Review of Valley of the Dolls (1967) by Scarlett V — 18 Jul 2010
If you're looking for camp, this is actually kind of middle of the road. I know it has that big reputation to live up to, but there have been overstuffed melodramas both before and since that were more lurid and more ludicrous.
(Sirk, Tennessee Williams, even something like "The Other Side of Midnight" all have made me laugh more and harder.) Which isn't to say that this doesn't have its charms - they never manage to make the "doll" slang sound convincing, and the ever-present reprises of the theme song get funnier each time.
And yes, Patty Duke hams it up, but it only gets really severe towards the end. If camp is failed seriousness, this one just doesn't fail enough for me.
This review of Valley of the Dolls (1967) was written by Scarlett V on 18 Jul 2010.
Valley of the Dolls has generally received mixed reviews.
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