Being a fan of the original documentary on which it was based, over the weekend, I watched the HBO television movie Grey Gardens. The film tells the story of mother and daughter "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Beale, relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy and former socialites, who came to live in a dilapidated Hamptons mansion, as a result of unfortunate circumstances and poor life decisions. While the film was by no means a great feature - it's hard to make a "great" biopic - it was entertaining and contained winning performances by its two leading ladies, Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. Lillte Edie Beale is probably Barrymore's best performance to date. I've always been a fan of hers and felt she just needed that one role for others to take her seriously as an actress. This is that role. It can be compared to Halle Berry's performance/role in the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, though I believe Barrymore to be a better actress than Berry and Little Edie to be a greater performance than Berry's Dorothy Dandridge. And while Barrymore gave a great performance, the real standout of the film is Jessica Lange as Big Edie. I've generally been luke-warm towards the actress. I thought her great in Tootsie and a total hoot in Titus, but usually I don't feel one way or another about her perfomances, and perhaps this is entirely my fault, as I haven't seen large chunks of her filmography, including Frances, Country, Sweet Dreams, and Blue Sky. Her performance in Grey Gardens, however, has completely won me over. The performace is not just mimicry, though Lange gives a dead-on impersonation of the Big Eddie in her old age. She provides the character with a full arc, from being a joyful but selfish, manipulative and needy mother to the older woman who looks back on her life with regret, realizing how negatively she affected her daughter's life. It's well deserving of an Emmy award, as is the makeup department, which provided some astonishing effects in the aging of the characters, particularly with Big Edie, as well as some old Hollywood glamour.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Grey Gardens on HBO
Being a fan of the original documentary on which it was based, over the weekend, I watched the HBO television movie Grey Gardens. The film tells the story of mother and daughter "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Beale, relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy and former socialites, who came to live in a dilapidated Hamptons mansion, as a result of unfortunate circumstances and poor life decisions. While the film was by no means a great feature - it's hard to make a "great" biopic - it was entertaining and contained winning performances by its two leading ladies, Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. Lillte Edie Beale is probably Barrymore's best performance to date. I've always been a fan of hers and felt she just needed that one role for others to take her seriously as an actress. This is that role. It can be compared to Halle Berry's performance/role in the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, though I believe Barrymore to be a better actress than Berry and Little Edie to be a greater performance than Berry's Dorothy Dandridge. And while Barrymore gave a great performance, the real standout of the film is Jessica Lange as Big Edie. I've generally been luke-warm towards the actress. I thought her great in Tootsie and a total hoot in Titus, but usually I don't feel one way or another about her perfomances, and perhaps this is entirely my fault, as I haven't seen large chunks of her filmography, including Frances, Country, Sweet Dreams, and Blue Sky. Her performance in Grey Gardens, however, has completely won me over. The performace is not just mimicry, though Lange gives a dead-on impersonation of the Big Eddie in her old age. She provides the character with a full arc, from being a joyful but selfish, manipulative and needy mother to the older woman who looks back on her life with regret, realizing how negatively she affected her daughter's life. It's well deserving of an Emmy award, as is the makeup department, which provided some astonishing effects in the aging of the characters, particularly with Big Edie, as well as some old Hollywood glamour.
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