I adore Drew Barrymore. Always have. I'm so glad to see her come into her own like this. Someone said there were moments when they could see her "acting" and I'd almost agree, if it wasn't apparent that little Edie was always "acting," mugging, and posing for the camera herself, so in a way, it fit. Basically, it was a beautifully done movie. Both women were quite genius in the roles. It did sadden me however, knowing how difficult Drew's experiences have been with her own mother. I'm sure she drew on some of that in this performance. It almost felt like this is what could happen if she and Jaid Barrymore kicked it in an old house together for nearly 50 years, loving, arguing, manipulating, and perhaps ultimately understanding and accepting one another.
@BookishLookish: I'm just disappointed that there wasn't a glimpse of Little Edie in her famously upside-down skirt. Sideways skirt, sure, but upside down? Frankly, that's half of the reason I tuned in.
@BookishLookish: True story..when I was much younger, my parents and I had met Bouvier "Bo" Beale. We hadn't any idea of the GG story then. (He was son/brother to Big/Lil Edie respectively). He was bluff and gruff and rather funny, saying odd things like "I only eat what i kill bla bla". He liked "off" jokes my father told him (repeated from me, actually) like "How do you titillate an ocelot? You oscillate her tit a lot." He howled at that, and winced and looked to the heavens when my father alluded to JFK. His house was right on the ocean in Bridgehampton, 70's modern but woodsy and fucking freezing. They weren't proper WASPs but their house felt like an enormous summer camp barn, no creature comforts in what I now take to be that old-school style. His wife was very nice, reminded me of Doris Day, quiet.
FF to today, my mother calls me, she had just seen the HBO movie, adored it. (She had also loved the documentary GG, she had seen it in recent years and fell in love with the Beale women.) She had been so into the film, and had forgotten meeting Bo Beale many years ago, and when I reminded her, she was astonished- "I wondered what happened to those brothers!" It was sweet and funny, she was startled that a character in a "drama" was someone she had actually met once.
Little Edie- "East Hampton.. a nasty Republican town. They can get you for wearing red shoes on a Thursday!" Sing it, sister. ~
I OnDemanded it early this morning and was damn near riveted. I really want to see the documentary now, and I am going to read the Gail Sheehy piece later.
I was a blank slate on the whole story, so my expectations were decidedly low, but I was really quite pleasantly surprised.
@karion: You'll want to have a can of Lysol on hand while watching the documentary. I clawed at my face the entire time and then spent nineteen hours bleaching everything in my house.
@Cookie Guggleman: Re: Jessica Lange's face: I kept thinking that she was wearing distorting make-up in the Young Big Edie scenes, but then (a) I realized that in them, she's playing her (approximate) age, so why would they put her in distorting make-up?! and (b) I remembered seeing a terrifying post-plastic-surgery picture of her at AwfulPlasticSurgery.com. Yeeks.
Loved the show overall, though, and derived a bonus thrill from the prospect of Oscar-winning Lange being "married" to the White Shadow. ("Hey Phelan--where's Salami?!") Drew basically pulled it off, I think; if she was ever cartoony, then I think that was the fault of the script. Also: Am I the only one who watched the movie while thinking, "You know, I've REALLY got to clean my house ..."?
09/19/09
Speaking of hair, I still love Zack Galifikipotomus' beard though! Love the ads, Gawk. Wish I had me one of them TV sets.
09/19/09
09/19/09
How many shows do you know where one character (Bubbles) has one swooping five season character arc? Truly poetry in motion.
You do not want to be at a party and get me started talking about The Wire.
10/01/09
04/20/09
04/20/09
04/19/09
-Gail Sheehy's 1972 article is as gripping and readable as ever.
-I understand the HBO movie left out the "red shoes" bit. Pity! I'll be seeing it tonight.
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
FF to today, my mother calls me, she had just seen the HBO movie, adored it. (She had also loved the documentary GG, she had seen it in recent years and fell in love with the Beale women.) She had been so into the film, and had forgotten meeting Bo Beale many years ago, and when I reminded her, she was astonished- "I wondered what happened to those brothers!" It was sweet and funny, she was startled that a character in a "drama" was someone she had actually met once.
Little Edie- "East Hampton.. a nasty Republican town. They can get you for wearing red shoes on a Thursday!" Sing it, sister. ~
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
I was a blank slate on the whole story, so my expectations were decidedly low, but I was really quite pleasantly surprised.
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
04/19/09
Loved the show overall, though, and derived a bonus thrill from the prospect of Oscar-winning Lange being "married" to the White Shadow. ("Hey Phelan--where's Salami?!") Drew basically pulled it off, I think; if she was ever cartoony, then I think that was the fault of the script. Also: Am I the only one who watched the movie while thinking, "You know, I've REALLY got to clean my house ..."?
04/16/09
04/16/09
04/16/09
04/16/09
04/16/09
04/10/09
CEO Snoop Dogg.
04/10/09
Richard, sounds like you need to take more leisurely walks around our fair city. I humbly offer my services as guide and bearer.
04/10/09
04/10/09