All About Eve (Two-Disc Special Edition) Reviews

• A SPARKLING MASTERPIECE!

  
  By A3NNENFGZRGRRM on 1999-12-04
  Bette Davis made this movie in 1950 when her career was faltering;her last film was the insipid "Beyond the Forest" (now considered a minor camp classic by some.) "All About Eve" is relished by many who hail it as Davis's all-time greatest performance(which is,in all fairness, arguable) as the forty year old magnetic actress Margo Channing.Many also feel Davis never looked better than she does here (her costume designer for this was the legendary Edith Head).The acting is genuinely excellent and the screenplay is music to the ears;as a consolation for not winning the AA,(it went to Judy Holliday)Davis received the coveted New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress.George Sanders is peerless as the poison pen critic Addison De Witt;( he won the academy award for best supporting actor.) Thelma Ritter is hilarious as the wise old companion of Margo's who's seen it all happen before. Celeste Holm gives an absolutely sparkling performance as Karen Richards(she tells Eve "I'm the lowest form of celebrity" she being the wife of playwright Lloyd Richards(Hugh Marlowe,whose wooden personality suits the role he plays.)Gregory Ratoff's timing in the "bicarbonate of soda" scene is amazing and Gary Merrill is right on as the cynical Bill whose age (32) creates insecurity for Margo; she fears she'll lose him to some young "babe".The film holds up extremely well,considering it will be 50 years old next year.Marilyn Monroe has an amusing bit as a "Graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts" Finally we come to the gal who played the "little worm" of the title: Anne Baxter.She is astonishingly straightforward and realistic in her interpretation of the louse;if she seems to be a bit on the drab side, it's only because she's underplaying to the "Queen Mother", studying and using her idol as a stepping stone in order to get her name in electric lights and reign supreme as a Lady of the Theatre; in other words, she's diabolical as HELL! If you've never seen this movie, you're in for a treat. If you have'nt seen the DVD version do so;the print is crystal clear and adds immensely to the film's viewing pleasure.This is Mankiewicz's masterpiece and it won the Oscar for the Best Picture of 1950.
  
  

• New 2003 DVD transfer: Restored video and audio, plus extras

  
  By AYWIO6OYAGFGQ on 2003-01-12
  I managed to find this a few days before its official release date and am happy to report that it finally gives this classic film the treatment it deserves. The video and audio have been restored from orignal source material with noticeable improvements over the previous DVD transfer. The picture has none of the scratches and dust that were present on the earlier version, and there is a Dolby stereo option as well as the original mono. The stereo soundtrack offers greater clarity and depth and there's no low-level hum or hiss.

  Besides offering a major improvement in the quality of the image and sound, the new DVD also includes a good selection of extras. There's a 25 minute "Backstory" from AMC that is very informative and entertaining. There are two separate commentary tracks, one with Celeste Holm, Christopher Mankiewicz (Joseph's son), and Kenneth Geist, the other with Sam Staggs, author of "All About 'All About Eve'". There are
  promotional interviews with Davis and Baxter, four newsreels, a trailer, and a restoration comparison.

  The restoration comparison is one of the strangest that I've seen. Instead of an audio track explaining the problems and processes involved in the transfer, there's a series of screens with text printed on them. There then follows a series of comparisons from various versions of the film. There's nothing really wrong with any of this, but considering the huge amount of time and effort that goes into a restoration of this magnitude, I expected something a bit more dynamic.
  
  For any "All About Eve" fan, old or new, this is the DVD we have been waiting for, and at five dollars less than the original DVD, a real bargain.

  Highly recommended!
  
  

• Classic story; classic performances

  
  By ABN5K7K1TM1QA on 2003-12-23
  When I was a kid I would go to the second-run movie theater virtually every Saturday and watch three features, a cartoon and a newsreel indiscriminately. It was all wonderful to me (although I would hide bashfully behind the seat during the love scenes). I would come out of the theater several hours later (sometimes watching one of the features twice) amazed at what I'd seen and changed forever.
  
  The first adult movie that ever really held my interest though was All About Eve. Such is the power of the all too human story and how directly and clearly it is told from a celebrated script and some sublime direction by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Bette Davis who was then, by Hollywood standards for actresses, an ancient 41-years-old but not yet halfway through a 58-year movie career, stars as Margo Channing, a New York stage actress feeling very heavily the loss of her splendid youth. Eve Harrington is played with a veiled duplicity by Anne Baxter in a breakout role. I sat with fascination, understanding perfectly how and why she had insinuated herself into Margo's life, and on the edge of my seat to find out what would become of her. Yes, a child may well know of such matters, and it is to the credit of Mankiewicz and everyone involved in the production that a movie could be made that would inform and fire the imagination of a ten-year-old boy while at the same time intrigue and entertain adults. Ah, if only they made "chick flicks" like this today!
  
  Of course, All About Eve is more than a chick flick even though the men, Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) as Margo's beau, and Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) as a writer (and husband of Margo's best friend, Karen, played by Celest Holm) headed for Hollywood, take a back seat to the main action which is the playing out of the eternal power struggle between (take your pick: they all fit psychologically): youth and age, the daughter and the mother, the bride and the mother-in-law, the upstart and the established talent, the new and the old.
  
  Bette Davis is excellent of course, and the role fits her like a glove. But what transfixed me as a child was the contrast between the wholesome good looks of Anne Baxter and her sneaky treachery. Could someone so pretty be so bad? I may have wondered who I would have preferred for a mother, Davis or Baxter, and perhaps have come away not knowing. For Bette Davis the luster had gone from those famous eyes, and so it was only natural that her character Margo feared the loss of love from men. Even that I understood as a child. And in Baxter, youth would be served and perhaps she could be forgiven the lies because time does not stand still for anyone, especially it does not stand still for a starlet.
  
