Rich and Famous (1981)

I first saw this film in a theater, when my first desire to be a writer was just beginning to really consume me - so the story of two women, Liz (Jacqueline Bisset) and Merry Noelle (Candice Bergen), and their friendship over a 20-year span during which they both become famous novelists, was a must-see. The fact it was directed by George Cukor (his last film, in fact), AND was an update/remake of the classic Bette Davis film 'Old Acquaintance', and you couldn't KEEP me from the theater!It all starts at Smith College in 1959, where a young Merry Noelle has packed her bags and is sneaking out, leaving school to get married to her fiance Doug (David Selby), the two of them moving to the west coast. Liz helps her sneak out, and at the last minute a teary-cheeked Merry leaves Liz with her favorite possession, a stuffed teddy bear named Hamburger.Flash forward a decade later, and Liz is visiting Doug and Merry in Malibu, as part of her book tour (she's just had her first novel published, to glowing reviews if not bestseller status). Merry and Doug have a ten-year-old daughter named Debbie, Doug has a great job and they have a wonderful home right on the beach - complete with film and TV stars for neighbors - and Merry seems to be enjoying her life as wife and stay-at-home mom. That is, until she lets Liz know that she's written a novel, much of it based on the stories her friends and neighbors have told her in confidence, of her life in Malibu, and even talks Liz into allowing her to read her the novel. By the time the next morning dawns and Merry finishes the last page, the two have this huge fight when Liz realizes that Merry's novel is crap - when it comes to literary quality - but has the potential to be a popular bestseller.Out of friendship, Liz agrees to show the manuscript to her publisher ... and we flash-forward six years later, to find Doug and Merry living in Beverly Hills and Merry a rich celebrity with "six torrid bestsellers" under her belt.The film follows the friendship and rivalry and volatile private and public lives of Liz and Merry - Liz with her hang-ups on ageism and sex and the infinitely difficult task of writing, as Merry struggles to keep any relationship with either her husband or daughter, as she puts her career ahead of all else, each "trashy" bestseller she writes making her that much bigger a household name.Kind of a "chick flick", but also one about friendship and women finding their own independence ... and, most of all, about the writing and these two women who love each other as the best friends they are ... even when they can't stand the sight of each other.

Beautiful DVD of one of my favorite movies! The ravishing Jacqueline Bisset produced RICH AND FAMOUS (but was too modest to take the producer credit she deserved) and gives one of her finest performances. Candice Bergen is hysterically funny (I'm sure this was the reason why she was hired to play "Murphy Brown" on TV). Gorgeous photography, lavish production, I'll never understand why it received such hostile reviews which dismissed it as "a woman's movie". If it were released today (2016), it would be a huge hit. Everyone I know loves it. RICH AND FAMOUS has a lot to say about love, life, the passage of time, and the importance of friendship. The bittersweet conclusion is unexpectedly moving and played to perfection by its two gorgeous leading ladies. WARNING: MGM screwed up the movie's initial release on VHS. Instead of transferring the original R-rated version that played at theatres, some studio dimwit used the heavily-censored, crudely-edited version shown on network TV, shortened by 20 minutes and missing, among other highlights, Matt Lattanzi's eye-opening nude scene. By all means, avoid the VHS version but do purchase the original 118-minute theatrical print beautifully transferred to DVD. I can't recommend RICH AND FAMOUS highly enough! Even the haunting background music composed by Georges de la Rue is exquisite, embellishing the story's many moods (funny, sad, euphoric, despondent) to perfection. Both Ms. Bisset and Ms. Bergen deserved Best Actress Oscar nominations, and Jacqueline should have won.

And what a guilty pleasure it is! Some of the worst dialogue ever written for big stars to utter; scenes that seem to make no sense; big lapses in logic. And yet, it doesn't matter one bit! This movie is so much fun and the actresses are so great to watch that it triumphs over its many weaknesses. The Georges Delerue music is absolutely beautiful (after many years, I found it on a compilation CD of Delerue's collected movie themes), and some of the scenes critics found laughable were actually quite touching. Of particular interest is the scene where Liz Hamilton (the gorgeous Bisset) beds the 18-year-old hustler she picked up on Park Avenue. Rather than being explicit, Bisset takes us into the loneliness of her character and the sadness of her own fading youth, so that the seduction becomes an emotional high point of the movie. Ms. Bergen was a real revelation at the time of the release. Pre-"Murphy Brown", not many took her seriously, even though she had received an Oscar nomination in 1979 for "Starting Over", also a humorous role. But Bergen also gives us more to appreciate than Miriam Hopkins even did in the original "Old Acquaintance". She gives Merry Noel Blake a heart and this makes us care about her even when she is at her most selfish. The men barely register, which was probably the intention. David Selby was a capable actor and does fine by Doug, Merry's overshadowed husband. Hart Bochner is an astonishingly handsome actor (he still is, by the way). His Chris, the Rolling Stone reporter that Liz falls for is more mature than most 22-year-olds, but in the end Liz seems determined to live out the life of the lonely artist. Production values are high, and the movie is a gas to watch. George Cukor, the legendary director of 'women's pictures', may not have been able to count this as one of his classics (like "My Fair Lady") but who cares? You'll certainly have more fun watching this than any number of "serious" films. I've worn out my VHS copy, which I purchased back in 1984, before they started editing it. I hope this DVD will restore the movie back to that condition. It deserves to be seen as Cukor wanted.