''Isn't She Great'' is a 2000 American biographical comedy-drama film that presents a fictionalized biography of author Jacqueline Susann, played by Bette Midler. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, the film was directed by Andrew Bergman from a screenplay by

Paul Rudnick Paul Rudnick (born December 29, 1957) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His plays have been produced on and off Broadway theatre, Broadway. He wrote the screenplays for ''Sister Act'', ''Addams Family Values'', Jef ...

based on a 1995 '' New Yorker'' profile by Michael Korda. In addition to Midler and Lane, the film stars

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...

as Susann's "gal pal" Florence Maybelle, David Hyde Pierce as book editor Michael Hastings, and

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...

as publisher Henry Marcus. John Larroquette, Amanda Peet, Christopher McDonald, Debbie Shapiro, and Paul Benedict have supporting roles. Opening in 750 US theaters on January 28, 2000, it received negative reviews from critics and earned only $3 million at the box office, far less than its cost of $36 million. Midler was nominated for a

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Razzie Award for Worst Actress is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actress of the previous year. Male actors performing in drag are eligible, as it is intended as a humorous award. The following is a list ...

Plot

The film covers Susann's entire life, focusing on her early struggles as an aspiring actress relentlessly hungry for fame, her relationship with press agent husband Irving Mansfield (

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been Nathan Lane on screen and stage, on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Na ...

), with whom she had an institutionalized

autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

son, her success as the author of '' Valley of the Dolls'', and her battle with and subsequent death from

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

Cast

Production

The film was an international production, with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, Lobell-Bergman Productions, Marbeni, Mutual Film Corporation, Tele München,

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

and

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

contributing, making it an American-British-German-Japanese co-production.Despite the international production, the film was not released in Japan.

Reception

''Isn't She Great'' was not well received by critics, as the film holds a 24% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

based on 62 reviews. The site's consensus states, "Bland material produces entirely forgettable comic performances." Elvis Mitchell of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised Midler, Lane, and Cleese, but opined that screenwriter "Rudnick and the director Andrew Bergman ('' The In-Laws,'' ' Honeymoon in Vegas') have so defanged 'Isn't She Great' that it's like watching a sketch from the old ' Carol Burnett Show' that has mildewed." In contrast, Stephanie Zacharek of ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

'' gave a positive review. She admitted the film plays "fast and loose with facts," but described it as "a cupcake of a movie, a sweet and lightweight little thing that's all but served up in a ruffled paper cup." She praised the cast, particularly Lane, writing "what makes him so remarkable is that, even within the broadness of his role and the overarching, at times almost overwhelming, broadness of the picture itself, he manages an astonishing emotional delicacy." Peter Stack of the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' said, "As a showbiz story, 'Isn't She Great' tends to work OK, even if there's no display (fortunately) of the subject's talents. The showbiz feel is the film's main aim, inferred by the casting of klieg-light legends Midler and Lane, and by delineating Susann as a wannabe who succeeded in gaining the world fame of an entertainer." He concluded the film works better as "an amusing look at self-invention and bravado." In a one-star review for the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

,''

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

said, "I was hoping for satire, but they've made a flat and peculiar film that in its visual look and dramatic style might be described as the final movie of the 1950s."

Soundtrack

Polygram Records released a soundtrack album containing "On My Way" and "The Book Tour (On My Way – Reprised)" by

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

, "Open Your Heart" by Vanessa Williams and 14 instrumentals by Burt Bacharach.

Accolades

Nominations

* Razzie Awards: Worst Actress (Bette Midler)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * * {{Jacqueline Susann 2000 films 2000s English-language films English-language German films English-language Japanese films 2000 comedy-drama films American biographical films American comedy-drama films British biographical films British comedy-drama films German biographical films German comedy-drama films Japanese biographical films Japanese comedy-drama films Biographical films about writers Cultural depictions of Aristotle Onassis Cultural depictions of Jim Morrison Cultural depictions of Truman Capote Films about actors Films about disability in the United States Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Films directed by Andrew Bergman Films scored by Burt Bacharach Films with screenplays by Paul Rudnick Mutual Film Company films Universal Pictures films 2000s American films 2000s British films 2000s Japanese films 2000s German films English-language comedy-drama films English-language biographical films