camp, overwrought, delicious
Rich and Famous (1981)
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Synopsis: The last film by legendary director George Cukor, RICH AND FAMOUS is a sly and sensitive look at the friendship of two successful women writers. Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bisset) has become a member of New York's literary establishment, while Merry Noel Blake (Candice Bergen), a... The last film by legendary director George Cukor, RICH AND FAMOUS is a sly and sensitive look at the friendship of two successful women writers. Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bisset) has become a member of New York's literary establishment, while Merry Noel Blake (Candice Bergen), a best-selling pop novelist, lives in Malibu. Over the course of 20 years, their two lives intertwine into one sometimes rosy, sometimes stingingly barbed strand. Notable for its double female lead, RICH AND FAMOUS offered Bisset and Bergen the kind of strong central roles still difficult for women to find in 1981. The actresses have a natural rapport that is evident in every frame, and Bisset in particular shines in a career-defining performance. RICH AND FAMOUS provided a fitting swan song for Cukor, who in earlier films coaxed mesmerizing performances from many of the greatest women ever to grace a Hollywood screen, including Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Joan Crawford. Meg Ryan, in her film debut, adds her own name to the list of Cukor starlets with a winning performance as Merry's teenage daughter. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, David Selby, Hart Bochner, Meg Ryan
Reviews
This saga about two friends falls short of heartfelt and never satisfies
In George Cukor's remake of the 1943 melodrama Old Acquintance (his last film), Bisset is bland and humorless in the Bette Davis role, but Candice Bergen is fun to watch in the bitchy Miriam Hopkins part, flaunting hair, fur, and jewels around.


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