  Notable in supporting roles are Thelma Ritter and George Sanders, the former as Margo's maid and alter-ego Birdie, the latter as the cynical and barbed theater critic, Addison DeWitt (named perhaps with the 17th/18th century Brit wit and essayist Joseph Addison in mind), who escorts about town none other than a not-so-dumb blonde named Marilyn Monroe in an early role. The script, resplendent with some very sharp one-liners, was adapted from the story, "The Wisdom of Eve" (a bit of irony-on-the-square in the title perhaps) by Mary Orr and of course became the Broadway musical Applause (not yet a movie). Mankiewicz won Oscars for both his script and his direction, and Sanders won for Best Supporting Actor while the movie itself won for Best Picture over such fine films as Sunset Boulevard and Born Yesterday. Both Davis and Baxter were nominated for Best Actress but lost out to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday.
  
  Bottom line: one of the great stories of the theater, a classic Hollywood film not to be missed.
  
  

• One of the best american films ever made. What? No extras??

  
  By A1PL8JA0TEHBVN on 2002-01-08
  All about Eve is (along with Sunset Blvd.) my favourite film of that year. What makes it so great? Everything! This is the story of how greedy people get ahead in showbiz: using other people and manipulating their lives.

  But there's more than meets the eye. The screenplay really shows how the characters revolving around Eve get affected by her actions. All of them play important parts in her raise and ultimate fall.

  And more... The ending is one of the best endings ever written on movie history. This is a film that trully shows you the circle of life and how the evil that you do returns to you in the end.

  Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, Anne Baxter, Thelma Ritter (and even Marilyn Monroe)... This is also a film dominated by women. It is their antagonism between them that moves the film. What they want and what they do. Every scene in this film is capital.

  An american gem: a solid script, a strong cast, a beautiful music score, great production values, a great cinematography and on top of it all, a great director in peak form.

  This DVD edition is ok. I think this film deserved a better edition with some commentary or a brief documentary, production notes or something like that. Here, all you get is the trailer. Anyway, with or without extras, this film is a must!

  My two favourite lines: Bette Davis' "fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night!" and "I wish someone would tell me about me." ohh, but there are many... George Sanders' introduction is beautiful as is his "killer to killer" final talk with Eve.
  Buy it now!
  
  

• Welcome to the theater!

  
  By on 1999-10-09
  One of the most brilliantly written, fantastically directed, electrically acted films of all time, All About Eve remains one of the truly great films of the 1950's,(it's hard to choose just one film in what was arguably Hollywood's greateset decade.) The script is one of the best ever written, with lines that, no matter how many times you hear it, will have you in stitches, and scenes that you'll find yourself rewinding over and over again, gawking at how witty and genuinly perfect they are. The brilliant direction by Joseph L Mankiewicz and the truly outstanding acting, however, are on par with the script. Bette Davis is remarkable as Margo Channing, but please don't think she chews up and spits out everything and everyone in sight. She is more the focal point in a beautifully woven tapestry of acting, with great performances by the entire cast, with include George Sanders, Celestle Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Thelma Ritter, and Anne Baxter as the the icy Eve. I don't want to bore you with my gushing, so I'll just say this: If you haven't already, please see All About Eve, a movie that will change your perspective on just how great film can be.
  
  
• An absolute knockout of a film.
  By A1EB3EO0NZ1LO on 2001-07-17
  "All About Eve" is the story of an actress named Margo Channing, who has a jealous, envying fan named Eve, who maneuvers her way into Margo`s life, eventually becoming a famous actress herself. It's a flawless, brilliant film that was honored with 6 academy awards and was declared number 16 of all time on the American Film Institute's top 100 American movies list.

  "All About Eve" stars Bette Davis as the delightfully sour Margo Channing and Anne Baxter as the jealous, envying Eve Harrington. Both women are perfect in their roles, as is most of the cast.

  The film is a knockout. The script is sheer brilliance from start to finish and is among the greatest scripts ever written. The characters are great, the direction is outstanding and the movie maintains interest the entire time.

  The movie begins with four of the main characters seated at an award night as Eve is presented with her award. We see Margo and her companions with sour looks on their faces as an old actor is making his speech. Then, we're taken back to the night where it all began. One of Margo`s closest friends Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) is walking to the back of the theatre when Eve introduces herself, explaining she is a fan of Margo`s. After they have met and heard Eve's sad story, Margo takes pity on Eve and asks her to move in with her. Then, Eve begins to maneuver her way into Margo`s life, working her way up to fame.

  "All About Eve" is an outstanding movie, an excellent character study and is certainly a memorable experience with an ending that is just perfect. "All About Eve" is definitely a film worth seeing.
  
  

• Where did all the scratches come from?
  By on 2000-01-10
  One reader recently said that this DVD of "All About Eve" is crystal clear. I agree! Never have I seen this film with such fine detail and super contrasts! Good sound too! But I was quite upset about the flurry of scratches visible more or less throughout the whole film! So I took out my most recent Laser Disc copy which claimed to be a remastered version. It still looked fine, but not as crisp as the DVD, and almost NO speckles at all! As an example, just try to examine those black seconds at the start of the movie, right before the Fox logo appears, and you'll find a little snowstorm on the DVD, while the Laser Disc is completely black. From that moment on it's hard to stop noticing those ever present little speckles. How could this happen? Why did Fox Video use a slightly worn print for mastering to DVD? And if this print had better detail (which is obvious), why not try to remove the scratches digitally, the way Criterion have done on dozens of their DVD-releases? I will surely always watch the DVD-version in the future, but I strongly feel that Fox could have done better.
  
  
• The Ultimate Backstage Movie!
  By A3BLK88R8PV1SE on 2000-02-09
  The film is a masterpiece! Its perfect cast (with special praise to Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holme, and Thelma Ritter) works as a skillful ensemble, ensnared in Eve Harrington's devious fight for Broadway stardom. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the repartee worthy of Noel Coward. The film is wry and sparkling, funny and biting, a total gem.

  The DVD transfer is a particularly spectacular and fresh, limpid black and white and wonderful grays. Though the packaging does not indicate that this is a fresh restoration, you just couldn't hope for much better--especially on a 50-year-old film. Once again this film proves that the DVD medium is at its most spectacular with the best of black and white films.

  Here too is a chance to see a youthful Marilyn Monroe deliver a consumate portrayal of the blond bombshell, clawing for an acting position.
  
