User Reviews

SEXTETTE is a throwback to the early years of cinema, where stars were larger than life and films threw in song and dance routines at regular intervals in the name of popular entertainment. It's also a vehicle for elderly starlet Mae West, at the tail-end of her career, playing a man-eater celebrating her wedding to a young toyboy (a visibly embarrassed Timothy Dalton). As the credits rolled, I had no idea what I'd just seen.

Clearly the director is in love with West and the film has been concocted as a tribute to her. But the format is very odd and old fashioned and West's appearance is rather shocking; her age is never mentioned so it's pretty weird to see her trying to play herself some fifty years previously. Often the narrative will break off to feature some filmed insert of West making one of her trademark wisecracks, which is bizarre in itself.

The music is pretty poor although there are endless guest appearances from a wide variety of folk in an attempt to entertain: Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, and Alice Cooper all show up here. Overall though, SEXTETTE is a ludicrous film, and I can't help but think that it would have been better to remember West as she was rather than as she is here.

There are only a very few moments of absolute awe which I can recall in my life. What is not reflected in the blurb about this film, and the comments referring to Miss West's embarrassing appearance in this film, is the effect she had on the cast and crew when she entered the set on the Paramount lot. We were in the "gym" waiting to begin shooting, talking and yapping away as actors will do at 7 AM before anything gets going, when the double doors to the set opened, and as each person turned and looked at the lady entering and realized it was Mae West, they fell silent - until you could have heard a pin drop or your heart beating just a bit faster and louder. Miss West may have been a poor shadow of what she had been years before, but she was still Mae West. Incredible as it may seem, at eighty years old she radiated a presence I have felt from very few others. Later on, while shooting a scene with her, and the director was loudly yelling at her through her ear-piece, rather than becoming angry at the rude treatment she was getting, she simply turned to me with that Mae West smile; and in one look she said, "It's okay kid, I'm Mae West, who the hell gives a damn about him." When I looked back at her, somewhat in awe, she winked. Ultimately, she did the take the way she wanted to do it. Maybe the public will never see that scene as I saw it played out, but I will never forget it.

A lot of famous actors have ended their careers with atrocious movies, and this would have to be the high water mark. As a friend said, Mae must have been senile to agree to appear in this, otherwise how could she have let people put her through this?

The plot, for what it's worth, involves Mae's wedding night to a British noble young enough to be her grandson (played by Timothy Dalton) interrupted through the machinations of her agent by some of her ex-husbands, such as Ringo Starr, George Hamilton and Tony Curtis (who plays as if he truly appreciates the absurdity of the venture being undertaken), the search for a tape of her memoirs, and Mae somehow salvaging global peace at a diplomatic conference held at the hotel in London she is staying at. Cameos from others such as Rona Barrett and George Raft (Mae's first screen co-star in 1932, who grimaces through his scene with Mae in the elevator as though he regretted agreeing to do it) abound.

The story though is the least reason to watch. Rather, watching a mummified 86 year old hobbling her way through double entendres, holding herself up against candelabras during musical numbers and being treated by all and sundry as if she were Venus de Milo herself beggars description. A subplot concerning doubts about the sexuality of her new husband seems to miss the fact that doubts about any of the performers' sexuality would have to exist, not least a ludicrous number where members of the American athletic team cavort adoringly around Mae.

The director seems to have made a conscious decision to film scenes in such a way as to minimise Mae's screen time, and when she is in view of the camera it makes sure that it never gets too close. The fact that Mae appears to have dunked her head in a bowl of make up and is filmed through what appears to be guaze seems to indicate that all others concerned were at least trying to take pity on the poor woman while at the same time humoring her.

The musical numbers themselves are side splittingly funny (it's hard to pick a highlight, but one number which could best be described as Mae West does disco would have to take the cake!), Mae's costume changes look like an expensive Edith Head designed drag show, and Mae cracking unabashed double entendres while staring cross-eyed through heavy lids ("I want them to say the British are coming") is mind boggling. Mercifully the audience are spared a sex scene, or even a kiss between her and Dalton, which would have crossed the boundaries of good taste.

