Well, there's always somebody........

Rating: Null/10 (18 August 2011)

I saw The Exorcist when it first came out. I didn't really like it and really didn't want to see it again, but when I heard that there was a definitive cut with eleven additional minutes, the temptation was too great. I had to see it again to see if I thought differently about it. And I wanted to see Lee J. Cobb in particular, one of my favorite actors (the line about John Garfield in his first scene is ironic, as both of them were part of the Group Theatre).
Sorry. I gave it my best shot. I don't think it's much of a classic.
Friedkin certainly did a good job, and the story was interesting. The graphic nature of the film and the language didn't really bother me as it did others.
Burstyn is fantastic as she always is, but Blair is remarkable, and that's my real problem with this movie. Anyone who didn't let their child play the role of Megan has my full respect. The fact that Blair's parents let her do this movie was simply unconscionable. A teenager has no maturity to handle what she is asked to handle here, and it should not have been a surprise that her childhood was destroyed as a result. It is no wonder that her career became a non-career. No one was going to offer her a role as a 'normal' girl. She is still beautiful, and deserves another chance to show what she is truly capable of as an actress, but I don't think anyone has the guts to do that in Hollywood today.
I can't say that I wasted my time watching this, but I'm not likely to want to see it again.