the-top singer loosely based on her. I don't know why she even bothered with this?? I don't know enough about Irving Mansfield to make an opinion of whether Nathan Lane's characterization was effective or not, but as a whole his character was watchable. Stockard Channing was very good as friend Florence Maybelle (a hybrid of different people). But I would have preferred to see Susann's friendship with Doris Day displayed instead. You know a movie's in trouble when the plot's so thin, they toss in a useless fashion show. Another silly aspect of the movie is that the producers tried to make it look like a movie based on one of Susann's novels (Dionne Warwick theme song, bright jelly bean colors, etc.) This is like a slap in the face to Susann who hated the movie versions of her books. I give it three stars for costumes, sets, automobiles, Stockard Channing, & it's attempt at camp value.

People have complained about how bad this is. They are right. People have noted how much they enjoyed it. They are right, too. Remember how bad the book and the movie 'Valley of the Dolls' were? Well, here ya go-- It's all in the same vein. They are obviously being over the top, campy, kitschy... If you are looking for Scorcese, this ain't it. But cheesy fun this IS! Unfortunately, because they felt they HAD to make it campy, the 'dramedy' doesn't work. So it goes between melodramatic and wiseacre, with neither hitting the mark. I have to say I enjoyed the movie the same way I would enjoy 'Mommie Dearest' or 'Showgirls'. Just mindless, guilty time-wasting. I'm also a sucker for period pieces when they get it right. The clothing, the celebrities, the zeitgeist of the time are pretty good. I'll take Bette Midler chewing the scenery in this over her deplorable 'Beaches' character any day!

Bette Midler (the fat, annoying one from Beaches) plays a fat, annoying actress who can't get work because she's fat and annoying. On the verge of drowning herself (oh yessssss!), she is saved by the awful awful awful awful Nathan Lane.Together they fail to revive Bette's non-existent career and then Bette gets cancer (hooray!). Sadly Bette recovers, and in her convalescence she writes a dirty book. At first no one will publish said book because it's crap, but then John Cleese does (nail in John Cleese's comedy coffin No.17). Booo! Suddenly Bette's famous and even more annoyingly flamboyant than usual. Then she gets cancer again (BANG!) and actually dies (Huzzah!). I just wish Bette had done the decent thing and died of cancer or drowning at the beginning of the film. And perhaps Nathan Lane could have been flayed? Alive? Balls!