I can't begin to comprehend who thought this could be a good idea (if Mae wasn't senile, let's hope she was extremely self-deprecating) but I honestly can't understand why this movie isn't more of a cult classic. I gave it one star but it is so bad it's good. It's like watching a train wreck - no matter how bad it gets, you keep watching because you know it's going to get worse! I need to watch it again this time looking for the evidence of Mae using a cane and having an ear piece through which her lines were fed to her.

Horrendous vanity production is of interest only to show how an out of control ego and years of self delusion can lead to a public shredding of an carefully constructed image. Mae is supposed to be the adored object of the world but her teetering presence and ossified appearance cause the viewer concern for her well being more than anything else. After decades of carefully maintaining her public persona she was somehow induced to return to the screen to sully her reputation with the double whammy of Myra Breckinridge and this abominable travesty. A horrifying train wreck of a film only to be watched by someone with a love of bad, really bad, cinema.

Movie star Marlo Manners walks down the aisle for the sixth time; her latest love is a rich, titled Brit, but their honeymoon plans are thwarted by her work, her ex-husbands hanging about, and by an international conference taking place in the same ritzy hotel. It would be easy to criticize this harmless comedy, the final cinematic bow from Mae West, based on the fact it is nothing more than a showcase (i.e., vanity project) for its star, adapted from her 1926 play, "Sex"; and yet, all it aspires to be is a frivolous enjoyment for fans, with campy musical numbers, grinning musclemen in a gymnasium sequence, a mini-fashion show (with Mae modeling elaborate Edith Head ensembles) and one-liners galore. What's fair is to say the movie looks cheap and terrible, and most of the supporting performances are terrible, and our star (84 years old at the time of filming) can hardly move around. Timothy Dalton is breezy as Mae's spouse (who tells columnist Rona Barrett he feels 'gay', leading her to believe he's homosexual), and the two have a lovely duet on "Love Will Keep Us Together"; also, Dom DeLuise has fun singing the Beatles song "Honey Pie" while tap-dancing on a piano. Still, no U.S. movie studio wanted to distribute the film after it was produced independently, so the production team released it themselves, meaning that somebody believed in the picture and thought it was worth the effort. Not exactly a happy Hollywood ending for Mae West, though it allowed her a small bit of renewed glory before her death in 1980. * from ****

This movie is unreviewable. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.

So, let's talk about Timothy Dalton! I didn't know this was a musical, so when he started saying the lines to "Love Will Keep Us Together", I thought...weird, that's that song. Then the music came on, and I thought, "...no. No! NO! He is NOT going to...NO! NO!"

It seems ironic that Timothy Dalton's career survived this, only to be derailed by Scarlett 16 years later.

Another odd note to his career is the number of times he's played roles that spoof James Bond. Even before he actually made the Bond films. Besides this movie, there was a Charlie's Angels episode. Then, after Licence to Kill, he played a Nazi spy in The Rocketeer, a Bond-type actor in Loony Tunes: Back in Action, and then, a bad guy in Hot Fuzz, with Bond references in his last sequence. Hysterical.

So that's five spoofs, versus two actual Bond movies. It's weird. This guy was meant to be Bond from the beginning -- Albert Broccoli was dying to have him -- but U.S. audiences didn't get it, and lawsuits prevented him from doing the role again while he was in his prime. What does it mean? And then he did Scarlett, in which he held a plastic bag over the head of his career. He appears to have issues with James Bond.

But back to this movie. I used to be a Sean Pertwee fan, and he made some truly gross films. But none of his dismemberments can compare to Timothy Dalton singing The Captain and Tenille. The humanity.

This movie did hold my interest. I don't want to think about why.

I suppose it's a good thing that Mae West died without having any kids. Because if they were around, they'd have to be constantly explaining away this film.

Was it vanity, did she need the money, who knows why this monstrosity was made. It's not satire because the laughs are all in the wrong places.

