Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMame (1974)
Director: Gene Saks
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Starving fans of musicals won't live long on Mame, another paean to American matriarchy, or rather auntiarchy, and the swansong of the Queen of the B movie and TV sitcom. Lucille Ball, cast 20 years younger than she is, simply hasn't the drive and steel of a Rosalind Russell, an Angela Lansbury or a Ginger Rogers, all of whom played the part before her. And Mame is the Life Force. She can declare Christmas a month early and get snow with it. When he's not ogling his star in perpetual soft focus and a $300,000 fashion parade, Saks fails to get enough retakes, match his shots, or inject the essential vim. There's a preposterously smug put-down of the bourgeoisie, and some dull songs.Author: SG
Cast & crew
Director: Gene Saks
Producer: Roger Fryer, James Cresson
Cast: Lucille Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Robert Preston, Bruce Davison, Kirby Furlong, Jane Connell, George Chiang, Joyce Van Patten full cast
Genre(s): Musicals
Duration: 131 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Jackson's This Is It: review
Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'
Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her
How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life
Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now