  

• Perfection
  By A1N8KHEWAAIO49 on 2000-08-10
  What can be said about this classic movie that hasn't already been said. Bette Davis is malevolent, tender, witty, and always the star in this portrait about the bitchiness and back-stabbing of the theatre world. At first amused by the syncophantic attention of a young fan (Anne Baxter superb as Eve), Bette Davis as ageing star Margo Channing, soon becomes all too aware of the scheming and plotting for her crown that underlies her attentions. What ensues is a struggle for attention, power and above all the shallow glory that Hollywood offers.

  Directed by the master Joseph L Mankiewicz and starring one of the best ensemble casts ever, All About Eve is electric cinema. George Sanders as Addison de Witt is serpent like in his charm and malice, Celeste Holm is solid as best friend Karen, Gary Merrill excellent as long suffering Bill and Thelma Ritter brilliant as ever as no-nonsense Birdie. The script is the perfect example of mature, witty and incisive dialogue. In the hands (or the mouths) of the actors listed above it is transformed into art.

  The highlights are numerous but watch out for Bette's meeting with a young starlet played by Marilyn Monroe in a bit part. The lines are delivered with such venom it is hard to know where the acting started and the reality finished. This scene is worth the price of the DVD alone.

  This film cannot be recommended highly enough. Production is good on the DVD but it is disappointing there are no trailers or interviews besides a short one with Bette. A true American classic and a reminder of what Hollywood could do when it put its mind to it.
  
  

• A new 2-disc edition of the Best Picture Oscar winning classic
  By A2E3F04ZK7FG66 on 2008-02-01
  This film brought Davis' career back from the brink and set up a very productive second act in her career. Margo (Bette Davis) plays an insecure aging star who helps a very poisonous young ingenue, Eve, (Anne Baxter) get started. As Margo, Davis throws some of the best tantrums of her career. Just when you think there is nobody more evil than Anne Baxter's Eve Harrington, along comes George Sander's Addison DeWitt and kicks her to the curb in that category.
  The special features are:
  Audio Commentaries -
  1. Celeste Holm - Star; Joseph L. Mankiewicz - Director; Ken Geist - Author/Film Biographer; Christopher Mankiewicz - Director's Son
  2. Sam Staggs - Author/Film Historian
  Isolated Audio Track - Musical Score
  Disc 2: ALL ABOUT EVE - Supplemental Material
  Additional Release Material:
  Additional Footage - "MovieTone News: 1951 Academy Awards Honor Best Film Achievements, 1951 Hollywood Attends Gala Premiere of "All About Eve," Holiday Magazine Awards, Look Magazine Awards"
  Behind the Scenes -
  1. "AMC Backstory: ALL ABOUT EVE"
  Comparisons - Restoration Comparison
  Documentaries -
  1. "Joseph L. Mankiewicz: A Personal Journey"
  2. "The Real Eve"
  Featurettes -
  1. "Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz"
  2. "The Secret of Sarah Siddons"
  
  Also included are some trailers and a stills gallery. This film is being released to DVD separately and as part of the Bette Davis Centenary Collection by Fox in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bette Davis' birth.
  
  
• A masterpiece of dramatic filmmaking
  By A3CWH6VKCTJAD on 2001-02-16
  Among the greatest dramas ever written, this brilliant film elevates an outstanding script with extraordinary acting. It received 14 Oscar Nominations in 12 categories and won 6 including Best Picture and Director. However, it is much better than that.

  Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) is a waif that is constantly seen waiting outside the theater for her idol Margo Channing (Bette Davis). When Margo's best friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) invites her in to meet Margo it begins a relationship that is destined to turn into a typhoon. Margo is taken in by Eve's hard luck story and her obsequious deference, and she decides employ her as her personal secretary. With duplicitous and cunning ambition, Eve maneuvers her way into becoming Margo's understudy. Just turning 40, Margo begins to become self conscious about her age and sees Eve as a threat to her career and her relationship with Bill, who is eight years her junior. The resulting tension between Margo and Eve is electric, with power plays, blackmail and conniving at every turn.

  John Mankiewicz was one of the most prolific and gifted auteurs of the studio era. He won back-to-back double Oscars for directing and screenplay in 1949 and 1950 for "Letters to Three Wives" and "All About Eve". His accomplishment in this film is gargantuan, with a powerful script and forceful direction of a talented cast. The dialogue is fantastic, with snide humor and barbed innuendo that cuts like a stiletto. The scene between Eve and pompous theater critic Addison Dewitt (George Sanders) where he confronts her about her past is like a mating of snakes.

  The acting is stupendous. Bette Davis appeared in over 100 films in her 58 year career, nominated for 11 Best Acting Oscars and winning two. This was one of her very best performances and it escapes me why she did not win the award that year. Davis is a whirlwind of dramatic power in a riveting portrayal of the tempestuous Margo. She imbues Margo with a gigantic ego and equally enormous insecurity, which yields some of the best and most bitter tantrum spewing ever been put on celluloid. Anne Baxter is deliciously evil as Eve. Her sweet helplessness veils a cold, calculating serpent waiting for her opportunity to strike.

  The supporting actors were also superb. George Sanders won a best supporting Oscar for his haughty performance as Addison De Witt. Celeste Holm was nominated for a supporting Oscar and was terrific as Margo's well meaning, but meddling friend. One of my favorites was Thelma Ritter (also nominated for Best Supporting Actress) as Birdie, an unrefined and blunt woman with extraordinary perceptiveness about Eve's true nature. There is even an early look at Marilyn Monroe in a small part as Addison De Witts ditzy date.

  This is one of the best dramas ever made and among my favorite films of all time. It was rated number 16 on AFI's top 100 of the century. I rated it a 10/10. They don't make them like this any more. It is required viewing for classic film buffs.
  
  

• the ultimate in Hollywood classics just got better...
  By ABH4G7TVI6G2T on 2008-02-21
  The brand-new Special Edition of ALL ABOUT EVE offers a fantastic insight into one of the most influential and refreshing films to have emerged from Hollywood in the 1950s. Still as potent and as darkly hilarious now as when it was first released, ALL ABOUT EVE tells the story of a seemingly-innocuous young woman called Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), who worms her way into the life of her idol, stage star Margo Channing (Bette Davis). Eve soon makes herself indispensable in Margo's circle of friends and eventually becomes her understudy on stage as well as in life. But manipulative Eve will only settle for the ultimate goal...to eclipse Margo as the greatest star on Broadway.
  