It's not just that Mae West went out on this film, but it was the last film appearances for Walter Pidgeon and George Raft. God only knows what possessed these two to do this one. In Raft's case I can understand, he was living on his Social Security at the time he died.

Timothy Dalton is a great talent, he had to have been to survive Sextette. Tony Curtis and George Hamilton snickered there way through this film.

Dom DeLuise was genuinely funny, but he always is.

Put the blame on Mae, put the blame on Mae.

There must have been something in the water at the Studio where this one was made. How else to explain one of the most bizarre concepts in cinema history? Consider the following: an eighty-something Mae West is cast as a twenty-something sexpot who is hotly pursued by six (hence the title) young (or youngish) men. In the course of this, she interrupts a UN meeting, thwarts a gangster and makes goo eyes at a body building team (who all seem more interested in each other than in her - and who could blame them?)

But there's more! Mae sings! Well, sort of. Periodically the action, such as it is, grinds to a dead halt while Mae croons some totally unrelated ballad. Her romantic interested is played by Timothy Dalton, who mumbles a tone deaf rendition of Neil Sedaka at West, and who deserved an Oscar for keeping a straight face when he sings the lyrics "Young and beautiful, your looks will never be gone." All the while West is posturing like mad, looking like something they found in the wreck of the "Titanic".

For all of its ineptitude, its gratuitous cruelty and its blatant disregard for good taste, it is hard not to like "Sextette". It is amongst the most requested films in my video collection, and the poster hangs in my lounge room. I really have tremendous affection for it. It has a certain innocence to it; everybody seems to be enjoying themselves so much. And to be fair, West is remarkably well preserved for eighty five (though it is a long, long stretch to pretend that she's the platinum blonde goddess she's meant to be.) One should be revolted yet one isn't; it's all good fun, if not quite in the way it was intended. And if nothing else it took guts for West to make this movie. Nobody could deny that.

I was a journalist for fan magazines in the 70's and I had the great opportunity to interview Miss West several times for my respective magazines. I interviewed Miss West at her Hollywood apartment (the Ravenswood), and I also interviewed her on her "open" set during the production of her last film Sextette.

By "open" set, I am referring to the fact that the set was not closed and shut off to reporters. It was not shut off for me for certain and I can testify to that fact. I can also testify to the fact of what I observed during the filming of this movie. This movie would definitely have had a closed set if there were so much to hide concerning Miss West as has been mistakenly reported.

There were lots of overstated rumors and gossip concerning "hidden microphones," the so-called "in-ability" of Miss West to perform, etc. I know what I observed. There were rumors that Miss West stayed in the elevator for hours waiting for her "cue," rumors that Miss West was completely senile, etc. My observations did not prove any of those "rumors." Mae West did not stay in any elevator for hours waiting for someone to come and get her. That is a total, complete fabrication. I believe someone mentioned this here already and the fact is....that did not happen!

Now for the famous "hidden earphone" legend, which says Mae was, force-fed all her lines for this movie! That is absolutely asinine to the tenth degree. Make no mistake about it--Mae knew what she was up against in the making of this film, and she knew that she would be attacked, scandalized and otherwise lied about with many of the so-called "facts" before it was over. The ridiculous "legend" that she spoke "traffic directions" after prompting has been revealed by the principle players in this movie as completely false!!!! "It never happened," as Dom Deluise has publicly stated and truthfully so!!!

Miss West was not a zombie, was not senile, was not "out of it," in any sense of the word during the filming of this movie. That is a total and ridiculous lie. No one for a moment believed or thought that Mae was a "young hottie" as someone here criticized. Like-wise, no fair-minded person at all believed that she was a washed up has-been either, let me tell you that!

This woman had a presence that was unparalleled in the history of movies. When she came on the set, it was an unbelievable experience. She retained a remarkable screen presence and charisma. It was a true example of a Hollywood legend in every sense of the word. It is an outrageous insult and disservice to the career of this remarkable woman to perpetrate these lies any longer!!!

