Review of Grey Gardens (2009) by Courtney W — 29 Aug 2006

[color=silver]If you haven't seen [i]Grey Gardens[/i], you haven't lived. I rented it through Blockbuster Online and I watched it three times over the weekend. David and Albert Maysles made a documentary that has become a pop culture phenomenon over the past thirty years...and with two of the most interesting off the wall subjects. "Big" Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Little Edie. They are aunt and cousin to Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, living in East Hampton in a derelict mansion called Grey Gardens. It is overgrown, with no running water, flea and raccoon-ridden. [/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]Both are filled with regrets of their past lives (Big Edie was 79 at the time of the filming and Little Edie was 56). Little Edie mourns her life in New York City and obviously disdains her father. She wears headscarves, dishtowels and shirts secured tightly with a brooch and both of them have questionable, eccentric clothing options. Big Edie sings for most the movie and calls for her daughter every five minutes ("Oh Edie! Edie Boo!") while Little Edie dances about the house, sunbathes and becomes increasingly suspicious of handyman Jerry (whom she calls "The Marble Faun"). [/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]It's hard not to become transfixed with this documentary and I just found out that not only is there a broadway musical with Christine Ebersole running at the moment, but the Maysles just released a new 90 minute discs of extra footage called [i]The Beales of Grey Gardens[/i]...oh, and they are making a "movie" verison with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore (as Little Edie). [/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]I also watched [i]The Maltese Falcon[/i] this weekend. I used to watch it over and over when I was a kid (I was addicted to AMC when I was a kid when they had the rights to all the good, old movies before Ted Turner scooped them all up and wanted to colorize them). You can't beat Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, doing what he does best as a leading man in a trench coat and a fedora. They don't make movies like this anymore...full-range acting, writing, expert directing by John Huston, ambience, style...The ending is classic and so is the last line (the title of this entry). Peter Lorre always freaked me out when I was younger...and now it is no exception. His Joel Cairo gave me the creeps...[/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]Finally, I watched [i]Transamerica[/i] last night and ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. Felicity Huffman doesn't look like herself at all and her voice is just as unrecognizable. Before I saw the movie, I thought she was nominated for Best Actress solely on the fact that there was a scant amount of outstanding acting for lead actresses in 2005. Well, I was wrong. She made me a believer. Her turn as Bree, the pre-op transsexual woman is funny, touching and completely quirky.[/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]Bree is one week away from having her final operation, but receives a phone call from a juvenile detention center in New York only to find out that her one sexual encounter as Stanley produced a son, Toby (Kevin Zegers), who is an addict, a male hustler and dreams of starring in pornos. Together they go across country in an ugly, neon green station wagon...not that Bree wants too, but her therapist won't sign the consent form unless she comes full circle with her past. [/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]Parts are sad, most of it made me chuckle. Oh, and even as twisted he is in the film, Kevin Zegers is so adorable. Too young for me, but I predict great things for him in his future. [/color].

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[color=#c0c0c0]Watch it. Watch them all.[/color].

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Laters.

Courtney[/color].