''Sweet Revenge'' (also released as ''Dandy, the All American Girl'') is a 1976 American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Jerry Schatzberg Jerry Schatzberg (born June 26, 1927) is an American photographer and film director. Career Schatzberg was born to a Jewish family of furriers and grew up in the Bronx. He photographed for magazines such as ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', ''Esquire ...

. It was entered into the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. It was the second leading role for actress Stockard Channing in a film, following the previous year's ''

The Fortune ''The Fortune'' is a 1975 American black comedy film starring Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty, and directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Adrien Joyce focuses on two bumbling con men who plot to steal the fortune of a wealthy young heir ...

'' in which she co-starred opposite

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

and

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

Plot

Vurrla, also known as Dandy, is a car thief. As a public defender tries in vain to understand her, the only thing driving the young woman is to steal enough automobiles to make enough money to buy a

Ferrari Dino Dino () was a marque best known for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1957 to 1976. The marque came into existence in late 1956 with a front-engined Formula Two racer powered by a brand new '' Dino'' V6 engine. The name ...

, her dream car. After being arrested, Vurrla fools her court-appointed lawyer, Le Clerq, into vouching for her character. He later learns that she's been arrested more than once, skips court appearances and is wanted by the law. Le Clerq is irresistibly fascinated by her, even after she abuses his trust and even makes him an unwitting accomplice in a shoplifting. Using a scheme that involves various disguises, dialects and phony stories, Vurrla cons a number of innocent people by selling stolen vehicles to each, getting paid in cash. She betrays former boyfriend Andy in the process, causing him to be jailed and lash out at her. She also ends up costing childhood friend Edmund, another thief, his life during a police pursuit when his car plunges off a street ramp. Finally unable to cajole her way out of trouble, Vurrla takes possession of her coveted Ferrari, goes for one fast ride in it, then sets it on fire. Presumably ready to surrender to authorities, she is asked by Le Clerq, her lawyer, "Was that absolutely necessary?"

Cast

* Stockard Channing as Vurrla Kowsky *

Sam Waterston Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...

as Le Clerq *

Franklyn Ajaye Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" for his distinctive jazz-inflected style of delivery, timing, and astute use of silence. He released a series of comedy a ...

as Edmund *

Jan D'Arcy Jan Therese D'Arcy is an American television and film actress born on June 18, 1939 in Oneida, New York, with a career spanning almost five decades. She is best known for playing Sylvia Horne in ''Twin Peaks'', and her roles in many other televis ...

as Linda * Richard Daughty as Andy *

Norman Matlock Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

as John * Marvin Rosand as Policeman * Robert Lewis-Ferguson as Policeman #2 * Betta St. George as Woman Guard * Evan A. Lottman as Bailiff (as Evan Lottman) * Adrian Sparks as D.A. * Jock Dove as Judge * Duncan Maclean * Brooks Woolley as Ferrari Salesman * Edmund Villa as Greg (as Ed E. Villa) * Adele Burnett as Judge Adams

Reception

MGM gave the film a very limited release with virtually no promotion. As a result, the film came and went very quickly and received few contemporary reviews.

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

did not review the film until June 26, 1981 in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', under the title ''Dandy, the All-American Girl''. He wrote: "Dandy' is not exactly a failure, though it is easy to understand why it failed to find an audience." In critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

's Movie Guide book of reviews, this film, as ''Sweet Revenge'', is called a "turkey" and given his lowest possible rating, "BOMB."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet Revenge (1976 Film) 1976 films 1976 comedy films 1970s crime comedy films American crime comedy films 1970s English-language films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Jerry Schatzberg Films scored by Paul Chihara 1970s American films