I find it repugnant that many of the people who comment here quickly dismiss this final effort by Miss West with their scathing comments and unjustified attacks. All these comments do truthfully boil down to her age in this film. Witness the constant comments here that Mae was playing a young woman, had her face taped back, blah, blah, blah, etc. The movie does not say that she is a young star, does not pretend that at all.

Every single comment made against this film was related (and only related) to Miss West's age in this movie. Are movie actors required to retire at a certain age? I don't think so, and if fact age should have (pardon me Miss West), "Nothing to do with it." As Miss West told me in an interview with her, "What am I suppose to do? Retire to a rocking chair? That would do me in for good!" Right Mae!

I interviewed Mae West at her Ravenswood apartment on North Rossmore Ave., during the filming of this movie. It was an experience I will never forget!!!! Mae humbly put the lie to the many, many rumors concerning her in that unforgettable interview. I inspected her skin for signs of plastic surgery (the telltale scars) and there were none!!! I inspected her lovely hair (what wigs are you talking about here?) and it was her own!!! Her hands were like that of a baby, so smooth, soft and young looking.

Mae had not a single wrinkle in her face, her body was firm, she had all her own teeth, and regardless of what you have heard or read elsewhere, she had her own hair. This was a woman who appeared to be decades younger than her true age. I was in a state of shock when I first saw her.

And she was super alert too, and she knew exactly what she was talking about--very professional and not at all the pathetic figure that some would like to now make her. In fact, she was so very amazing that it was unreal, and I suppose this could be the reason for rumors that this was not the original Mae West! Yes, one rumor that went around forever was that this woman was really the daughter of Mae West and not the original. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

There was an absolute magic in her personality and presence. This is something that is no longer in effect with the so-called stars of today. She had something called magnetism and a great personality, the likes of which will never be again.

Mae West delivered one hell of a good job in this movie when her age in figured in, and she was still up to it, still looked really good, and she gave it her all and it is damn well high time it is acknowledged!!!!!!! One final comment is (as mentioned here several times) the UK version of this movie is excellent quality, and not the poorer quality of the US releases. It makes a big difference!!!

So, I finally got to watch "Sexette" this year. I must say, after hearing years of bed comments and reviews, I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would. In fact, I enjoyed myself. Now, I'm not saying that this was the best movie I have ever seen, or the best vehicle for Miss West. It's just not as bad film as I was lead to believe. Plus, I didn't feel like I wasn't getting my time back. I think if it had been filmed in the late 60's instead of the 70's, the picture might not have been as big a bomb. Honestly, I think the film itself is taken too seriously. Mae West had been a trickster and a prankster her entire life. People went to watch her movies to laugh and forget about their troubles at the time... let's not for get that those trouble were the depression and the early years of WW2! Now, when watching this, so many people threw a fit about her age and desiring/having sex. Keeping in mind that George Burns was doing the same thing with young starlets in his act at the time and THE GOLDEN GIRLS was only seven years off in the future, it really makes me wonder, why pick on Miss West? Watching her performance in this, it seems like she is nudge-nudge wink-winking her way through it. Dom Deluise, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and George Hamilton seem to be having a great time working with the legendary performer. I also think it's kind of touching that she gets a moment with her old friend and co-star George Raft. The moment feels very full of love. Sure, Miss West was up there in years, her voice not as strong, her moves a little shaky, but thinking that this was the routine SHE created well over 50 years ago by the filming of this picture.... it's just cool to see. Her wit, charm, and star power are still evident here. Sextette shouldn't be trashed, nor should it be praised. It should be appreciated for what it is. The final film of the marvelous American institution, Mae West, getting to see her do her act that she loved doing, and had entertained millions with, one final time.

This film was mediocre at best. Ms. West was at her best during the early part of her career. This was her mostly self funded swan song. Some of her friends were asked to and accepted parts in order to salvage a so so screenplay and somewhat better original play penned by Ms. West.It had its moments but thats about it

Further interest was peaked when I read a review dated 2006 from someone who not only gave it a "10", but for a better word drooled over Ms. West for most of his review. He also stated that she was not just one of but "the greatest actress of all time". What?????. I believe he needs to get out of the house more often.

