Undescribable Perfection

Highly Overrated But Still Good

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I was lucky enough to see this show at The Old Vic in London (where, albeit not on the night, this live recording was shot) so I was pre-disposed to like the DVD (the clue is in that word 'lucky') and if anything it eclipses the show if only because the camera can do what I couldn't from my mid-stall seat, namely close in on the eyes which is where it is all happening. What we have is a great blend of reminiscence, anecdotes and vocals and I for one would have been happy with twice the two-and-a-half hours she delivers. Okay, nobody is going to accuse her of being a great vocalist, least of all herself, but no one accused Mabel Mercer of being a great vocalist but no one gave a big rat's ass because Mercer, like Stritch, had a lot more going for her, the ability to 'live' a song and act it out to a fare-thee-well. As a rule my taste in female vocalists favors the 'cool' i.e. June Christy, Peggy Lee; the 'warm', Dinah Shore, Ella, and the vulnerable, Judy, for the brash, belter, Merman, Bassy, who think subtlety is to come down to high C. I have no time at all. Stritch can and does on occasion, belt with the best, but, like the finest vocalist working today, Marlene VerPlanck, she can also do wistful, a word that Merman and Bassy were incapable of comprehending. So, here we get Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here, Ladies Who Lunch, but we also get the ultra wistful I Must Have Done Something Good. You sure did, Elaine, you did something VERY good. In spades.

I know, I know - Elaine Stritch is a "legend" - she makes sure you know it, believe me... Maybe I'm the only one in the universe who felt like smacking her, but I did feel like smacking her. She does have some interesting stories about Old Hollywood, however the rest seems like a never ending, self-congratulatory vanity piece. I got the feeling that she's been practicing these "naked" little soliloquies for her audience of one, in front of the mirror, for years. Maybe that is the point of the show, I don't know. Perhaps some think she should be humored because she's 80, but crikey, I just found most of it insufferable. Sorry Elaine...

Elaine Stritch is one of our national treasures that for to long has been over looked for the acknowledgments she so richly deserves. In my opion it took grace and grit to reveal so much of ones life in front of so many people for so long a time. Ms. Stritch is also a wonderful example of how someone with diabetes can accomplish their goals. I mean just look at her! she's got a great figure, she moves with the grace and energy of someone much younger then herself and she is so Honest and I for one would like to know more about the lady, she is an inspiration to those of us that are younger (60)Had I met her at a meeting I would have ask her to be my sponsor for I am the adult child of an alcoholic and a 22 year member of Al-Anon, so I had a deeper understanding of her struggles. THANK YOU Elaine for GIVING SO MUCH TO SO MANY FOR SO LONG, oh, and your not anywhere alone, John, is with you as are the toughts and prayers of all of us who love and admire you. Carol A. Rodgers(walkswithin)

Saw this on tv in New York City and couldn't take my eyes off this old broad. Tougher than hell. Looks like she eats nails for breakfast, but she does deliver the goods. Last of the old time troupers. I really appreciated that the filmmaker followed Stritch through the whole rehearsal process and right up to opening night. I saw a similar piece on 60 minutes, but it was way lighter and had less edge, information or bite.