User reviews

Well, you can't go wrong using Big and Little Edie as subject matter, be it in a documentary, a movie, or a musical. This beautifully photographed and opulent "Grey Gardens," starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as Big and Little Edie, again demonstrates what compelling people they were.

Not having seen any documentary yet, or the musical, which had some powerful emotions expressed in the music ("Another Winter in a Summer Town" as an example), I can only go by this particular "Grey Gardens." The story of the Beales is sad, harrowing, frustrating, and sometimes funny.

Both women are magnificent in their roles, particularly Lange, though my understanding is that the real Big Edie was a much better singer than shown here. Barrymore makes a stunning young Edie, living in New York and trying to make it as an actress and captures the mature woman - it's quite a stretch, too.

What's missing here is exactly what happened to these two beautiful and wealthy women, and I'm not sure it's covered in any other material about them. Why didn't Big Edie remarry? Why didn't Edie "The Body Beautiful" Beale get a rich husband? Why did the other children allow them to live the way they did? Was Little Edie untalented, or could she have had success as an actress? Were they always mentally unstable or eccentric or make each other that way?

I don't know after watching "Grey Gardens," though I'm sure Lange and Barrymore made some decisions about those things in order to play their roles.

The nice thing about "Grey Gardens," for me, anyway, is that Little Edie finally got what she wanted in life - fame (well, notoriety), the ability to perform, money, and a warm place to live. I'm happy about that for her. I just wish I knew more about the psychology that led up to all of it.

Taking the magnificent 1975 documentary and turning it into a dram is a big risk - and I really feel that it payed off.

What was really great was the back-story that you didn't get in the documentary. Ken Howard (Michael Clayton, "Crossing Jordan") played Big Edie's husband, Malcolm Gets ("Caroline in the City") played George "Gould" Strong, and Daniel Baldwin was Julius Krug, all important characters in the 1936 portion of the film.

Drew Barrymore was absolutely magnificent as "Little" Edie, and Jessica Lange was amazing as "Big" Edie. The passive-aggressive attitude displayed made for some super entertainment. The co-dependency made for some outstanding drama. They were an endearing couple.

Things were really in a disgusting state with cats and raccoons all over the place when Jackie Kennedy Onassis (Jeanne Tripplehorn) shows up after numerous stories made the papers outlining the fact that the women were broke.

They were so far gone that they couldn't see how badly they looked in the documentary made about them. Eddie still thought she was destined to be a star.

If Drew Barrymore doesn't get a Golden Globe for this, something is very wrong.

The psychological exploration of the Maysles' film of Grey Gardens was riveting, disturbing, entertaining, but ultimately confusing. Who in the world were these colorful-sad women, living in genuinely shocking conditions. Were they mentally ill--was it a put-on--there were so many missing pieces--that those of us who saw the film in the 70s have always remembered this strange sad tale--a sort of benign "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" kind of tale of lost souls--lost to the world, lost in their own memories and (to us) bizarre fantasy world.

The HBO film fills in many of the pieces--with heartbreaking detail. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are nothing short of astonishing in their reincarnation of this tragic mother and daughter duo. We see their elegance, their fragility, the tricks that life played on them--with vivid detail. The easy fluidity between the past and the present makes for a riveting drama that resonates almost as much as the original documentary. But there is a difference--in the documentary, there was much more humor--Big Edie and Little Edie were characters, and you felt sorry for them--yet you really noticed their resilience and delight at life. Yes they were caught up in the past with their obsessive dwelling on events from that distant golden age of their's--but they also seemed to relish their relationship, their day-to-day coping, their ice cream, their animals--it was really not THAT sad! The movie is much more heartbreaking--because we see the glamorous lives they led--and the contrast with the emptiness of their final denouement in Grey Gardens feels overwhelmingly sad. We suspected that especially Little Edie was mentally ill in the original--delusional--paranoid. In the film, there is no doubt. She was helpless from the beginning.

Pieces have been filled in--but there are still empty pieces that abound--the role Little Edie's brothers had or didn't have in their lives, how the wealthy relatives so completely ignored or were unaware of their living conditions--why the Edies so completely retreated from the "real world" when people with much more heartbreaking situations (and much less of a moneyed background) can not only cope but overcome---these are all still mysteries which will probably never be answered--can only be speculated upon--and which will allow "Grey Gardens"--both the documentary, and now the film--to retain an enduring mystique and fascination.