  Anne Baxter and Bette Davis delivers consummate performances as Eve and Margo. Baxter is so convincing as the down-on-her-luck Eve in the first scenes that, just like Margo and her friends, she pulls me in every time. She is simply that good. Bette Davis, who had recently ended her long-standing Warner Brothers contract, revived her career with her performance of Margo Channing, the imperious but ultimately flawed and very human stage diva. Celeste Holm (riding high following her Oscar win for "Gentleman's Agreement") is a delight as Margo's best friend Karen Richards. Thelma Ritter scored an Oscar nomination for her role as Margo's wisecracking assistant Birdie Coonan. George Sanders plays the acid-tongued theater columnist Addison DeWitt with all the relish of a python going in for the kill. A very young Marilyn Monroe, on the cusp of her fame at Twentieth Century-Fox, plays eager young starlet Miss Caswell in the film's signature party scene. Gary Merrill and Hugh Marlowe are fine as the men in the lives of Margo and Karen.
  
  ALL ABOUT EVE was nominated for a record 14 Academy Awards (a record that it still holds alongside "Titanic"). It won six trophies including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders), Best Screenplay and Best Director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz). Both Anne Baxter and Bette Davis were nominated in the 'Best Actress' category, though they lost to Judy Holliday for "Born Yesterday". Baxter was supposed to have been nominated in the 'Best Supporting Actress' category, but insisted she be put into the 'Best Actress' competition, feeling her role in the film of equal importance to Bette Davis'. In later years, Baxter conceded that she should have kept her original nomination, as she would most certainly have won, and Bette Davis might have walked away with 'Best Actress'.
  
  The wonderful new 2-disc Special Edition DVD from Fox comes with a fine assortment of bonus material including audio commentary with Celeste Holm, Kenneth Geist and Christopher Mankiewicz; and a second commentary track with "Eve" expert Sam Staggs. There is also the informative AMC "Backstory" episode on the making of the film (featuring wonderful interviews, filmed in 1983, with Anne Baxter and Bette Davis). There are also several publicity featurettes and MovieTone newsreels from the period.
  
  
• exquisite special edition dvd of a true classic film
  By A2C27IQUH9N1Z on 2003-03-08
  All About Eve is one of those classic films that you will never forget. Like Citizen Kane or Gone With the Wind, you are left breathless at the talented cast, superb direction and magnificent screenplay. All About Eve is one of the ten best classic films, and this special edition dvd does it justice.

  The film begins with Eve Harrington receiving an award for best actress. She is surrounded by all of her friends, but none of them seem enthusiastic for her, and the rest of the film tells you why. The story, written by director Mankiewicz, is lots of fun and the cast -- Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Gary Merrill, the acerbic Thelma Ritter and a young Marilyn Monroe getting one of her first speaking parts -- is just wonderful.

  A restoration of the film was planned for the 50th anniversary of its winning the Best Picture Academy Award, and the accompanying dvd features are terrific. There are comparisons of a number of old and restored scenes; promos by Bette Davis and Anne Baxter; four Movietone newsreels -- the film's premiere, and its winning Oscars, a Holiday Magazine Award and a Look Magazine Award; a 24-minute AMC Backstory feature; and two commentary tracks. One commentary features Sam Staggs, author of a book about the film. The second commentary features Celeste Holm, director Mankiewicz's son (being painfully candid about his father), and Kenneth Geist, the director's biographer. The emphasis on the second track is how life imitated art: Bette eventually married Gary Merrill, her film husband; Anne Baxter unwittingly kept Bette from winning an Oscar for playing Margo Channing; the famous party scene reenacted similar scenes at the Mankiewicz home; etc. These commentaries, along with the AMC Backstory, are really great. If you love this film, you will thoroughly enjoy these informative and fun behind-the-scenes features. The film can be seen in English, French or Spanish, and subtitles are available in English or Spanish.

  Highest recommendation.
  
  

• No good deed goes unpunished
  By A3NQU1649SH0Q4 on 2000-05-05
  "All About Eve" excels on so many levels it's hard to keep track of them all. It won eight Oscars and was nominated for 14 (a record that wasn't tied until "Titanic"). It has been called "The bitchiest film ever made." It's probably one of the most literate films ever made, too, with references to "paranoic outbursts," Fort Sumter and the dramatists Beaumont and Fletcher. (It's unlikely that its screenplay could be produced today.)

  The story of how an innocent-seeming young ingenue slowly worms her way into an older actress's heart and takes her career away from her is now fifty years old but is as fresh as if it were filmed yesterday. The performances are outstanding across the board, and feature Bette Davis as star Margo Channing, Anne Baxter as usurper Eve Harrington, Celeste Holm as Eve's best friend, Thelma Ritter as Eve's live-in companion, and Marilyn Monroe in a small role as Miss Caswell, "a graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art." This is a film to treasure and to enjoy over and over.

  There is also a brand-new book devoted to the movie: "All About 'All About Eve'" by Sam Staggs.
  
  

• Lousy DVD
  By A5WTXSLT60MXT on 2000-08-07
  I can't imagine anyone spending $20 to $29 on this DVD when it offers absolutely nothing you can't find on a video. The only extra is a two minute interview with Bette Davis which shows her promoting the movie to an interviewer. The DVD itself is shameful: spots and speckles galore. Hardly a remastered print. My copy, taped five years ago from American Movie Classics is twice as good as this DVD. Why weren't any of the surviving cast and crew interviewed? Celeste HOlm is still very much alive and kicking. What's depressing is that all of Bette's classic movies are being reissued to DVD in the same mode: $25-$30 and absolutely nothing extra. Turner should take a lesson from Universal which is doing a magnificent job re-issuing all of its horror classics on DVD: on the "Dracula" DVD alone you get three complete movies (the original, the Spanish version, the original with a new film score), interviews, a history of the movie's creation, etc. Bette Davis fans certainly deserve more than an absurdly priced DVD which is inferior to the video.
  