There are two ways to approach this movie: #1, as a film in and of itself. Or #2, as a showcase for Mae West.

As a film, it is mildly amusing in a weird, campy 1970s way. It's got a made-for-television look about it, and appears to have been filmed on a pretty low budget. The plot has to do with a legendary American movie star (West) in London for her marriage and subsequent honeymoon with her current husband (Timothy Dalton). Oh, and this is her sixth marriage, by the way---hence the title of the film.

The story is basically that they are unable to consummate their marriage, because various other men--- including nearly all of her ex-husbands--- keep showing up unexpectedly. The sexual aspect of the story is handled very delicately; you know what the husband wants to do with his wife, but it is never put forth directly, but rather by sort of Victorian-era implication.

If it seems like rather a flimsy story, that's because it is. There isn't much to it; there is some low-key comedy in the guest appearances of the ex-husbands (plus assorted other men, including an entire "American athletic team" whose presence in London is never explained. Perhaps they're training for off-season Olympics). The whole thing is handled as a complete farce--- there isn't one shred of reality in this film, which makes it seem unique in the era in which it was made. It's like a cartoon for grownups, with live actors playing the parts.

The real intent of "Sextette" was to be a cinematic showcase for the legendary Mae West. A lot of people outdid themselves in other reviews to say outrageously nasty things about her (or, in a couple of instances, equally outrageous heaps of praise for her). Maybe the best way to write about her in this movie, is to be a little more realistic and objective.

First of all, it's true that Mae West *was* 85 years old at the time of filming this. I'm not saying that because she looks it (she doesn't). I'm saying it because the whole movie makes such extreme efforts to ignore her age. No, she ISN'T supposed to be 20-something--- come on, people, do the math! Her character was married six times, so she's got to be in her forties at least! But she's definitely not playing "elderly", and this seems to freak a lot of people out. She's playing a healthy, attractive "mature" woman whose sex drive is unabashedly strong. There is no hint in the dialogue, or in the reactions of other men TO the character, that this woman might be very, very old (as is the actress playing her).

Therein lies the problem. 85-year-old Mae West was simply not up to the demands of playing this part. She was aging too rapidly; no, she didn't quite look 85, but in some scenes she did look old for probably the first time in her public life. (Photographs taken throughout the 1970s show her looking remarkably young). Put it this way: just eight years earlier, in 1970, West had played a similar "sexy" part in the movie "Myra Breckinredge". She'd been 77 years old then, and she was in good enough health and spirits to carry it off big-time. West was THE highlight of that earlier film. She was stylish, hip, quick-moving, quick-thinking, and she truly did look around fifty or so.... she looked young enough to make the part believable.

But by the time of "Sextette", she just didn't have it any more. She tried very hard, but her physical and mental limitations strained believability too much. A few basic problems: First of all, her wardrobe and hairstyle (obviously a wig) were decades out-of-date. In "Myra Breckinredge", she had looked hip and stylin'. In "Sextette", she looked like a relic.

Then there was her speech difficulty: no longer able to remember dialogue, West wore an earpiece under her wig (this is true, it's not some tabloid made-up story) to have her lines read to her by the director offstage. She would then repeat the line to the camera. This made her acting seem stilted, unnatural-- and unfunny. When somebody asks her if she's seen Big Ben, and she replies "I don't know.... I never met the gentleman", this line could have gotten a big laugh in better times. But here she "reads" the line as if from a piece of paper (or like she's straining to hear it in her earpiece): I-ne-ver-met-the-gen-tle-man". It sounds robotic, lip-synched, dubbed.

Then there are various technical flaws: her songs, for instance, which WERE lip-synched, weren't lip-synched very well. In "Baby Face", you can clearly see her get off the soundtrack. And "After You've Gone" sounds like it was slightly sped up. The soundtrack is tinny, the photography is blurry (particularly West's scenes; she looks fuzzy and too bright in many instances).

