Product: Sextette (1978)
Rating: 4.0
A fun romp
Now, this is a real anomaly: Mae West starring in a film based on a successful play she wrote back in 1926. So theoretically, this film could have been made into a silent movie, and here it is, turning up over 50 years later in 1978. And even in these more enlightened times, they didn't use the original title of Sex, calling it Sextette instead (although the opening credits put the first three letters into slight relief for those who might otherwise have missed it).I'm a big fan of Mae West, and I finally let my curiosity get the better of me about her final film, which I have been warned against many times. Happily, I thought it was a delight from beginning to end.Mae West is unique in the history of sex stars in the movies because she was able somehow to both play the role of a sex goddess and simultaneously parody that same role. So while other sex queens could not have gotten away with doing such a role as this one at the age of 85, Mae does much more than "get away with it," and even at this age it's not all parody all the time.Allowances do have to be made for a very few things. Her wig is one of them, her slightly bizarre makeup that makes her eyes seem way too far apart is another, and her slow movements from time to time is the final one. Still, she has obviously taken very good care of herself over the years, and gets to show herself off at one point in a series of beautiful gowns (with Keith Moon over the top as her dress designer) as she supposedly prepares herself for a screen test.She is clearly having a lot of fun. The film is set up so that she can consistently deliver the one-liners that made her famous. And these one-liners still work for her, some 45 years after she used this technique in her first film. (And the line about being "the girl who works for Paramount all day and . . . " is probably the funniest of any of her one-liners.) I sat there with a huge smile on my face anytime Mae was onscreen. I would consider her an inspiration to those who feel that after they reach a certain age, it's time to give up. Mae West is just as effervescent and zestful here as she was in her 1930s films.Her co-stars are quite good, with Dom DeLuise leading the pack, followed closely by (in no particular order) Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, and Alice Cooper. I hope I can be forgiven for thinking that Timothy Dalton, who makes up the final member of the Sextette of the title is not quite in their league (and by the way, "sex" is Latin for "six" and I suspect that the original title is more about this than it is about "the act"). Then again Dalton is playing the straight man to all these buffoons, and so his part is a little less showy than theirs. Also, his singing voice is decent although he could stand some lessons on phrasing (not breaking the musical line partway through the phrase).And speaking of singing, Mae does three numbers through the course of the film. She makes winners out of all three both through her singing voice (remember she even creditably sang opera in 1935's Goin' to Town) and through the force of her personality. Now, this is something we would have missed out if Sextette had been made as a silent.There are a number of star cameo turns. It's fun to see Regis Philbin way back when (I didn't realize he was that well known in 1978), it's a trip down memory lane to see the once-ubiquitous Rona Barrett, and a bit bizarre to see one Ed Beheler playing Jimmy Carter, something he apparently made a minor career out of (even in some GOP campaign ads). Probably the most touching cameo is that of George Raft, who played the lead in Mae's first film, Night After Night, from 1932.And of course Mae loved to surround herself with bodybuilders, and she gets a scene with a number of them here. And these are not just guys they picked up off the street; they all have athletic credentials or hold titles such as Mr. America, as is indicated in the closing credits.Okay, so Gone with the Wind it's not (hence 4 stars instead of 5). It's still a lot of fun, and it's great to see Mae West go out in such grand style.