  
• It Starts With The Script
  By A1345VRK5MYG7 on 2000-11-19
  Repeated viewings do not dull the shine of this excellent movie. Bette Davis gives perhaps her most famous performance as Margo Channing, the fiery, aging stage star coming to grips with her maturity and her insecurities. She tears into the character (and every scene) with relish. Gary Merrill is very good as her younger director-boyfriend. Celeste Holm is her calm, understanding best friend (a playwright's wife), and she's terrific, especially in scenes where she communicates a lot with simple reactions. George Sanders is at his very best and steals many scenes as the sharp tongued critic who sits back and manipulates the events. Thelma Ritter is right on target as Davis' all-knowing, all-seeing maid. Marilyn Monroe has a small, but showy role as a voluptous (what else) wanna-be actress. But special praise should go to Anne Baxter as Eve, the conniving young lady who insinuates herself into Davis' life. Not enough attention is paid to just how great her performance really is as she walks the line between who she really is and who she wants to become. However, despite these awesome performances, the real star of this movie for me is the script. Joseph Mankiewicz's script is simply perfect, from its narrative construction with the opening framing device, to its witty, mature, quotable dialogue. This is one of those films where you just sit back, smile, and marvel at the excellence each time you view it.
  
  
• Maybe Mankiewicz's Best!
  By A3C6X0DAM87GN4 on 2001-09-30
  Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 6 time Oscar winning film is my pick for one of the best black comdies of all time. It is one of the wittiest and most well paced comedies of all time as well (Though "His Girl Friday" is up there as well). They just don't make them like this anymore. All the rage today for comedies are to gross you out. The more disgusting a comedy, the more money it makes. Well, I'm not from that school of thought. To me, a good comedy is one that has wit, charm, and of course is actually funny. "All About Eve" has all three! Bette Davis stars as a fading Hollywood leading lady Marogo Channing, who must now step aside as her former pupil has become the new "it" girl, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Both were up for Oscars in what has become the most talked about Oscar race in history (51 years so far and still going strong!). Everyone in this movie acts perfectly alongside each other. George Sanders is just great as Addison De Witt, the man who brought Eve and Margo together. He also happened to win an Oscar for best supporting actor. And the rest of the supporting cast is terrific also. Thelma Ritter, Celeste Holm, and there's even room for Marilyn Monroe to make her first screen appearance! Mankiewicz, to me was never able to make a film as wonderful as this, and will always remain to me as his best film. If anyone who hasn't seen this film ever gets the chance to see it, please don't pass it up. It's definitely worth buying.
  
  
• One of the truly essential films.
  By A1FG91CM8221X1 on 2005-03-20
  Good evening, darlings. Addison DeWitt here. By now you know all about "All About Eve," the film by that nappy rabbit Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which Hollywood blithely showered with Oscars, including one for that dreadful poseur George Sanders. (You yourselves may consider Sanders a paragon of sublime, serpentine wit; but I assure you, my dears, he is not a patch on the original--that original, of course, being myself.) Bette Davis outdid herself as Margo Channing (much to Margo's eternal, green-eyed envy) and her failure to win an Oscar for that performance is considered one of the greatest injustices ever wrought by the so-called Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (Full disclosure, darlings: I myself voted for Judy Holliday, a gorgeous vessel of joy and mirth as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday.") But although "All About Eve" cannot begin to approach the storied magnificence of "The Iceman Cometh" or any other true work of theater, it is what passes in the cinema for a masterpiece, and it is demonstrably better than 99.9999 percent of all the films that have followed it. Its enthralling backstage melodrama, couched in epigrams that sound like Oscar Wilde on benzedrine, has kept audiences riveted for the past 55 years. The performances in general are as superb as acting ever gets in the cinema--not only Davis but also Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, Gary Merrill, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Bates, Gregory Ratoff and even that impostor Sanders. (Hugh Marlowe may be a cut below the rest, but no matter.) Multiple viewings, of course, unveil certain lapses of logic in the plot that the first, entranced encounter cannot reveal. For example, why would Karen--Margo's truest friend and normally a keenly observant woman--ever in her right mind think that Margo would be amused by her ruse to allow Eve to go on stage in Margo's place? But again, a trifle. "All About Eve" is sui generis in the American cinema, filled with the sort of adult wit that supposedly sophisticated characters in other cinematic show-biz satires--i.e. Griffin Mill in "The Player"--could not even begin to understand. (Indeed, immediately upon becoming head of the studio, Griffin Mill had the lot of them sacked--Margo, Eve, Lloyd, Bill, Max, Karen--at the behest of his new amour, Phoebe. He made sure that none of them ever worked again, on stage OR screen. I'm sure you heard of Eve's sordid suicide in her squalid fifth-floor West Hollywood walkup, a couple of years after Mill blackballed her. As a humble critic, I, however, was beyond his reach.) "All About Eve" has sown no cinematic seed; it has had absolutely no successors, and it is absolutely essential.
  
  
• All About Fun!
  By A1DZKOOMMJM1MI on 2005-03-30
  All About Eve is a sharp, witty, and dark satire about the theatre world and the women who backstab their way to the top only to come crumbling down. It was nominated for an amazing fourteen Oscars, winning six including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Joseph L. Mankiewicz both directed and adapted the screenplay from Mary Orr's "The Wisdom of Eve".
  
  Bette Davis is phenomenal in an Oscar nominated role as aging actress Margo Channing, whose long-successful Broadway career is based upon plays written by Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) and directed by Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill). Bill is also her lover, although their relationship is stormy due to temperamental Davis' insecurity about their age difference (Bill is eight years younger). (Davis and Merrill wed in real life, later in 1950). Margo's best friend is Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm).
  
  Karen takes pity on a starstruck young woman who keeps hanging around the theater, hoping to get a glipse of Margo. This lovely, ingratiating young woman is Eve (Anne Baxter,also nominated for Best Actress alongside Davis) who, upon being introduced to Margo, soon becomes her servant and secretary. Gradually it becomes apparent that Eve wishes to become the next Margo Channing, as she tries to take Margo's place in Lloyd's upcoming play, and even tries to steal both Lloyd and Bill. Eve's rise is partly choreographed by sarcastic, cold-hearted theater critic Addison De Witt (George Sanders). Marilyn Monroe, already stereotyped, has a small, but very memorable supporting role as a dim-witted would-be actress.
  