The movie wasn't an entire diaster for her. She does have a few good scenes. When she tells Timothy Dalton "The night is still young", she looks genuinely young herself--- filtered camera lens though it may be--- and she makes the line believable. In the Alice Cooper sequence, she also looks surprisingly young; and when she stands behind Cooper with her hands on his shoulders (as he's playing piano), she seems to be clearly enjoying herself. And a few seconds later, when she stands in the doorway--- her back to the camera--- she gives one last hip-twitch (the final "Mae West" screen moment of her career), and you have to chuckle a bit in good-natured admiration. 85 she may have been, but she was still out there working, still entertaining people in the best way she knew how. There's even a bit of poignance in that moment.

But the problem is, this film was played so strongly as a British farce, it works completely against the premise and the style of the whole movie to be feeling any poignance, or anything but a sense of robust comedy for the actress playing the lead. If you are aware of her BEING a frail elderly woman at any time, then the movie isn't meeting its own agenda. And that's what happens too many times. Except for a few fleeting moments, Mae simply wasn't at her best here. For a much better, funnier look at Mae West in the "later years", see "Myra Breckinredge". She was a hilarious scream in that one.

This film is an embarrassment to watch. Seeing poor Mae West, who was near 80, trying to act sexy is pathetic. The script is terrible and everyone in it should have known better. Paramount Studios, where it was filmed, refused to release it. It was finally picked up by an independent releasing company and released (or should I say escaped) and quickly died. If you are a fan of Mae West, DO NOT SEE THIS FILM! It will break your heart.

What exactly can anyone say about "Sextette"? Ostensibly a Seventies-era reworking of Mae West's 1926 play "Sex", this movie exists within it's own continuum of both camp and sadness. You either laugh at the complete absurdity of it all or feel a deep pity for everyone who signed on to participate in the hot mess the whole enterprise turned into.

West, who was in her mid- 80s at the time of filming, had been rediscovered by audiences who had no idea who she was by appearing in Michael Sarne's career killing version of "Myra Breckinridge" (1970). Mae's infamous feud with Rachel Welch during the filming of "Myra" brought her into the public eye again, so six years later, "Sextette" was trotted out to cash in on Mae's newfound camp appeal. The time had passed for Mae to be nothing other than a caricature of herself, there's a certain cruelty evident when she appears on screen here. No special effects could hide the years Mae was carrying, she looks like a mummy slathered with makeup and topped with a gargantuan blond wig. She arthritically weaves, wobbles, sashays, and gives her all in a performance that uses her most famous double-entendres. The poor thing tries, but she's now a visibly tired cartoon. A dirty joke about a supposed sex- bomb who's decades old and a horny granny to boot.

Newly wed Mae cavorts in a British hotel with her young husband (Timothy Dalton) in a farce straight out of the 1930s. Several plots are running simultaneously: a global peace initiative is taking place at the hotel, Mae's tape recorded diary (on a pink cassette) of her marriages and sexual secrets has gone missing, the British press thinks her new husband is gay, American muscle-men are working out at the hotel, and nearly all of Mae's ex-husbands are wandering around the joint interrupting her wedding night. Mae contends with all the madness around her by constantly changing her Edith Head costumes, which are anachronistic in the extreme and verbally sparring with the ex- husbands played by Ringo Starr, Tony Curtis, and George Hamilton. Mae sidles up to the muscle in the gym, evidently clueless to the fact that they're all more interested in each other than they are in her, and finally saves the world at the peace summit talks. Throw in many sad cameos and the last film appearances of Mae, Walter Pidgeon, and George Raft. Throw in musical numbers that border on the surreal. Add a soundtrack by Van McCoy, the composer who gave the world the disco anthem "The Hustle". Mr. McCoy gives Mae a frightening disco-ized version of "Baby Face" to warble, a bizarre "Hooray for Hollywood" production number, and the inimitable Dom Deluise belting out the Beatles' "Honey Pie" while faking tap dancing on top of a piano. Rockers Keith Moon and Alice Cooper show up. All this, and more.

