| Product Summary | | Publisher: HBO | | Format: DVD | | UPC: 00883929071890 | | Buy.com Sku: 211092977 | | Item#: V2WQET | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 28646 | | Category Keywords: True Story | | Rating: Rating Pending |
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| | | Inside the Incredible World of Jackie O's Relatives.
Features: DVD, Widescreen
Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter (both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka "Big and Little Edie"). They were raised as Park Avenue debutantes but withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens." As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. Based on the lives that inspired the Maysles Brothers' classic documentary.
"Perfectly cast, expertly crafted, and faultlessly executed...Lange and Barrymore are nothing short of brilliant..." Bill Gibron, FilmCritic.com
"...Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are magnificent as the bizarro Beales. Barrymore is a revelation." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
The Maysles brothers' classic documentary proved that truth can be stranger than fiction, but this drama adapts the story of Big Edie and her daughter, Little Edie, with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the Bouvier women. These fascinating relatives of Jackie O. lived in squalor in a massive mansion on New York's Long Island.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Grey Gardens (2009) - DVD Review By: Bill Gibron - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 7/3/2009 10:48 PM | |
Most serious film fans know the story of Grey Gardens: how documentarians Albert and David Maysles were investigating the life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis's sister Lee Radziwill for a film and stumbled upon the unforgettable duo of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Eddie; how it took a year of "convincing" before the women would allow them to film in their manor; how the resulting motion picture turned the plight of these discarded society matrons into the stuff of living legend; and how since the movie's success, the Beales' story has been adapted into books, a Broadway musical, and a stage play....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: HBO |
| Release Date: 7/14/2009 |
| Running Time: 103 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 1000097229 | | UPC: 00883929071890 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 4 -- "Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are magnificent....Barrymore is a revelation....She finds Edie's unquenchable spirit." 04/30/2009Entertainment Weekly
"Barrymore nails an elusive accent and tricky mannerisms." -- Grade: B 07/17/2009 A.V. Club
"Barrymore and Lange aren't just good as Little and Big Edith Bouvier: They're damn near perfect. The same can be said of the film..." -- Grade: A 08/05/2009 Critical Mass Film House 9 of 10
Documentaries have the ability to dig up truths about otherwise unknown stories: civil wars in distant countries, scientists on a medical mission or relatives of the First Lady who are off their rockers. "Little Edie" and "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale were direct relations to Jackie O., and found their big break when the Maysles brothers made stars of them in their 1975 documentary, "Grey Gardens." A cult favorite, the film has since been revived as a short-lived Broadway musical and now finds a retelling through HBO Films...First-time filmmaker Michael Sucsy directs Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore in the recreated life of the odd mother-daughter pair. Using the documentary as a guide, they reenact scenes from the original film and then flash back to a more beautiful time before cats were crawling over their deteriorating titular abode. It is a challenging task to show the history of the Beale girls without being insulting or accusing, and the film treads carefully...Surprisingly, the slippery slope to ruin is understandable through this film's telling. Little Edie was lovely and admired by the boys, but she felt marriage would prevent her from following her dreams of acting and dancing. She is not portrayed as a slick society girl but rather a little eccentric, hinting at the older version who considered herself quite staunch. Barrymore throws herself into the role with Little Edie's distinct accident and mannerisms, her character defiant of the usual customs that would have assured her security...Lange has more freedom with a character who had aged badly by the time of the documentary filming. A selfish influence on her daughter, Big Edie set an example by discarding opportunities which would provide for her family...Few could deny the fascinating attraction of the Beales. In looking back at the lives which would incite a cult following, "Grey Gardens" will surely find a new generation of fans sporting all the best headwear and practicing the latest dance moves. - Deborah Dearth
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