The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

If there's one thing this film does well, its capturing the appeal and allure of New York City. This is a fun time-capsule of a film from this period and it beautifully captures some truly iconic images of midtown Manhattan, and a couple other shots of the city. The beautifully stylized representation of office life, the cloths and apartments of NYC explains why these girls along with millions of others like them dreamed of coming to New York City to achieve their dreams - be it a dream job as a successful executive or a rich husband. As for the story itself, it is a bit cliched and is filled with some stereotypes. Despite some issues I think this film is great fun and worth checking out.

Overlong soap opera with a nice cast. It chronicles the lives of three working girls. In particular their relationships with terrible men. I'm not the biggest fan of soaps but I can get into them if they are fun. Unfortunately, between all the bitterness and misandry, there's not much fun to be had here. It's also very predictable. I notice the DVD cover prominently features Joan Crawford as though she's the star. She isn't, in case you're a Joan fan. Hope Lange is the star. Joan plays a supporting part for the first time in decades. She's still the best thing about the film. I didn't feel connected to or care about the characters at all. Despite the melodramatic nature of the film, it really offers nothing titillating enough to recommend it on that basis. So it's basically just a garden variety soap with nice production values. Watchable but nothing special.

Screenwriters Edith Sommer and Mann Rubin zip through Rona Jaffe's book about love-starved stenographers at a New York City publishing firm at top speed; brought on-board by an employment agency, it only takes a few scenes before Radcliffe girl Hope Lange moves from the typewriters to the manuscripts...and then it's on to editor! Although the film runs a full two hours, it's never boring due to the rapidly-changing scenario (the narrative plays like an adaptation in shorthand). This coupled with Jean Negulesco's penchant for occasionally heartfelt melodrama and "The Best of Everything" quickly becomes the best of all soap opera clichés. There's the fanny-pinching executive, the hard-drinking heartthrob, the female warhorse who let the one man who ever loved her slip through her hands, the cad who specializes in knocking up naïve virgins, et al. The picture looks good and has a few goosey scenes and strong moments, though Lange's rocket-like ride to the top is laughable, as is Suzy Parker's role as an actress (named Gregg!) who becomes obsessed with Broadway director Louis Jourdan (yet another cad). Most of the women are weak-kneed, weak-willed pushovers for a pretty face, while the majority of the men are smooth-talking liars and cheats. Quite a stew for those in the mood. **1/2 from ****

A hugely enjoyable screen version of Rona Jaffe's best-selling pot-boiler about the trials and tribulations, (and, naturally, the loves), of a group of women involved in one way or another in the New York publishing business. Directed by Jean Negulesco, fairly fresh from the success of "Three Coins in a Fountain", and the prototype for the likes of "Sex and the City", except that here the sex all takes place off-screen.The bright young female talents of the day, (Hope Lange, Diane Baker, Suzy Parker, Martha Hyer), are all nicely cast while Joan Crawford pops up as a Queen Bitch of an editor who could probably eat Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly and spit her out; with absolutely no effort at all she steals the movie. The men include Stephen Boyd, Louis Jourdan, (if it wasn't Rossano Brazzi it had to be Louis Jourdan), Robert Evans, (before he decided, wisely, to go behind the camera) and Brian Aherne. There are more suds on display than you will find in your average launderette but if, like me, you enjoy "Desperate Housewives", not to mention Carrie Bradshaw and company then you will probably love this. A very guilty pleasure.