Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

HorrorCreepshow Despite stellar orchestrations and a more faithful screenplay to the original Broadway production, this version of Gypsy suffers from a not-so-solid leading lady and a super cheap, dull production. On paper, Bette Midler seems ideal. She's loud, brassy, fun, can sing like an angel, and is a pretty great actress. Well, I don't know what went wrong, but Midler is terribly uneven. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments (the quieter scenes between Rose and Herbie, the songs "small World", "You'll Never Get Away From Me", and "Small World (reprise)", etc.), but all in all, she butchers her two biggest numbers ("Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Rose's Turn") by over telegraphing and hamming them up. During the film's finale, it's actually pretty embarrassing to see such a talented actress deliver such a wonderfully written monologue in such a one note and goofy fashion. She reads more like a cartoon than a human being. Is it Bette's fault or the directors? Apparently, the director was dying during production and wasn't able to be as present as he'd hoped, so that left Bette to essentially direct herself, which is never a good idea given the heft of her role. This leaves us with one hell of a strange, over the top, and campy performance that isn't even enjoyable on a "so bad, it's good" level. Without a solid Madame Rose to lead the cast, poor Peter Reigert and Cynthia Gibb have very little to play off of. They both have their moments as well, but they can only do so much without a strong Rose to back them up. The production values are cheap and tacky, not to mention overly colorful for a tale about parental neglect and lost dreams. It's just a huge missed opportunity. The sets and furnishing would have probably been more at home in a Tim Burton movie than a fairly realistic musical. One wishes the marvelous Tyne Daly had been able to recreate her brilliant performance in this TV version. While not possessing the strongest voice, she gave Rose more pathos than anyone else I've ever seen. It's not all bad, though. The orchestrations are lovely and brassy and the screenplay is much more faithful to the stage version than the equally disappointing 1962 movie version starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. Worth a look for more forgiving Bette Midler fans.

mwp2paris Watching this on Comcast On-Demand.Every time I see this musical, I am amazed at the songs...one show-stopper after another.This interpretation is, for me, magical. The songs sparkle...the vocals, orchestrations, and choreography are amazing for a "made-for-TV" movie...better than many stage versions I have seen.The debate over Bette just doesn't make sense. She is Mamma. Her voice is brilliant and yet full of the pathos of the stage mother living through her daughters. I still get tears at the end when she finally has her moment of glory, no matter how faded that glory is.The Tulsa/Louise duet/dance is on now. Fabulous.Stephen Sondheim is the King of musical theatre. His lyrics just roll off the tongue like silk...Styne's music is perhaps the best ever penned for the stage/screen.Thank God we have this masterpiece of the American Musical Theatre captured on DVD.

inmemoryofdivine This is easily one of my favorite musicals of all time. Bette Midler comes as close to real magic on screen as anyone has in her turn as Gypsy Lee's blustery, bosomy, brave and very scary mother. She evokes a sense of desperation that is at times both comic and tragic but always genuine and quite beautiful. Such charm and grit she is indeed a pioneer woman without a frontier. That frontier is discovered for the children. Who in turn must forge their own in a world ruled by their domineering mother.This particular version is, as I understand it, in it's entirety including the brilliant choreography of Jerome Robbins, as well as the original stage directions.

peacham While It was great to see Gypsy uncut from stage to screen with the fine "Together" number back in (it was cut from the 1962 version), Bette Mildler peaks too early in the film.Her Mama Rose builds until she sings "Everthings coming up roses" then she has nowhere to go but up. Mildler overacts the second half of the film dreadfully. Roz Russell correctly built her emotional level to peak at the finale, "Rose's Turn" and in so doing she has wonderful depth of character.True Midler sings better than Russell but with less emotion.Peter Reigert is in fine form as Herbie and plays it with more energy than Malden,however lacking Malden's depth of character. in the 1962 film,Cynthia Gibb is a charming Louise and a Gutsy Gypsy. Other high points are Ed Asner's cameo as Pop and the show stopping you gotta get a gimmick song lead by Christine Ebersole. Its a good film that would have benifited from a different leading lady (or one that could take direction?).