TrueJoshNight
Truly Dreadful Film
Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
HankyP
and I for one think that is a good thing. I've just never been a Rosalind Russell fan although the original was my favorite RR movie. But I love Bette and was thrilled to hear she was making this.As for the rest of the production, I think it was slightly less than the original movie. One of my favorite minor characters in the original was Mazeppa with her scratchy fingernails-on-the-blackboard voice belting out "HEY! It takes a lot more than no talent to be a strippah!" and although I missed it, I was glad to see the producers had the guts not to do a carbon copy.I also liked the fact there are large portions of this movie which were filmed as if you are looking at a stage, it gives a feeling that you are in the theatre, not just at the movies.I think the other thing I liked about this production was that there seemed to be slightly less repetition of the song "Let me entertain you", which becomes completely annoying after about the 5th time you hear it.
Evan Wall
Honestly I think Bette Midler was not the person to play this role. Her voice isn't right to portray a part like Mama Rose. Mama Rose has to have a forceful voice and powerful. Don't get me wrong, Bette Midler is a wonderful actress and amazing singer. It's just some people are right for certain roles and others aren't. Mrs. Midler acted to part extremely well and showed a side of Mama we've never seen before and thats the reason for her Golden Globe award acceptance.Before even taking upon myself to seeing this version, I took a trip to New York and attend a performance of the 2004 revival starring Bernie Peters and Tammy Blanchard. The entire show was amazing to perfection. Astounding performances form Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Blanchard, caring the show every step of the way.In comparison to the supporting casts in the T.V movie version, Mrs. Cynthia Gibbs (in the title role) gave an equally good performance and sang the part very well as well as Jennifer Rae Beck (Dainty June).*** out of ****
sschimel
This is one of the best TV productions of a musical ever. I have heard the Merman cast album, the Angela Lansbury album, I have seen Tyne Daly live, and I've seen the Rosalind Russell movie countless times. I think Bette is if not the best, then tied with the best. She captures not just the bravura, but also the pathos of Mama Rose. I was never a Natalie Wood fan, so I really enjoyed Cynthia Gibb, in what is arguably her best role. Everything from the costumes to the sets to the supporting performances is wonderful. The three strippers, led by the always-dependable Christine Ebersole are hard to top. There was supposed to be a TV production of Mame a few years back, with Cher, but I think Bette would be the best bet (pun intended) for Auntie Mame.
Dgoldyn
Bette, a talented performer and actress --(see the Rose, See Beaches) decides she doesn't have to act or do any character work at all and merely prances about playing herself ruining what could have been a perfect opportunity to shine.Bette please stop being lazy and resting on your laurels; a fault which many stars and actresses fall into in their later careers and go back to square one and do your acting homework. See the Roz Russell Version. One merely needs to compare any scene and the difference is obvious.