Giving an over-the-top performance as the publicity desperate rival to the top blonde bombshell of all time, Loni Anderson is a bundle of misplaced energy as the incandescent star of the late 50's who ended up in dreck throughout the 60's before tragedy struck. As bodybuilder husband Mickey Hargitay, da Ahnold (and future governator) Schwarzenegger is hysterically bad, enthusiastically delivering all of his lines in the most unconvincing way. The film deals with her feelings about Monroe, sadness over her rival's insecurities and pity over her death, but doesn't deal with their one encounter that seems to have been unknown at the time. Monroe and Mansfield were the Garbo and Dietrich of their times, similar in mild ways but ultimately completely different.
Colorful and funny (frequently not in the way that the writers would have liked), this is a "Valley of the Dolls" like expose of behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, outlandish and unbelievable. Ray Buktenica gives a good performance as her agent, while veteran character actor G. D. Spradlin is appropriately sleazy as a 20th Century Fox executive. Certainly watchable for its entertainment value, it is not among the best of the TV movie real life story biographies of popular stars (not that many of them were any good), it feels like an imitation rather than a biography. What it does get right is that I did feel like I was in the era that it took place, something many films of this kind failed to do. I certainly wouldn't give this any award honors, but as a 90-minute distraction for a few chuckles both for it and at it, I'd recommend it, especially if you're watching it with someone and drinking several bottles of champagne along with it.
Colorful and funny (frequently not in the way that the writers would have liked), this is a "Valley of the Dolls" like expose of behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, outlandish and unbelievable. Ray Buktenica gives a good performance as her agent, while veteran character actor G. D. Spradlin is appropriately sleazy as a 20th Century Fox executive. Certainly watchable for its entertainment value, it is not among the best of the TV movie real life story biographies of popular stars (not that many of them were any good), it feels like an imitation rather than a biography. What it does get right is that I did feel like I was in the era that it took place, something many films of this kind failed to do. I certainly wouldn't give this any award honors, but as a 90-minute distraction for a few chuckles both for it and at it, I'd recommend it, especially if you're watching it with someone and drinking several bottles of champagne along with it.