These Old Broads (2001)

I first saw this movie when it originally aired on television, and curious like everybody else to see the involvements of these for legendary ladies working together for the first time. They had all known each other for decades, but other than through personal encounters and scandals had never appeared on screen together. Of course the big curiosity would be seeing Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds working together in the same movie, their famous scandal involving husband Eddie Fisher still talked about to this day. What they are lacking however is a good script, and the weak plot that ties it together shows how desperate that someone was to get these four ladies together at least once in their careers.Elizabeth is only on screen briefly, playing the three star's agent, a crass woman whose dealings didn't just take place in studio offices, many of them allegedly taking place in her bedroom as well. Joan Collins and Shirley MacLaine join Reynolds as three former movie stars who now hate each other for various reasons, reunited because their fictional 1960 film "Boy Crazy" has become a hit in an apparent re-release. If this whole idea doesn't strike it was ridiculous, then there's also the situations that they get involved in which our forest, often silly and sometimes through the talents of the three women very funny.Among the men in their lives is MacClaine's gay son who has been estranged from her for years, Reynolds' handsome husband Peter Graves and Collins' lover, mobster Gene Barry. Add on Pat Crawford Brown as Collins' easy going very American mom, sleazy television producer and I rather if effeminate black choreographer, and you have enough sitcom situations to keep this slightly muse and if not remarkable.There are enough references to the star's real lives to amuse the curious and entice the nosy into finding out more. You won't be surprised to find out that the three queens end up in a gay bar where Debbie and Joan turn almost into drag queens while performing Get Happy. Debbie had already done this in Connie and Carla while Shirley had encounters with female impersonators in Postcards From the Edge. So while outlandish and silly, this is a very gay friendly comedy. All it was missing was Ann Miller.

Of the four female icons in the cast of These Old Broads only one so far at least has chosen this to be her last film. It could and should be the coda for the careers of Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor.The first three play aging film stars who co-starred in a musical that has become a cult item and has just had a smash hit re-release. What better than a nice television special reuniting the three. Only problem is that they all can't stand each other. It's going to take someone of the skills of a Mideast peace negotiator to bring them all together. The catalyst might be Jonathan Silverman who is MacLaine's estranged, adopted son. Of course it turns out to be their agent, Elizabeth Taylor who deals from a financial point of view.MacLaine, Collins, and Reynolds must have really been great sports about this female version of The Sunshine Boys. All the roles that Reynolds daughter Carrie Fisher wrote were such dead-on satires of each one of them. The three look like they're having a great old time spoofing themselves, it's positively infectious for the audience.Of course the real highlight is at the beginning when Reynolds goes to see Taylor about the reunion. Today's audience cannot possibly appreciate all the innuendo because they weren't around in the Fifties when the Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher-Debbie Reynolds triangle was the number one news story in the nation. President Eisenhower was having trouble getting as much ink as the most famous movie love triangle ever. And that was only until the Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher triangle topped that one. You could never have imagined over 40 years later seeing Taylor and Reynolds on the screen together. Older, wiser, and sadder, they definitely came to a meeting of the minds about Eddie Fisher.Collins and MacLaine don't lack for good material either, all of them are just fabulous. These Old Broads is an old stargazer's dream.

I had been looking forward to this film ever since I first heard about Carrie Fisher's script. Unfortunately, the TV movie didn't live up to my expectations. It was great to see these legendary ladies working together, but the results were not as I had hoped. I don't know if it was the script or the directing, but most of the jokes fell flat. I know that Carrie Fisher had as hard a time getting the film made as the characters had in getting their reunion special aired. Studios wouldn't put up the money because they didn't think that it would be worth it. If the film was given the right director it could have been as witty and wicked as the 1939 classic "The Women" (Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland).I believe that the Joan Collins role was originally intended for Lauren Bacall. When Bacall passed the role was offered to Julie Andrews, who also turned it down. I think that Tony Curtis was supposed to play the gangster lover and June Allyson was supposed to play the mother of the Joan Collins character. I can't help to wonder if all of these bail-outs had anything to do with the poor quality that was ultimately produced?It wasn't all bad, though. There were some really funny moments. I enjoyed the camp factor of Debbie and Joan's performance in the gay club. These bigger-than-life legendary stars are practically drag queens, anyway. The gay subplot was pointless, however, without having been developed properly. Carrie Fisher did toss in some great zingers and one-liners.I'd definitely watch this movie again some day, but I'll always be haunted by the thoughts of "what might have been"...

I have always been a big fan of all the ladies but not particularly of Joan Collins, I wasn't as familiar with her work and never knew she had such a great sense of humor. I LOVED this movie!!!! All the under remarks were the best knee-slapping part of the entire film! Everyone of the ladies were fantastic, poking fun at themselves and laughing and I just could not stop laughing! I wish I had taped it! I hope this is one tv movie that will be available for sale. Neither my husband nor myself wanted this movie to be over - what a great job everyone! The writers wrote great material and those old broads pulled it off grandly! Thank you for a great night of comedy!!!!! And thank you for laughing at yourselves. That wig scene that Debbie Reynolds did, the look on her face when she realized her wig was off, ohmygosh, I thought I was going to bust a gut! And Joan Collins, when she saw Debbie's wig was off....oh gosh, we had tears running down our faces we were laughing so hard! Then the cat fight with Shirley McLaine.....I just can't tell you how our sides are hurting today from laughing so. Thanks again, it was GREAT!!!!!