  The script is fantastically witty, full of terrific one-liners. Clocking in at two hours and eighteen minutes, the film, surprisingly, never seems to drag, moving from one situation to the next. The sophisticated screenplay is vividly brought to life by one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled. The story is timeless, ripped off by an uncountable number of later films, and the film itself is a classic. What's not to love?
  
  
• A GREAT ALL-TIME CLASSIC, SURE TO PLEASE!
  By on 1999-11-06
  This film undoubtedly has one of the greatest, most sparkling screenplays of any movie ever made. Bette is absolutely astonishingly brilliant in the film which really was her Hollywood zenith. I used to think Anne Baxter was'nt quite right as Eve (I thought her characterization was rather drab) but on repeated viewings I find she was exactly right.
  
  
• "Everything but the Bloodhounds Snappin' at Her Rear End"
  By AD2BIAIH78QI5 on 2001-08-08
  That might be how maid Thelma Ritter responds to the sob story told by theatre groupie Anne Baxter to Broadway star Bette Davis, but Davis and her friends Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and Hugh Marlowe are quite touched. In fact, Bette is so touched that she takes Eve (Baxter) under her wing as a kind of protege. But it's not long before Bette begins to feel uncomfortable about Eve, and that's when the fur begins to fly, especially at a party attended by acerbic George Sanders and very young Marilyn Monroe. One of the real classics of American cinema, "All About Eve" showcases Bette Davis in her best role, Margo Channing, a star's star. The other most memorable performance is by Oscar-winning George Sanders, who simply gloats divinely as theatre critic Addison DeWitt. While the other men are good in their parts, I always wish they had been bigger name players. This is one of Joseph Mankiewicz's best movies--and he's the man who brought us "The Best Years of Our Lives". If you have yet to see this tribute to NY theatre life, drop everything and run to the video store.
  
  
• "Fasten your seat belts; it's going to be a bumpy night!"
  By A2EEUQ81DTY7G3 on 2005-07-30
  Apparently Bette Davis was absolutely devastated that she didn't win a third best actress Oscar for her role as Margo Channing, the aging grand dame of the New York stage. It's one of the great ironies of movie history, because in All About Eve, Bette gives what many regard as her finest and most towering performance.
  
  However, it's not only Davis that anchors this remarkable film, but the biting performances of all the cast. The performances, combined with the witty, acerbic dialogue, and the gorgeous production design, leave absolutely no room for doubt that All About Eve is one of the best Hollywood films ever made.
  
  The modest plot - which is merely a framework for showcasing the characters agendas and highlighting the script's glittering dialogue - revolves around the journey of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) as she climbs from struggling Broadway actress to scintillating star. The story is told in flashback from an awards ceremony for Eve wherein various participants tell us in confidence about the guest of honor.
  
  As the camera pans on their faces and we listen to a voice over by one of the participants, we soon learn that Eve has shrewdly and cunningly manipulated her friends and colleagues to suit her own needs while ruthlessly climbing to the top of her profession. The woman she chooses as her mentor, and whom she later double-crosses, is Margo Channing (Davis), a neurotically successful stage actress who has recently entered her forties and has become concerned about her advancing age.
  
  Eve intially presents herself to Margo as a devoted fan who insinuates herself into the lives of the theater people she meets and soon becomes Margo's personal assistant, then her understudy. But Eve is hiding a shady past, and from the outset it's obvious that she's not all that she seems to be. Her demure, and self-effacing behaviour hides the fact that she secretly longs to take Margo's place on the stage and in her bed with Margo's boyfriend and director Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill).
  
  Unaware of the depth of Eve's deviousness and the extent of her machinations, theatre critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) and the wife of playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), Karen (Celeste Holm) unwittingly assist in the young girl's rise to the top. Eventually, everyone wises up to Eve's duplicity, but not before she's left a web of betrayal and cold-hearted deceitfulness behind her.
  
  Although the plot revolves around Eve, the real star of the movie is Margo. Margo is insecure at turning forty in a profession where forty is considered positively ancient and where most actresses begin to lose their ability to play pretty young things. The actress is fraught with neurosis: she convinces herself that Bill is going to leave her for a younger woman, and that Lloyd is going to start offering the choice parts in his plays to younger women. It's only the kindly Karen that keeps her grounded and on track.
  
  Margo is demanding, egotistical, and popularity obsessed, but she's also enormously talented and has devoted her life to the theater, not even having time for marriage. She's an insecure, jittery, and anxious mess, and Ms. Davis plays her to the hilt. By contrast Baxter, complete with a doll-like, almost angelic face plays Eve with a competent sweet self-confidence.
  
  Eve's a naive young woman who starts at the bottom of the show business ladder, as a devoted, heartsick and star struck fan. She expects to be handed the world of acting on a silver plater every day the way she was on her opening night. When she doesn't get it, she schemes and manipulates, eventually alienating anyone who ever cared about her.
  
  It's probably a bit if a stretch to call All About Eve the greatest movie ever made. However, the film is certainly one of the wittiest, most devastatingly clever, most adult, and most erudite motion pictures ever made. The film is also a very dark and cynical social satire that effectively explores, with a type of intellectual and literate grandiosoty, the insecurities of aging, and the results of unchecked ambition.The script is arguably the best-written script ever to come out of the classical Hollywood system.
  
  But All About Eve is perhaps most memorable for the soaring, self-mocking, and fearless performance by Ms. Davis, and the almost equally memorable performances by the rest of the ensemble - including a very young and sexy looking Marilyn Monroe. All About Eve stands as a testament to screen writing of the highest caliber and quality, and the ensuing satire remains as entertaining today, and as mordantly relevant as ever. Mike Leonard July 05.
  