I have NEVER publicly commented on a feature performance until now. Having seen the 1975 documentary about Edith and Edie Beale, I was absolutely blown away by the exacting performances--especially Drew Barrymore. I noticed a few comments dissing the film and it's rather obvious these people don't know the storyline. Jessica and Drew WERE their characters to perfection--a not-so-trivial accomplishment. I knew Lange could act but Drew perhaps has certainly lived up to her family lineage!!! ! Take it for what it's worth: this is a non-fiction account of a most dysfunctional family, parental control, character disorders, being a victim, and reluctant realization of unfulfilled dreams. Little Edie, with all her psychiatric shades, is accurately portrayed by Drew Barrymore. Jessica Lange as the spoiled, controlling mother, sort of sums it all up by telling her daughter that she's not easily likable or attractive with "...Edie ... you are more of an acquired taste". Yet, the bizarre paradox of their relationship is simple. Edie is filled with too much fear to go out into the world and the two really need each other. Call it pathological complementarity. This film works at every level!

Playing the squalor-ridden, self-deluded Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, Drew Barrymore is a revelation. In this dramatization of events surrounding the filming of the 1975 cult documentary "Grey Gardens", Jessica Lange's Edith, Sr. and Barrymore's Edie have a marvelous rapport as high society mother and daughter who fall on financial hard times. Cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy, the Beales--tucked away for years in a seaside house in East Hampton, New York--were a portrait-perfect example of missed opportunities, squandered dreams, and a freaky sort of lazy optimism that bordered on ridiculousness. They let their water and power lapse, their animal-infested home rot away, until cousin Jacqueline came to their rescue in 1971 and helped to fix the place up (and save the twosome from eviction). Lange withers away in frighteningly real fashion, while flirtatious Barrymore carries on as if every day is New Year's Eve. Both performances are spot on, though this is certainly Drew's shining moment as a serious actress; nailing the cadence of Edie's voice, her slouch and boxy walk, not to mention her high-on-life spirit, Barrymore is very funny and touching. The film goes back in time to give us a peek at how the Beale women managed to get to such a low point in life, and while the narrative is condensed and at times restricting, the pacing of the cable-made film seldom lags (as the original documentary did). It's a thoughtful movie about dreams so easily dashed, and the unforgiving price we pay for living in the past.

I remember vividly walking through the living room one day in the late 90's when my roommate was chuckling at the documentary GREY GARDENS on the Sundance channel. My eye immediately caught the images of Big and Little Edie in the yellow room and I became involved watching it too. Something about this little documentary just drew me into it. Yes, it was funny, but the humor was also mixed with feelings of horror and pity. I remember feeling a bit uneasy watching these women. One confined to an uncomfortable bed and the other confined to her shattered dreams of unrealized stardom. Both seemingly stuck in a dilapidated house in bad need of repair. What I find beautiful about the documentary is how it questions ones own perception on what "wealth" is. The documentary has that "never judge a book by it's cover" / "things are never quite what they seem" aspect to it. The greatness of the documentary is the message that "real" wealth in life comes in different forms, not just perceived material possessions. The outside doesn't necessarily reflect what's going on beneath the surface. After several viewings of the documentary, it's impossible to have pity for big and little Edie. They had wealth where it counted, in humor, intelligence, feeling, character and for each other.

GREY GARDENS with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange is a beautiful and deeply moving tribute to a couple of women whose lives might have been forgotten if it weren't for a couple of documentary filmmakers. Handsomely directed and paced by Michael Sucsy, the film resonates so many feelings that only the hardened will not be moved.

At times it is difficult not to compare and judge the performances of Lange and Barrymore with the real Big and Little Edie Beale, especially for those of us overly familiar with the documentary. Oddly enough some of the best scenes in the film are in the early years. If in moments Lange and Barrymore fail to completely live up to an exact interpretation of the Beales, they immediately redeem themselves with the conviction, understanding and love they have for the women and the material. The performances by Lange, Barrymore and Jeanne Tripplehorn will move and surprise you. The film honors, respects and celebrates it's subjects and like the documentary, it touches something deep down.

It reminds all of us that wealth comes in different forms and that true wealth is the loyalty two people can have for each other.

I was stunned by the uncanny accuracy of the scenes related to that original film; the set and prop reproductions, the re-enactment of scenes from the documentary, and the make-up and costuming of Barrymore and Lange is simply stunning.

When watching Grey Gardens, I was drawn in from the first minute of the movie. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange were unbelievable and their acting is in true fine form. I've always thought Jessica Lange was a phenomenal actress and her performance in this movie is the finest work she has done in years.

