Isn't She Great: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{short description|2000 comedy drama film by Andrew Bergman}}

{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Isn't She Great

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| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = [[Andrew Bergman]]

| producer = [[Mike Lobell]]

| writer = [[Paul Rudnick]]

| based_on = {{based on|"Wasn't She Great?"|[[Michael Korda]]}}

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| editing = [[Barry Malkin]]

| studio = {{plainlist|

*[[BBC Film|BBC]]

*Lobell-Bergman Productions

*[[Marubeni]]

*[[Mutual Film Company]]

*[[Leonine Holding|Tele-MunchenMünchen]]

*[[Toho|Toho-Towa]]}}

| distributor = Universal Pictures{{plainlist|▼

*[[Universal Pictures]]}}

* [[Universal Pictures]] (North America, United Kingdom and Ireland)

▲| distributor = Universal Pictures

* Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)<ref name=sd>{{cite web|title=Mutual's foreign partners strike $200m credit line|website=[[Screen International]]|first=Colin|last=Brown|date=9 May 2000|access-date=22 November 2021|url=https://www.screendaily.com/mutuals-foreign-partners-strike-200m-credit-line/402295.article}}</ref>

| released = {{start date|2000|1|28}}▼

* Toho-Towa (Japan)<ref name=sd />

}}

▲| released = {{startFilm date|2000|1|28}}

| runtime = 95 minutes

| country = {{plainlist|*United States

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}}

| language = English

| budget = $36 million<ref name=Numbers>{{cite web | url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Isnt-She-Great#tab=summary | title=Isn't She Great (2000) - Financial Information |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref>

| budget = $44 million

| gross = $3 million<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1180337665/ | title=Isn't She Great |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] }}</ref>

| gross = $3 million

}}

'''''Isn't She Great''''' is a 2000 American [[biographical film|biographical]] [[comedy-drama|comedy-drama film]] that presents a fictionalized biography of author [[Jacqueline Susann]], played by [[Bette Midler]]. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, the film was directed by [[Andrew Bergman]] from a screenplay by [[Paul Rudnick]] based on a 1995 ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' profile by [[Michael Korda]]. The film covers Susann's entire life, focusing on her early struggles as an aspiring actress relentlessly hungry for fame, her relationship with [[press agent]] husband [[Irving Mansfield]] ([[Nathan Lane]]), with whom she had an institutionalized [[autism|autistic]] son, her success as the author of ''[[Valley of the Dolls (novel)|Valley of the Dolls]]'', and her battle with and subsequent death from [[breast cancer]]. In addition to Midler and Lane, the film stars [[Stockard Channing]] as Susann's "gal pal" Florence Maybelle, [[David Hyde Pierce]] as book editor Michael Hastings, and [[John Cleese]] as publisher Henry Marcus. [[John Larroquette]], [[Amanda Peet]], [[Christopher McDonald (actor)|Christopher McDonald]], [[Debbie Shapiro]], and [[Paul Benedict]] have supporting roles.

Opening in 750 US theaters on January 28, 2000, it wasreceived assaultednegative byreviews from critics and shunned by the public, and earned only $3 million at the box office, far less than its cost of $4436 million.<ref>{{Cite web|urlname=http:Numbers//www.the-numbers.com/movies/2000/ISNTS.php|title = Isn't She Great (2000) - Financial Information}}</ref> Midler was nominated for a Worst Actress [[Golden Raspberry Awards|Golden Raspberry Award]].

== Cast ==

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*[[Amanda Peet]] as Debbie Klausman

*[[John Larroquette]] as Maury Manning

*[[Christopher McDonald (actor)|Christopher McDonald]] as Brad Bradburn

*[[Dina Spybey]] as Bambi Madison

*[[Larry Block]] as Herbie

*[[Frank Vincent]] as [[Aristotle Onassis]]

*[[James Villemaire]] as [[Jim Morrison]]

*[[Paul Benedict]] as Prof. Brainiac

*Sam Street as [[Truman Capote]]

==Production==

The film was an international production, with the [[BBC]], [[Lobell-Bergman Productions]], [[Marbeni]], [[Mutual Film Corporation]], [[Leonine Holding|Tele München]], [[Toho]] and [[Universal Pictures]] contributing, making it an American-British-German-Japanese co-production.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=413}} Despite the international production, the film was not released in Japan.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=413}}

== Reception ==

''Isn't She Great'' was panned by critics, as the film holds a 2524% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 6162 reviews. The site's consensus states, "Bland material produces entirely forgettable comic performances."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/isnt_she_great | title=Isn't She Great | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2024-02-28}}</ref>