Undoubtedly, this whole enterprise probably sounded like a good idea at the time. Hollywood legend returns and everyone gets down to Boogietown! Boffo box-office! In reality, no one cared or paid to see this. Mae died two years after making this, which is very sad indeed. Instead of going out remembered as an icon, she went as a mummy looking for sex and wasting 80-odd (very odd) minutes on a set up for the last line in the movie. "Sextette", then, is an artifact from the era of platform shoes and pet rocks, two things no one needed even at the time. Best viewed after ingesting LSD and wearing polyester clothing.

Timothy Dalton's greatest acting achievement. In his mid-thirties, Dalton kept a straight face as he promised his undying love to Mae West, in her mid-eighties. West looked great for an octogenarian, but not THAT good. West played the legendary Mae West with all the usual Mae Westisms, a litany of lusty sexual innuendos. A cornucopia of crazy cameos cracking corny jokes that might have been cute if West had only been 30 or 40 years younger. The central theme is that West is everyone's heart-throb, from teens to crotchety old Walter Pidgeon (who was still her junior!). Hard to buy. Some merit, some (emphasis SOME) humor, and bits of some of the song and dance routines deserve being parts of better movies, but no awards for this one.

Now where the hell is the 0 rating function on IMDb? Better still, the -1 option?

I wasted a good long time of my afternoon watching this. I of course knew it was going to be a waste. Chasing after NIGHT CLUB, and only being able to find it as part of the "Dangerous Babes" release, I stumbled across this... this... well, there is no polite word for it. Mae West was born during the previous previous century, and research today showed that she only went into film when she was almost forty. Okay, I have it here that she was a much-beloved stage personality and she even ran afoul of the law with some risqué stuff (for that day and age) But nothing of that is on film. Had it been, I might have been interested. I only collect the works of young actresses. This, of course, is anathema to me. But even beyond my own preferences, there is just nothing of any remote value in this insipid mess. Mae West doesn't even act, she speaks her unfunny lines in a dull monotone while attempting to hop about with schoolgirl allure.

It is unbelievably stupid. Dumb, really. The only explanation for it is that GrandMae never looked at herself in a mirror and still believes she is the girl she used to be in 1910, only this was 1978, two years before her death. Now, I'm all for having such self-confidence, it would carry you through life. But that there would be directors who would want to make a movie like this...? That there would be people who'd believe people would pay good money to come see junk like this? And some people actually came? And there's a guy on here at the IMDb site who gives it ten stars and escalates his enthralled review with an increasing number of exclamation marks?

Future James Bond, Timothy Dalton, makes an ass of himself. I'd never be able to take him seriously again. Glad I saw it only now and not before THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. Tony Curtis cavorts about like the ringmaster of a freak circus.

The kind of movie that is an utter embarrassment on an actor's resume.

I had recently seen Mae West in MYRA BRECKINRIDGE and it was a painful experience. I do suppose Mae had extremely loyal fans dating back through intense lean and hard times. Nowadays people are very quick to ridicule former idols, it's terrible, really, and shows how the world has changed.

Nothing changes the fact that it is a ludicrous movie. I've never seen ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES or PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE but yelled out their names to come rescue me from the tedious trash I sat there watching. I think this is it, boys. The worst movie ever made. This is truly it. Truly.

Whoever compiled "Dangerous Babes" and included this one, hoo boy, would I love to have a few words with you, fella...

Okay, so I'm a big movie buff & I just HAD to say I've seen this movie at least ONCE! Unfortunately, once was certainly more than enough.

Really bad movie here with not even enough 'kitsch' or 'camp' to make it worthwhile.

While the movie is certainly presented tongue in cheek, it still relies to heavily on the idea that Mae West at 85 is somehow still a desirable sexy vamp.