Though I've always liked Drew Barrymore, I've never considered her a "serious" actress. Until now. This is the best acting she has ever done. She ought to receive a golden globe and Emmy for her performance in this movie.

I was so intrigued by watching Grey Gardens, I watched the original documentary on YouTube right after, and then watched the movie all over again. It's uncanny how dead on their portrayals are of Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale.

Watch this movie!

In 1973, brothers Albert Maysles (Arye Gross) and David Maysles (Louis Ferreira) arrive in East Hampton, NY to do a documentary about mother and daughter Edith 'Big Edie' Ewing Bouvier Beale (Jessica Lange) and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale (Drew Barrymore) living in the rundown Grey Gardens estate. Little Edie's famous cousin Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Jeanne Tripplehorn) used to visit during the summer. In flashbacks starting in 1936, Little Edie simply wants to be a famous dancer. Big Edie wants her to find a husband with a long leash. Her father Phelan Beale (Ken Howard) wants someone to take care of her. Instead, she's in New York sleeping with married Julius 'Cap' Krug (Daniel Baldwin). Phelan leaves Big Edie. Little Edie starts losing her hair and gets pulled back home by Big Edie. When Phelan dies, Big Edie refuses to sell Grey Gardens with only a small trust that can't maintain the estate.

The acting is excellent. Lange is never wrong and Barrymore does a nice job in her older role. The women's story in their earlier days is not quite dramatic enough. It is their older selves where their compelling characters become truly dramatic. The years of disappointments and their old wounds make them great characters. Their scenes with Jackie is terrific. Their relationship is built on years of unfulfilled wishes and faded glory.

This film was absolutely wonderful. If you didn't like it, chances are you're not familiar with the 1973 documentary about these two, very real, tragic leftovers of American aristocracy.

Drew Barrymore's and Jessica Lange's portrayal of Little Edie and Big Edie were spot on. It was a bit spooky how close they resembled the actual women.

It's an engaging look at how a fall from grace can happen so slowly and subtly that it is hardly noticed by the very people who have fallen — living in such squalid conditions of which they never could have imagined in their younger, more affluent days.

A beautiful, heartbreaking story.

A movie created to answer the question that crosses the mind of every viewer of the documentary Grey Gardens (1976), "How did big and little Edie end up like this?" Sucsy tries to do this by presenting two parallel story lines; one of a younger mother and daughter trying to find their place in the world, and another of the lost, skipping records they become. While it is shocking and quaint to see these beloved actors (Lange and Barrymore) bicker like the duo from the famous documentary, it is redundant to the veteran film buff, and confusing to the modern television watcher. Instead of a compelling biopic, Sucsy relies on the the fame of the 1976 documentary, and the assumption that all audience members have seen it. However the writing doesn't magically improve if you've had the honor of previously seeing the documentary. This film uses the same emotions and realizations one would have while watching the original, but adds the glitz and glamour of show business that was absent, and frankly unnecessary in creating the weight of the documentary. Excellent performances from Barrymore and Lange, accompanied by visually pleasing and creative costuming are somewhat wasted on a half written film. Entertaining at least but had little to give beyond that.

Long-time fans of the original GREY GARDENS documentary were probably pleased that this "movie" treatment of the subject would fill in some gaps in the back story of these two unique denizens of Eastern society -- "How did they get to this?" is the question that always comes to mind when watching the Maysles Brothers' astonishing 1975 chronicle. But I doubt that anyone was expecting a movie that spends close to 70% of its running time wallowing in the most boring fictionalized melodrama seen outside of network television in years and which relegates the fading divas of the dilapidated, Gothic ruin we so knew and loved (or hated, as the case may be) to an afterthought. This is the kind of TV movie one would expect to be assigned to the likes of Melissa Joan Hart and Loni Anderson (or, perhaps, Delta Burke!). And maybe the likes of them could have turned this into a fun wallow for 90 minutes or so, upping the camp value considerably.

The two lead actresses, of course, are the draw for everyone who watches this movie -- and they are each, to different degrees, disappointing. Collectively, though, they're a disaster. Jessica Lange comes closest, as Big Edie, to a convincing portrayal, since she builds her character from the inside out and doesn't depend on impersonation, but still falls short because she holds back (as has always been her habit as an actress), especially in the later scenes. "Less is more" is an invaluable guideline for actors, but sometimes you just have go a little bit more over the top, even toward the grotesque, when it depicts a character more accurately. Drew Barrymore, on the other hand, depends on constructing Little Edie from the outside in, and obviously didn't get to spend enough time in that skin to ever own it. You get to see the gears moving constantly -- Accent! Accent! Accent! -- but you never get to see the force of nature that was the real Little Edie. The biggest problem, of course, is that these two opposite approaches clash in every scene they're in together and the two stars don't appear to be acting in the same movie.

