Seen: April (20?), 2001
Format: DVD
Rating: 2
Here's one from the Recycler. I've written reviews on Netflix a few times, and I'm going to cheat here by revamping one of those.
It seems that this "genre" of film is something of a mystery to me, as is Elizabeth Taylor's "acting". She does the simpering, spoiled, dysfunctional brat (and in later films, the bitter, dysfunctional harpy) to a T, but seems to have little range beyond this. (I've since seen some of her work I actually like).
While the script definitely has the potential, the acting and directing sure didn't do it any justice.
Laurence Harvey is one of the most wooden actors I've seen, with little to no emotional range (the Keanu Reeves of his generation perhaps?) and was the only bad thing in an otherwise magnificent "The Manchurian Candidate". One must assume that he and Taylor were paired for their star quality at the time as they have no chemistry onscreen. Her chemistry w/ Fisher is much more believable, but they were evidently married at the time, go figure.
The directing is a bit of a nightmare as well, with enough continuity errors, boring editing, POV cuts w/ mismatched lighting, and unimaginative angles that it's a bit painful to watch. Again, it seems that the producers figured the subject matter and stars would carry the film.
Unless you like thin, wooden, overblown melodrama, I'd avoid this one.
The Good: Eddie Fisher does a decent, (relatively understated) turn.
The Bad: Shock value subject matter still doesn't save this mess.
The Ugly: Laurence Harvey can't emote to save his life.
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