Isn't She Great (2000)

An unsuccessful over-the-top actress becomes a successful over-the-top authoress in this biography of Jacqueline Susann, the famed writer of "The Valley Of The Dolls" and other trashy ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew Bergman

Writers:

Michael Korda (article), Paul Rudnick (screenplay)

Stars:

Bette Midler, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Midler	...	Jacqueline Susann
Nathan Lane	...	Irving Mansfield
Stockard Channing	...	Florence Maybelle
David Hyde Pierce	...	Michael Hastings
John Cleese	...	Henry Marcus
John Larroquette	...	Maury Manning
Amanda Peet	...	Debbie
Terrence Ross	...	Radio actor
Jeffrey Ross	...	Shecky
Christopher McDonald	...	Brad Bradburn (as Christopher MacDonald)
Paul Benedict	...	Prof. Brainiac
Dina Waters	...	Bambi Madison (as Dina Spybey)
Pauline Little	...	Leslie Barnett
William Hill	...	Passerby
Mal Z. Lawrence	...	Mort

Storyline

An unsuccessful over-the-top actress becomes a successful over-the-top authoress in this biography of Jacqueline Susann, the famed writer of "The Valley Of The Dolls" and other trashy novels. Facing a failing career, Susann meets a successful promoter who becomes her husband. After several failures to place her in commercials and a TV quiz show, he hits upon the idea for her to become a writer. In the pre-60's, her books were looked upon as trash and non-printable. But then the sexual revolution hit and an audience was born for her books. The story shows the hidden behind the scenes story of Susan's life, including her autistic son and her continuing bout with cancer that she hid up to her death.

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | autistic son | son | autism | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

Talent isn't everything.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA UK Germany Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ela É Inesquecível

Filming Locations:

Hudson, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,368,705 (USA) (28 January 2000)

Gross:

$2,954,405 (USA) (18 February 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Lobell/Bergman Productions, Marubeni

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Truman Capote's quote, "That's not writing, that's typing," was in reference to Jack Kerouac, not Jacqueline Susann.

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Quotes

[About a necklace]
Florence Maybelle: If a man ever bought that for me, not only would I have sex with him, but I would ENJOY it!

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Connections

References Once Is Not Enough (1975)

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Soundtracks

"I'm On My Way"
Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Performed by Dionne Warwick
Courtesy of Platiunum Entertainment

User Reviews

Not as bad as it's cracked up to be.

I've caught "Isn't She Great" several times now (It seems to be eternally running on the movie channels).

This was a monster flop when it came out, barely released, but it does a fine job of capturing the era.

The main attraction of this film is the acting of the leads. Both Nathan Lane and Bette Midler can come off incredibly stagy on film, but their style works well with these characters. Jackie Suzanne was larger than life. They both manage to bring a true sense of sweetness to their roles.

Particular note must be made of David Hyde Pierce as her editor. This actor fits very well in this era. Also, John Cleese is a hoot as the publisher. Wish there were more of him in the movie.

Give this one a chance. A period piece from a currently unhip period.