Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart

First of all, let me say right out that I don't love Martha Stewart. I'm not a MS apologist. Hell, I don't even watch her show, because even I, half-brained cynic that I am, can discern that MS is essentially a product of the Wall Street/Madison Avenue/Corporate America hype-world. She's an invented hype-machine that gets people all excited about the infinite wonders of perfecting the "home living experience", and then... (drum roll please)... Corporate America is right there to sell all those many many products just to make that dream of perfection come true. The Martha Stewart line of products at K-Mart is one of the more obvious manifestations of this reality.

Be that as it may, I didn't like this heavy-handed "hit piece" of a film. It seems each and every scene was capped off with an emphatic little clincher to ensure the viewer was left with the thought: "Oh_My_Gawd!!! What a horrid stinker of a person that Martha Stewart really is!!! Ewwwww!!!"

Anyway, I thought the movie was a non-stop stream of hitting below the belt. I thought Cybill Shepherd looked and talked NOT AT ALL like the (real) Martha Stewart I've seen on t.v. (what little I've seen of her, that is...). As such, I thought the movie was unintentionally funny. I couldn't stop laughing at how absurd Cybill Shepherd looked, trying to make MS look absurd.

I would have appreciated more of the negative emphasis be put on the corporate hypsters that invent the Martha Stewarts in the first place. Also, I would have liked more negative bias towards mindless home-makers who get so damned obsessive about all those frilly, frivolous things in the first place. (I recently saw a PBS program entitled "Affluenza". That would make for an excellent follow-on viewing after seeing this film about Martha Stewart and the MS way of living.)

Anyway, a couple of years ago at K-Mart I bought a mattress pad for my bed. The Martha Stewart line. Don't know what the thread count is, but it is the most comfortable darned thing I've ever slept on. Thanks, Martha Stewart!

I'm not a big fan of Martha Stewart. I'm undecided on the insider trading issue, and I don't buy her stuff anyway. But this film was just this side of slander, portraying her as a self-obsessed jerk who bullies everyone around her into doing what SHE wants. Forget the fact that she's an exceptional salesmen. Forget the fact she's one of the most popular icons in media. Forget all that and... well, you still can't accept the movie. The acting royally sucked (Martha doesn't sound anything like that!) and they went out of their way to get ugly people to portray her, whereas in reality Martha is quite an attractive woman. Slander. Sue 'em, Martha!

When I first heard about a year and a half ago that Cybill was going to play Martha I was excited for Cybill and Martha. I thought Cybill's career would get back on track and Martha might enjoy having such a glamour girl play her...however, as Cybill ages she becomes more and more campier--she hardly EVER lost her southern accent in her portrayal of Ms. Martha. Martha would never say "beauuutifullll" she would say "BEAU-TI-FUL". There are moments where Cybill actually does resemble Martha but then there are moments where she looks like she is about to have her gallbladder removed. Hey Cyb--there is such a thing as under eye concealer! Don't even get me started on TURKEY HILL (the name of Martha's home), it doesn't even resemble the real Turkey Hill. The score is a great supporting player in the film. Classic line--HEY S**T! Not bad--but Cyb should have worked with a dialect coach. Also, has ANYONE remembered the GOOD and POSITIVE things Martha has done?

What better actress to play Martha than Cybill. I think they're both nuts! I have always wondered why Martha is so popular, and to be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out. Most of the things she comes up with are just common sense, but so many people think she is so brilliant. She is an excellent con woman. That's her claim to fame.

Cybill Shepherd plays in this very easy to watch movie which charts the rise and fall of Martha Stewart.

Whilst I don't know Martha Stewart or what she represents to today's American Society, I do know that I enjoyed this movie and I often take time out from my busy schedule to watch it.

Sure its not the best movie in the world, but I watch it because it's sometimes funny and sometimes realistic about the world of business. And I think its a good movie if you want to know what it takes to become an entreprenuer or start your own business.

Sometimes it re-invigorates my own ideals and my own personal goals. So that's why I like this movie.

Overall: 6/10.