Product: Sextette (1978)
Rating: 4.0
The legendary Mae West takes her final bow
The mere fact that 82-year old Miss Mae West actually made a film in 1977 is a pretty amazing thing. It took many years for her to realize filming her play "Sextette", but she got it done, to the delight of fans and the consternation of everyone else. Considering that her previous comeback "Myra Breckinridge" was such an utter disaster that this film seems like a joyful fling in comparison, Mae handles herself quite well here. The tone light & campy most of the time, Mae plays Marlowe Manners, a big-time movie star who's getting hitched (for the sixth time) to British gentleman Timothy Dalton (it's purely coincidental that a James Bond reference is made, considering he bagged the role a decade later). But the marriage is put on hold when peace talks keep breaking down (Mae's affiliation with this is her character was once married to Russian Alexis, played with flair by Tony Curtis). And so, Marlowe's manager (the always-funny Dom DeLuise) convinces her to "take one for her country" by stepping in & helping untangle this political mess. There's some amusing business with hubby Dalton jamming his foot in his mouth in interviews by insinuating he's gay (he misunderstands the meaning), and the contemporary covers of musical numbers are utterly cute & charming.So how does Mae look? Well, close up, she's just not as attractive (hence, plenty of long shots). But she's in good physical shape for her age, and she still sounds like the same ol' Mae West. Fans will be relieved that she hasn't lost her touch with tossing out her trademark racy one-liners, which surprisingly, haven't lost their impact for the 1970's. Some may be shocked that Marlowe is marrying a man decades younger. But then you have to consider the facts: Hugh Hefner nearly married a 25-yr. old Playmate; and Carol Burnett remarried someone over 30 yrs. her junior. So yep, it's perfectly acceptable.The parade of male actors is like a who's who of the times: Curtis, DeLuise, George Hamilton, Ringo Starr, Dalton, Walter Pigeon, Regis Philbin, Alice Cooper, Keith Moon, etc.Of course, Mae has some frollicks checking out the beefcake in a gym, and she flaunts some great costumes.Whether you love this film or thinks it's awful is up to you. Just the rarity of seeing a legend like West has to be worth the look!