Lace

Campy, trashy mini-series from the early 80s that received a lot of publicity for Lili's query that ends part one: "Which one of you bitches is my mother?" This five hour mini-series was inspired by Shirley Conran's popular novel, but isn't very similar. Phoebe Cates plays Lili, an orphan who grows from a child in a prison camp to hooker to porn star to legitimate actress to global phenom in flashbacks. Lili is glamorous and beautiful, but not very likeable or even sympathetic, and Cates' nonspecific Eurotrash accent must be heard to be believed. Lili eventually traces her roots back to a trio of students who attended a Swiss finishing school together, one of whom gave birth to her using the pseudonym Lucinda Lace. Each of their lives is examined in flashback as well, as the soap opera-style drama of each of their lives progresses. By the time Lili finds out which "bitch" is her mother, it doesn't really matter. But the glamorous 80s-style costumes and beautiful international locations alone make this worth spending an afternoon watching. NOTE: sometimes a truncated 180 minute version of this airs on TV. See the complete version if you can.