Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

just watch it!

Don't Believe the Hype

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Show business sure is weird.Edie Beale was a charming, fascinating person who never made it until she played herself for the Maysles brothers. Drew Barrymore is a nice person with less talent and charm than Edie had in her big toe. Both came from famous families. The one with far less talent became a big star, and the other died in obscurity.I truly like and admire Drew Barrymore as a person, and I had hoped that this movie would prove me wrong about her as an actor, would prove that she DOES have talent and CAN play characters who are not herself, but it didn't. None of the Barrymores could; they all had such strong, distinctive personalities that they were always the Barrymores, regardless of what characters they were supposed to be playing. It was true about Lionel, Ethel and John, and it's true about Drew. She can't help it; she has those Barrymore genes.I watched her pretending to be Edie Beale for almost two hours, and every second of that time I was yearning for the real thing. This is a trashy TV movie that adds nothing worthwhile to the real, original, fantastic Grey Gardens starring the real Beales instead of Hollywood stars trying and failing to impersonate them. But the hordes of TV addicts who can't get anything until they see it acted out on TV by famous actors think this is a masterpiece. Go figure.

First, you must see the original documentary before viewing this film.Only then will you be able to truly appreciate the acting perfection on display here. Jessica Lang and Drew Barrymore are perfect. The writing is masterful. The direction is spot on.Such talent and love for the subject matter is a rare thing to find in a film these days.Big and Little Eddy come to life in a way that was completely surprising to me. It takes rare courage to make a dramatic film based on a documentary. Such enterprises are fought with pitfalls and barriers. Even if you have not seen the original documentary, you will enjoy this film. However, if you have seen the original, you will praise this film. I cannot say enough good things. This is a must see!

I'd seen the original documentary when it opened, and was strangely drawn to the surreal, tragic lives of those women. This production - astonishingly - honors everything that was real and touching in that relationship. I cannot believe that HBO wouldn't in some way make caricatures out of the Beales, but they do not. This is a lovely, sad, touching film. If there's a discordant note, it's the necessary evil of Tripplehorn's Jackie reaction when she arrives to save the day. It's a thankless role and difficult scene, but even this could've been much worse. That aside - Lange is brilliant and intensely real, and Barrymore...well, I've never been a fan. Until now. This is a performance crafted out of sheer integrity and skill. As richly as HBO deserves derision for its garbage, this warrants an ovation.

A dramatization inspired by the Maysles Brothers' documentary Grey Gardens, starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as Big and Little Edie Beale, Jackie Kennedy Onassis' eccentric aunt and cousin. The documentary is generally considered a classic, and gives you lots of hints about who these two women are, but few real explanations. Writer/director Suscy attempts to get to the bottom of the story. The mystery of the doc is nice, but it's also good to have the whole story. Plus, I definitely respond better to dramatizations than documentaries. I would accuse the documentary, or at least raise some slight food for thought, of being a tad exploitative. I thought it presented these people almost like they were a freak show. Yes, I can see that the Maysles had sympathy for the women, but it could definitely be seen as a little mean. This dramatization doesn't have that problem whatsoever. You can completely see who these people are, where they come from, and you feel their pain more deeply. The biggest thing to recommend about this film is Drew Barrymore. I'm sure she'll win an Emmy for it. She should be winning, or at least nominated for the Oscar. I've long felt that she's a talented actress who doesn't challenge herself enough. This proves it. I hope she finds more roles as good as this one in the future. She has matured fantastically. Lange is good, too, of course. Jean Tripplehorn, also an actress who never lived up to her full potential (presumably her career died with Waterworld), appears briefly in the movie's most powerful sequence as Jackie O. The actual film, though it's well done in general (I'd also point to the awesome make-up), isn't especially well directed. It does scream "television". Not a big deal with so much good stuff on screen elsewhere.