Sorry but it just don't wash! Adding insult to injury is the fact that again, at 85, Mae West delivers all her lines in basically the same delivery: basically a parody of her earlier self.

So in many respects the movie comes off as rather gruesome.

If it had gone more over the top, PERHAPS it might have at least achieved some sort of John Waters sensibility.

As it is, it plays like one long boring Love Boat episode.

Really there is nothing in this movie that merits anyone wasting their time in viewing it.

So viewers beware, unless you're some crazy movie fan, who feels the need to cross a movie off his 'never seen list' (like me!!!) than do yourself a favor and skip it.

Instead watch Ms. West's films from the 30s. They're actually not all that bad.

Don't say you haven't been warned!

This movie proves my point that Greta Garbo was one of the smartest movie stars to ever live - Mae West, unlike Garbo should have wisely retired from films after her heyday in the 1930s.

Instead, West finished her career with this lousy flick.

Why do so many actors and actresses give in the temptation of making that one more film? For example - Why did Bette Davis not end with "Whales of August" - her SECOND to last film - instead of the terrible "Wicked Stepmother"? And likewise, why didn't Mae West end her career with "My Little Chickadee" instead of this bit of celluloid trash?

"Sextette" might be fun to watch on a boring, rainy day when you are home sick from school or work and want to see how many guest stars you can identify - or if you don't want to take a sleeping pill when you have insomnia - otherwise forget it!

While not "I'm No Angel" or "She Done Him Wrong," Mae's last is no better or worse than some of her late '30s films. The direction tries too hard for outrageous ... and misses, but you'll get at least a couple of chuckles.

This is a film that needs to be watched with your tongue firmly tucked in your cheek - something I wasn't quite aware of even though the very subject matter should hint at this before you even start watching (would a man with the money, status and looks of Sir Michael Barrington really become the sixth husband of a woman old enough to be his grandmother, even if she was as glamorous as Mae West?).

Generally, the script is predictable and Mae West is basically playing herself (or sending herself up?) and, as such, makes a very good job of it. I too find it difficult to understand some people's views regarding the idea of an older woman with a younger man or men whilst they are perfectly willing to accept the very same idea but with the genders reversed.

However, there are some funny lines, and the odd very funny line and visual gag, often delivered, as would be expected, by Dom Deluise but more often by Timothy Dalton. If nothing else, the film shows his ability as a comic actor. Sir Michael's misunderstood TV interviews are a highlight and had Hugh Laurie been well-known at the time that this film was made, I would have accused Dalton of mimicking Laurie's delivery.

The vision of Dalton singing Captain & Tenille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" is almost surreal. I have to admit that I sat open-mouthed for the first 30 seconds. As it happens, he has the fairly good singing voice that his resonant speaking voice would suggest (OK, maybe in need of a bit of vocal training but I am sure Simon Cowell wouldn't describe him as the worst singer he's ever heard in his life - in fact, had he been in the business at the time, he would have probably jumped at the chance to make some money out of a good-looking actor with a reasonable voice!!!).

If you're a fan of spoofs, particularly of the cheesy, kitschy variety, you may like it. In all honesty, it is one of the cheesiest, corniest films I have ever seen, rescued by West, Dalton and to a lesser extent Deluise. Those who think it's an attempt at a serious musical with a bit of comedy thrown in will be sorely disappointed.

Sure, there's nothing redeeming here but I still love this movie. I have a fetish for truly bad cinema and this is one of my faves. We're all allowed our guilty pleasures, don'cha know? Would I recommend this to anyone? Heck, no. But I have to give Mae West credit for still marketing that same image at that age. You have to admire her chutzpa. And how can you NOT love the line referring to Timothy Dalton as England's number one spy who is "even bigger than 007". Pure camp, kiddies. That's all it is. It's like listening to Barry Manilow: don't expect anything and you'll be very satisfied! I first saw this movie when it came out. I was in high school at the time and I have not been TOO emotionally scarred by the experience. So, it's not really ALL that bad... or dangerous. LOL!