The depiction of Al and David Maysles as cardboard cutouts was just appalling, too. That two such walking pieces of cellophane could have come up with a documentary that was so full of passion and truth is incomprehensible.

It was fascinating to watch the "Making of" featurette that is included on the DVD release, which repeatedly alternates between scenes from the original documentary and scenes from the HBO movie. There were several times when I got lost as to whether I was looking at Jessica Lange or the real Big Edie -- the *demeanour*, especially when she was languishing in bed, was so similar. The same thing never happened with Barrymore and Little Edie. Whenever the real Little Edie appears on screen the energy level shoots up 10-fold. Her cat-like nervous attention, the intense gaze in her beady little eyes, those Kamikaze lurches at the camera -- none of those things were present in Barrymore's performance.

I gave the film a rating of three here, just to acknowledge the excellent production values -- the costumes, especially, were spectacular (and unusually accurate in the '40s and '50s scenes). But I'll watch the real Beales of East Hampton a dozen times again before I sit through this travesty a second time.

I have to say that I was as dubious about this project as anyone Else...

Some one was remaking a documentary as a drama ?!? when the documentary may be the most perfect movie I have ever seen ?!? But in all seriousness this movie takes the subject firmly in hand and KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK !!! ITS Brilliant !!! First off you can tell it was written by a true lover of the original, secondly Drew and Jessica are almost indistinguishable from there real counterparts.

I cant say more with out giving stuff away but this my be the best thing I have seen in years !

As Lil Edie would say ...."Its Absolutely Terrific"

Not sure why it took me so long to view this film (I rarely watch made-for-cable-television films, so that explains that.) I've seen the documentary a number of times and always came away from it wishing I would have had the opportunity to meet the Edies and, particularly, little Edie. I can't explain it, but there's just something so marvelously endearing about her. She should have been a "somebody" other than just being Jackie O.'s cousin.

Watching the 1975 Maysles record of the closing days of Grey Gardens always sets me to thinking, perhaps too much, about what I saw play out between my own deceased mother and grandmother. It always takes me a couple of days to shake that film loose.

I watched the documentary, again, three days ago. Tonight I watched the film--is there a genre known as augmented documentary? The augmented documentary floored me. In particular, Barrymore's performance is stunning. She IS little Edie! I know the documentary very well, all the "classic" lines; and, Barrymore's delivery of them was like...well, watching little Edie in the documentary. Yet, seeing more of the Beales' past played out in rich detail connected so many dots for me (e.g. the very special gift given to Edith by Krug that figures prominently at the film's end.)

At the film's end, I was sorely missing my mother. She was the little Edie in my life; and, she would have loved this film. My grandmother, or big Edie, would have loved it, too. Thankfully, furniture covered with plastic and strict rules about animals in the house (never cats, and only the occasional small dog not allowed in bedrooms) kept the living arrangement tidy; but, the big Edie and little Edie dynamic was all there. So much laughter, so many tears, so much love and so much dislike. This film captured it all for me. Perhaps, to really appreciate it, one needs to have lived it to a certain degree. If one hasn't, I can see where the film might come across less than excellent.

9/10 stars from me and only because the film didn't incorporate "The Marble Faun" eating corn with big Edie; and, I missed little Edit remarking on her "revolutionary" dress for the day.

Grey Gardens is simply beautiful and deeply moving. The cinematography and scenery are colourful and lush, the soundtrack is lilting without feeling overbearing, the story is paced accordingly and makes me ache with emotion thinking about it and the script is a healthy balance of poignancy while never becoming too maudlin. Grey Gardens is directed with efficiency and the two lead characters are written so well that it is easy for me to empathise with them. I like Drew Barrymore, but I have not seen her this good in a long time, I'd go as far to say this is her best work. She has a perfect match in Jessica Lange who is mesmerising and the two have great chemistry between them. Overall, beautiful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Just finished watching this on HBO. They will be adding some more Emmys and Golden Globes to their huge collection of accolades. Where do I start? Well, I didn't see the Maysles documentary but now I'm compelled to do so. What a fascinating, engrossing film this was. The art direction, costuming and makeup were extraordinary. The film switches from the 1970s and 1930s, 40s and 60s and you feel like you're time traveling. The direction by Michael Sucsy moves the story along at a perfect pace and Rachel Portman's music score beautifully complements the entire production. The supporting cast led by Ken Howard and Jeanne Trippelhorn were excellent. Lastly, and by no means least, are the brilliant performances by Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, of which superlatives are inadequate to describe. I did see the Beales in clips from the documentary and these two actresses were 'spot on.' In spite of the fact that some of the scenes of the squalor they lived in and the eccentricity of these two characters is difficult to watch, this film was a real treat!

