Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

communionsong But alas..it's not. I saw the original Broadway show with Angela Lansbury back in the 70's and it was a fantastic show. I was really anticipating an equally good movie when the movie came out. Heck, the newspaper movie poster that was in the movie section of the papers was a sight to behold. All that art-deco! I was enthralled with that. When I saw the movie when it first came out, it was so hard to sit through it. It was just awful. I thought Beatrice Arthur looked like a man in drag. I will admit, Lucy did wear some pretty fantastic costumes but I swear, that white, wide-shouldered dress suit she wore while singing "Bossom Buddies" with Bea Arthur was just ugly-fugly. Lucy was not the best choice to play Mame. I'm sorry her movie career ended with this dud. She could have done so much better. RIP Lucy, you borough joy to millions of fans but when this movie came out..I'm sure there were major disappointments galore.

vincentlynch-moonoi I have a different feeling about this film -- I really like it, and can't imagine it being better.BUT, there is one huge problem: Lucille Ball couldn't sing. Period. And this is a musical. However, aside from that, Lucy was the perfect Mame. But again, if you haven't watched the film yet, be prepared for Lucy's terrible singing.But aside from the singing issue, Lucy IS perfect for Mame, and it was nice to see her on the big screen again.There are so many great segments to this movie. Mame excelling at fox hunting, leading to a stunning musical production number of the title song. In fact, the whole segment with Robert Preston is nothing short of charming. Agnes Gooch's pregnancy. The musical number between Mame and Vera demonstrating how they love/hate each other. The segment with the Upsons.The cast is pretty much perfect. Aside from Lucy, Bea Arthur is the perfect Vera. Robert Preston perfect as Beau from Georgia. Bruce Davison great as the older Patrick, although he can't outshine Kirby Furlong as the young Patrick. Jane Connell great as Miss Gooch. And Don Porter as Mr. Upson.So, for what it's worth, I think it's a terrific...except for Lucy's singing.

kfo9494 I, like most people, have a sentimental spot for Lucille Ball. But unlike my Grandmother that thanks Lucy is fantastic even if she is citing Shakespeare, an unbiased look will tell you that this performance is as poor as a frog trying to play the part of a prince.Lucille Ball is approaching sixty-five years of age and is withered and smoke stained. The dance scenes are easy but poorly done, the singing canned and the camera is filtered beyond the point of fantasy- all this should make the most frantic fan notice that something is amiss. You must notice that something is just not right about this film. With your 'Lucy glasses' removed, it is easy to tell the weak link in this otherwise nice and entertaining story.Not to say there are not some great moments in this film. Ms Ball and and Bea Arthur have some nice lines and humorous quotes in the movie but it was not enough to save this film from collapsing like a house of cards. There was just too much fake about this film and it should be obvious to all.This could have been a great movie but now it lies as a testament that all things come to an end. Lucille Ball's theatrical presents tried to make the applause last just one more curtain call but proved that time is an enemy. Time is an enemy of us all.

Scott Amundsen I happened to see Angela Lansbury in the 1983 Broadway revival of the show that made her the toast of the town twenty years earlier, and when I saw her in the role, it drove home to me that the single biggest disaster in the film version is Lucille Ball.Not that there aren't other things wrong with it. The score is sloppily adapted; "Bosom Buddies" and "We Need a Little Christmas" are taken at a snail's pace, and the film really never survives the fact that the score was written for a star who could actually sing.Ball's lack of singing ability isn't the only liability here either. For starters, at sixty-three, she was much too old for the part, necessitating the use of heavy filters in all her close-ups which has the result of making it seem as if she were being photographed through tissue paper.There are a few bright moments, though. Thank God for Beatrice Arthur and Jane Connell. Both from the original Broadway cast, they bring their characters to the screen pretty much intact; in fact between them they practically steal the picture.Not that stealing the picture from Ball is a great difficulty here; even her comedic talents seem to have deserted her, and what little dancing she does consists mostly of being lifted up by a bunch of men and the occasional kick. (Lauren Bacall did the same sort of thing twice on Broadway and somehow got away with it, but those shows were written specifically for her) To coin a phrase, I love Lucy. And I do. I was a fan, and I still am. Unfortunately she took on a project that she simply did not have the talent for. And the result is a Godawful mess.