  
  
• "You can always put THAT where your heart ought to be"
  By A1IOM171PPQ2U8 on 2000-04-21
  This film is an example of the superb writing talent that Hollywood boasted before the 80's and 90's (when American filmgoers became addicted to special effects and vulgar physical comedy). Whereas the film was one of the most successful of 1950, chances are today even with the Best Picture Oscar under its belt, 50% of Americans would probably lose interest halfway through. The casting is perfect - there was no better choice for Margo Channing than Bette Davis (by the way - stage actress Tallulah Bankhead thought the character was a sendup of herself, and granted, there are shades of Tallulah in Margo). And if I had one wish, it would be to have George Sanders's deep, snide voice - you can just hear the sarcasm dripping in every line he speaks. Some feel that "Sunset Boulevard" lost Best Picture to "Eve" because where the former directed its animosity toward Hollywood, the latter took exception with the theatre; yet after viewing the film several times, it becomes apparent that "Eve" aimed its barbs at all forms of media (stage, screen, television, and even newspapers - the party scene alone sufficiently skewers the glamorous yet empty side of Hollywood and television). It makes one think - just how real ARE these actors and actresses we see on the screen, and how exactly did they get where they are today? The acting business is certainly one of the most competitive, and I can't imagine they all got where they are by being sweet and gentle.

  By far, the lion's share of praise belongs to Mankiewicz, who had just won an Oscar for "A Letter to Three Wives" and not only directed this masterpiece but WROTE it (and before simply dismissing such an accomplishment, I dare you to compare a script of this film to any of today's film scripts - 90% aren't NEARLY this tight or fluid). Just one thing - toward the end, what exactly happens to Thelma Ritter's character? She just kind of vanishes, and yet she's one of the most lovable characters in the film. I think it would have made a nice touch if Mankiewicz could have given her a chance to get a couple zingers in on Eve at the end, too. But that's light criticism - this film is one of the most flawless Hollywood films ever made and, if you haven't treated yourself to it, by all means, do so immediately.
  
  

• Fasten your seat belts!
  By AK2Q7ML2RANDN on 2001-06-01
  Perhaps no film has been more lauded than "All About Eve", the delightful, Oscar-winning, 1950 dramedy starring Bette Davis. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's script is brilliant and witty, his direction unmatched. Yet what elevates "All About Eve" above most other classics is its unmatched cast, led by the simply magnificent Bette Davis. Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and George Sanders also turn in excellent performances, while Anne Baxter skillfully and subtlely plays the snakey Eve. And if nothing else, see the film for the brief but hilarious turns by Thelma Ritter and Marilyn Monroe. Every classic film fan should know all about "All About Eve".
  
  
• Fasten your seatbelts!
  By A2MA7W44Q2T6G3 on 2001-08-16
  All About Eve is by far the best performance given by Bette Davis. She is far superior as an actress in this role as opposed to her earlier films where she "over-acts" quite a bit (Dark Victory and Jezebel).

  Made in 1950, this film is a classic of the noir genre. Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, this film is packed with complex characters superbly played by the entire cast.

  Bette Davis plays an aging theatre actress (Margo Channing) who's time is waning and she is beginning to fear the pressures of age. A seemingly harmless fan, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) appears night after night to watch her idol perform on the stage and manages to tug at the heartstrings of Margo's best friend played by Celeste Holm who brings Eve, unwittingly, in to the fold of the theatre and Margo. There is something about Eve that strikes one as almost too wholesome and true. She claims to be just a fan with a dream to be on the stage but is content to meet her idol.

  As things progress, Margo hires her on as a personal assistant and reveals intimate details of her personal life. Only the esteemed theatre critic (Addison Dewitt) played brilliantly by George Sanders and Margo's old time assistant, played by Thelma Ritter suspect that there is more than meets the eye.

  Eve begins to manipulate and scheme creating conflict and turmoil in Margo's personal life including almost destroying Margo's long time frienships, relationship with her director boyfriend (Gary Merrill) and her most trusted playwright friend (Hugh Marlowe) who has spent the better part of his career writing plays with nothing but Margo in mind to always play the lead.

  The cunning Eve by ways of blackmail eventually manuevers her way in to he coveted role of the hottest new play on broadway and is showered with critical acclaim.

  In the end, only the cynical theatre critic will remain by Eve's side and manages to turn the table on her with blackmail of his own, for you see, he has known all along.

  The movie culminates with Eve winning a coveted theatre award having only been in one play, much to the dismay of the above mentioned characters.

  The film is beautifully told via narrative of sorts by the theatre critic himself who gives an interesting perspective on the the final outcome.

  A very young Marlyin Monroe makes an appearance in this film and virtually steals the one scene she is in. You can already see that she is fine-tuning her comedic, dizzy and sultry blonde character that she is most known for in this film.

  The performances are brilliant and you can certainly see why this film had 14 oscar nominations.

  If you like psycho-dramas with a bit of wry wit thrown in, buy this now, you will not be sorry. It's well worth the effort if only for one of Bette's most famous lines "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night".
  
  

• Seatbelts Required!
  By A2RBWTIP49SR2J on 2003-06-09
  What a great film; most deserving of the many Oscars it received! Joseph Mankiewicz did an excellent job in 1950 of directing this film. Although with this wonderful cast it could not have been too big a challenge.
  
  Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is an actress turning 40, playing a character in her 20's. Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) is in love with her, although eight years her junior. The premise of a relationship between an older woman and a younger man in 1950 was quite out of the norm, but wonderfully done. One of my favorite scenes is where Margo is discussing her relationship with Bill and says, "Bill is thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago; he'll look it twenty years from now. I hate men."

  Eve Harrington (Ann Baxter) is the 24 year old posing as an innocent and naive star struck fan, who Margo and her friends take under their wing. Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) a critic with his own column brings new meanning to the word "pompous". Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), married to Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) the playwright, introduces Eve to her dear friend Margo and the rest of the group. Within four weeks, Eve nudges Birdie (Thelma Ritter) over and takes charge as Margo's personal assistant. Quite convincing as the humble, eager to please, employee and friend, Eve fools almost everyone. Birdie, however, sees through her façade from the very beginning and Addison, being cut from the same cloth, understands Eve all too well. It takes a bit more time, however for the rest to see her as she truly is. Eve's metamorphosis takes nine months to complete but in no way resembles a butterfly!
  
  

• Fasten Your Seat Belt, You in for a Brilliant Film
  By A2XRZV63X79YSJ on 2005-11-29
  All About Eve was the first film to turn the cornerstone from the safe films of the 30's and 40's to the ground breakers of the 50's.
  