Big Edie was right. Nobody has made a film documentary about this mother-daughter eccentric before. Their lives have inspired not only a documentary but a musical stage production on Broadway. Both mother and daughter Beales will live in immortality whether on stage somewhere or being seen in a documentary or this film. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are perfect in playing Big Edie and Little Edie. Drew stunned me in her performance as the flamboyant outspoken artistic and maybe misunderstood Little Edie who has big dreams. They live in a dilapidating mansion called Grey Gardens in East Hampton, Long Island, New York which Big Edie calls home and has for over 30 years. She refuses to leave her estate and downsize. Jeanne Tripplehorn's performance of Jackie Onassis is quite downplayed but sensitive. When she says to Edie, I wished it was you to marry a Kennedy. You feel the pain and anguish in her voice. Jackie helps her aunt and cousin in cleaning up the estate once she learns that they could be evicted and homeless. Ken Howard is fine as the husband and father. There is a need to understand them more and to why they remained isolated with their pet raccoons and cats. But Big Edie's right, nobody has made a film about them in 1975 and they have been the subject of discussion. I marveled at how Drew became Little Edie. Big Edie loved to sing at her parties during the summer season in the Hamptons. Their legendary lives will never be forgotten and this film is a tribute to their legacy.

This movie drags you in from the very beginning! Drew and Jessica betray Big and Little Edie so well they are surely to get many accolades for this film. I first heard of them when the Broadway play was made about them. Since then I have done some research on them and the story hit the nail on the head. The family members of Jackie O were very colorful and very mental as we see how they let their home go to the raccoons!1000 bags of trash were taken from the home and as a tree removed that had grown inside their home! When the film begins you feel as if you have no sympathy or apathy for these women,but yet they draw you in!A must see for movie fans of Drew and Jessica! Drew must do more films like these, She's a Natural!

This is a very well made but extremely depressing movie. It is well acted and tries very hard to go back in time but if the people who made this are trying to get me to feel pity for the 2 women,they won't get it here. These 2 women had everything they wanted during the depression when the average American made $1,500 a year. When they were cut off from the ex-husband, they had a chance to sell the mansion when it was still in good shape and get lots of money to live in comfort. But the mother choose to stay, the money dried up and they lived like pigs in the most disgusting house I have ever seen. Only people who are very mentally sick would live like that. Had they applied for public assistance from Suffolk County, I am sure they would have gotten help. Little Eddy was a sicko, asking Jackie O' if it was true that the president gave her the clap. She had no talent and her and her mother should have been committed to a state hospital for the insane.

I feel a sense of betrayal on behalf of the characters depicted in this movie.

I can say Lange did a good job portraying the younger Edith. Lange's portrayal of older Edith, documentary remake, was absolutely terrible with the exception of the "Tea for Two" scene. The real Edith, from the original documentary, maintained unique characteristics that were completely foreign and unreal to me. There was a sense of improvised and on the spot personality to the real Edith I saw in the original documentary that was not captured in this "reinterpretation." Barrymore fared much better than Lange in both the documentary imitation and earlier years. Although Edie's encounter with Jackie O was absolutely appalling, disrespectful and unnecessary...not to mention untrue.

All Baldwins act the same all the time in anything they're ever in, gross.

The documentary portions of this movie that were remade to model the original should have been exactly as they were in the original or completely different. Instead, they took specific scenes, swapped specific words, combined words and made it seem so scripted and dramatic! The Beales are beautiful in the sense of honesty and thinking in the moment, with reasoning behind anything and everything that is done. The movie took this admirable authenticity from the characters into a fantastical over-the-top melodramatic drama that should never have happened.

A reissue of the documentary would have been much better than this glossy fantasy that never happened

P.S. The word above with spaces between each letter avant-g a r d e is not accepted by IMDb.