TV Movie, HBO Films. Directed by Michael Sucsy. Starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.
HOW have I not heard this story before? That's the question I kept asking myself as I watched Grey Gardens, the story of the eccentric, idiosyncratic, and let's face it, just plain crazy cousin and aunt of Jackie Kennedy. Social recluses who don't seem to recognize how odd their lives are, the lives of "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" are quite tragic in a lot of ways. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange turn in phenomenal and award-winning performances in this HBO Film.
Interestingly, the film about these women bears the same name as the documentary featuring them (when they Big Edie was still alive) from the 70s. This documentary is actually being made throughout THIS film. However, this Grey Gardens is more of a narrative biopic, tracing the descent into a form of madness of the two women. The story is actually told in a non-linear way, jumping all around, starting from Barrymore's debut as a debutante, and culminating with the 1970s premier of the documentary. This film is unsettling, there's no two ways about it. You get that distinctly sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that comes from watching someone who is totally out-of-touch with reality. Both Edies seem increasingly out-of-touch with the rest of the world, and the Grey Gardens house spirals into disrepair.
This is a film that doesn't have something to SAY, per se, but more to highlight a culturally significant figure (or, rather, pair). The selling point of Big and Little Edie is clearly that they were related to the Onassis clan... so perhaps it's pointing out how far the mighty can fall? This is a showcase for good acting (particularly by Barrymore) and a "true story you've never heard of" gem someone found in a history book or documentary collection. I thought it was interesting to have a film being made within the film... a very self-referential way that makes us, as the audience of THIS film, question our own role as spectator. Worth seeing for the performances, but not something I particularly enjoyed.
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