[[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised Midler, Lane, and Cleese, but opined that screenwriter "Rudnick and the director Andrew Bergman ('[[The In-Laws (1979 film)|The In-Laws]],' '[[Honeymoon in Vegas]]') have so defanged 'Isn't She Great' that it's like watching a sketch from the old '[[The Carol Burnett Show|Carol Burnett Show]]' that has mildewed."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Elvis |date=December 8, 2000 |title='Isn't She Great': Camping Trip to Susann's Valley |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/012800great-film-review.html |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In contrast, [[Stephanie Zacharek]] of ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'' gave a positive review.<ref name="Salon" /> She admitted the film plays "fast and loose with facts", but described it as "a cupcake of a movie, a sweet and lightweight little thing that's all but served up in a ruffled paper cup".<ref name="Salon" /> She praised the cast, particularly Lane, writing "what makes him so remarkable is that, even within the broadness of his role and the overarching, at times almost overwhelming, broadness of the picture itself, he manages an astonishing emotional delicacy."<ref name=Salon>{{Cite web |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |date=2000-01-28 |title="Isn&#039;t She Great" |url=https://www.salon.com/2000/01/28/isntshegreat/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref>

Peter Stack of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' said, "As a showbiz story, 'Isn't She Great' tends to work OK, even if there's no display (fortunately) of the subject's talents. The showbiz feel is the film's main aim, inferred by the casting of klieg-light legends Midler and Lane, and by delineating Susann as a wannabe who succeeded in gaining the world fame of an entertainer."<ref name="Chron">{{cite news |last1=Stack |first1=Peter |title=Story of Susann Isn't So 'Great' / Novelist's life makes depressing comedy |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Story-of-Susann-Isn-t-So-Great-Novelist-s-2780139.php |access-date=28 February 2024 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> He concluded the film works better as "an amusing look at self-invention and bravado".<ref name="Chron" /> In a one-star review for the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', [[Roger Ebert]] said, "I was hoping for satire, but they've made a flat and peculiar film that in its visual look and dramatic style might be described as the final movie of the 1950s."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Isn't She Great |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/isnt-she-great-2000 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=28 February 2024 |date=January 28, 2000}}</ref>

== Soundtrack album ==

[[Polygram Records]] released a soundtrack album containing "On My Way" and "The Book Tour (On My Way – Reprised)" by [[Dionne Warwick]], "Open Your Heart" by [[Vanessa Williams]] and 14 instrumentals by [[Burt Bacharach]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.discogs.com/release/4369341-Burt-Bacharach-Isnt-She-Great-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack |title=Isn't She Great: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |website=Discogs}}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==

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*'''[[Razzie Awards]]''': [[Razzie Award for Worst Actress|Worst Actress]] (Bette Midler)

== FootnotesReferences ==

{{reflist}}

===ReferencesBibliography===

{{More citations needed|date=August 2013}}

{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films |publisher=McFarland |date=1994 |isbn=0-89950-853-7 |authorlink=Stuart Galbraith IV}}

* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |year=2008 |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |isbn=978-1461673743}}

{{refend}}

== External links ==

* {{IMDb title|0141399}}

* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E1D6123CF93BA15752C0A9669C8B63 New York Times review]

* {{Mojo title|instshegreat|Isn't She Great}}▼

*[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/01/28/DD81825.DTL San Francisco Chronicle review]

*[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000128/REVIEWS/1280301/1023 Roger Ebert review]

*[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/isnt_she_great/ Rotten Tomatoes]

▲*{{Mojo title|instshegreat|Isn't She Great}}

{{Andrew Bergman}}

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[[Category:2000 films]]

[[Category:2000s English-language films]]

[[Category:English-language German films]]▼

[[Category:English-language Japanese films]]▼

[[Category:2000 comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:American films]]▼

[[Category:American biographical films]]

[[Category:American comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:British films]]▼

[[Category:British biographical films]]

[[Category:British comedy-drama films]]

▲[[Category:German films]]

[[Category:German biographical films]]

[[Category:German comedy-drama films]]

▲[[Category:Japanese films]]

[[Category:Japanese biographical films]]

[[Category:Japanese comedy-drama films]]

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[[Category:Cultural depictions of Jim Morrison]]

[[Category:Cultural depictions of Truman Capote]]

[[Category:Films about actors]]

[[Category:Films about disability in the United States]]

[[Category:Films based on newspaper and magazine articles]]

[[Category:Films directed by Andrew Bergman]]

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[[Category:Mutual Film Company films]]

[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]

▲[[Category:2000s American films]]

▲[[Category:2000s British films]]

[[Category:2000s Japanese films]]

[[Category:2000s German films]]

[[Category:English-language comedy-drama films]]

[[Category:English-language biographical films]]