  Bette Davis was made for the role of Margo Channing, a self absorbed Broadway diva. Margo has her own circle of friends that keep her protected from the real world. Her fiancé and director Bill (Gary Merrill), her best friends Karen (Celeste Holm) and Karen's playwright husband Lloyd (Hugh Marlowe), even her dresser (Thelma Ritter). The one outside is critic Addison DeWitt, gloriously played by George Sanders (Oscar Winner).
  
  Enter a fan Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Karen discovers Eve in the stage alley and invites her into the circle. Eve plays the naïve country girl but she has sights on greatness and uses everyone almost perfectly. But when she makes a play for Bill, she is shot down. When she then goes after Lloyd, she is almost successful. In the end Margo's clan closes the circle. Eve becomes a star but at a cost. The cost is Addison knows all and more and he is willing to use it.
  
  This film proves great drama will endure forever. Even more, you will see its influence by the number of films or television shows that have imitated it.
  
  Film factoids:
  
  Most quoted line: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night"
  
  Film debut of Marilyn Monroe as Addison DeWitt's date at Margo's birthday party.
  
  Nominated for 14 Academy Awards (Still a record) and won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Sound and Best Costumes (B&W).
  
  DVD Extras:
  
  Commentary tracks: #1 Celeste Holm, Christopher Mankiewicz and biographer Ken Geist; #2 Sam Staggs - Author of All About "All About Eve" - I did not listen to either
  
  AMC Backstory featurette: This was AMC's first in the series which examined classic films. It tells how Mankiewicz started the film, casting of the film and the actual filming. It has stock interviews with Davis and Baxter and new interview with Holm. This is very good and worth the 25 minutes.
  
  Promotion interviews with Davis and Baxter - These are not actual interviews but carefully scripted promotions disguised as interviews. They are short and worth watching.
  
  Movietone News - 1951 Oscar Ceremony - (2:30); Hollywood Premiere (1:52); Holiday Magazine Award to Mankiewicz (2:39); Look Magazine Awards to Mankiewicz and Davis presented by Bob Hope with James Stewart (1:54) this is raw footage.
  
  Film Restoration - You need to get through the written part to get to the film clips showing the 1996 film master vs. 1996 laser disc, the 2002 film restoration vs. 2002 video, and the 1996 film master vs. 2002 restored film, and the 1996 Laser Disc Master vs. 2002 Restored Video (most split screen and some side by side).
  
  THIS IS A MUST OWN DVD.
  
  
  
• Who, in their tiny mind, considered this movie as part of the Amazon Gay Pride Sale???
  By AX9P94RBIB6UD on 2008-06-29
  To me....this made absolutely no sense..........
  
  
  I will never understand how anyone could have possibly considered this particular movie a candidate for Amazon Gay Pride. This movie is nothing short of suspense, and heterosexual dialog, scene after scene after scene. Where...do they see anyone in this movie engaging in any homosexual conduct??? I, as a lesbian, went to purchase a movie within said sale, only to find this movie, one of my classic favorites, wedged inside of said sale, and was shocked.
  
  This is not a Gay flick, nor would anyone in their right mind, who has actually seen it, assume it to be. Maybe the poor soul was merely looking at the title. "Silly ole' bear", it's just a title, describing the stalking of one woman hell-bent on insidiously dethroning a famous Hollywood actress merely for the glamour and glitter that she desperately craved, not summing up the sexual ramifications of a sorted love affair between two lesbians.
  
  I could have accepted The Children's Hour, Frasier, The Ellen DeGeneres show, 9 1/2 Weeks, even The Odd couple, due to the gay scenes or actors present in these flicks...but this is never doable. Please Amazon screen your sales selections better. At least, make them watch the movie, before selecting it as part of Gay Pride.
  
  
• Movie Great
  By A1GN8UJIZLCA59 on 2001-02-02
  All About Eve is a movie that has taken on mythic proportions. The film itself is a cinematic classic, but the behind the scenes romances, cat fights and cast behavior have grown larger than the film. It has even inspired a book called All About All About Eve (an excellent read). The movie itself is a look at the life of a Broadway star (Bette Davis) and a young ingenue (Anne Baxter) who invades her life and connives her way to stardom herself. The film has quite possibly the smartest, wittiest and mature script ever written. Director and writer Joseph L. Mankiewitz deftly juggles a large cast and wove an interesting and intriguing tale. None of the actors or actress are short-shrifted and many give the performances of their careers. Ms. Davis revived her career with the role of Margo. Ms. Davis was just acting the part, she was living it. Ms. Baxter gives a chilling portrayal of Eve, Thelma Ritter is at her sarcastic best as Margo's assistant and Celeste Holm is elegant as Margo's best friend and early champion of Eve. George Sanders won the best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the acidic and snarky newspaper critic Addison DeWitt. Mr. Mankiewitz had won the 1949 Oscars for directing and screenplay and became the only person in history to turn that double win in back to back years when he took home the prizes in 1950. The film won the 1950 Best Picture award holds the record for most nominations.
  
  
• Bette Davis Shines in Ensemble Piece
  By A3K1RVYM3JQZZS on 2001-08-13
  Joseoph L. Mankiewicz's (writer and director) All About Eve was the perfect movie to usher in the 1950's. It is an ensemble drama/comedy with the now familiar plot of the evil Eve Harrington entering the life of Margo Channing to take it over (which she eventually does at a great cost supplied by the even more evil Addison DeWitt). Bette Davis has one of her finest moments in this movie as she manages the neat trick of turning the bitchy Margo (very much like Bette Davis' own public persona) into a warm flesh-and-blood human being, even while delivering some speeches that come across as quite dated in their view of women (the one sore point in the movie). The party sequences give her the best chance for throwing all of her delicious scenery chewing to beautiful effect (as well as giving the viewer the chance to see the future screen goddess, Marilyn Monroe, showing the darker side of her own future persona). The cast also shines with Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, and George Sanders. Anne Baxter is quite adequate, rising above that in the final few minutes of the film. The men (except George Sanders) do not shine as the women do. It is a smart film that despite its moments of tender heartedness dazzles most in its cynicism. A wonderfully entertaining film.
  
  

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