Starring Bette Midler, Cynthia Gibb, Peter Riegert, and Jennifer Rae Beck
Directed by Emilie Ardolino
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Stephan Sondheim
We celebrate Mother's Day this year with the second filmed version of this beloved show. Midler had wanted to play Mama Rose, the ultimate pushy stage mother, for years. The original theatrical film had been a hit with audiences in 1962, but it hadn't gone over well with many critics, who lamented the loss of the song "Together Wherever We Go" and believed Rosalind Russell to be miscast as Rose. Ardolino had mainly directed PBS documentaries on dance and performance before he had major hits with Dirty Dancing in 1987 and Sister Act in 1992. How does Midler's turn as Mama Rose look now? Let's begin at a theater in Seattle, where little Louise (Elisabeth Moss) and June Hovick (Lacey Chabert) are performing for Uncle Jocko's (Tony Shalhoub) kids show and find out...
The Story: Rose Hovick (Midler) is determined that pretty blonde June (Beck) will be a vaudeville star no matter what it takes, including neglecting the less-talented Louise (Gibb). She rounds up a group of boys to back June for a newsboys act and convinces candy salesman Herbie Sommers (Riegert) to become her agent. The act goes over well enough for a time, but June rebels when she grows out of it and gets tired of her mother's smothering. After she runs off with one of the chorus boys, Rose turns her attention to making Louise a star.
Not only does Louise lack her sister's talent and charisma, but the one-two punch of sound movies and the Great Depression is killing vaudeville. Herbie can only manage to get them booked in a third-rate burlesque house in Wichita, Kansas. The low-down strippers and slapstick comics horrify Rose at first, until one of the strippers is arrested for soliciting. If Rose can't get Louise into vaudeville, she'll turn her into the greatest stripper who ever lived, the elegant Gypsy Rose Lee!
The Song and Dance: No wonder Midler wanted to play this so badly. She's a force of nature, barreling through everything and everyone in her path. This is a woman you can believe would use her kids, Herbie, and everyone else to be noticed. The supporting cast is equally good, with Riegert more than matching her as the salesman who only wants to marry her and Gibb a strong and lovely budding Louise. The strippers are a riot too, especially long-time Broadway favorite Christine Ebersole as Tessie Tura. Though the sets are as stagey as the 1962 version, Ardolino manages to avoid the cramped feeling that marred the original film. The costumes by Bob Mackie are especially gorgeous - check out the stripper's outfits and Louise's gowns in the end as Gypsy Rose Lee.
Favorite Number: We open with June and Louise singing "Let Me Entertain You" in their adorable Dutch children's costumes at Uncle Jocko's kid show. It shows up again later in a very different context as the number Louise sings at the burlesque theater in Wichita. She's hesitant at first, but with her mother's prompting and the encouragement of the crowd, eventually gets into it. It continues as we progress through different cities and burlesque houses, until it turns into a huge Adam and Eve chorus routine at Minsky's in New York.
Rose complains at home in Seattle with her father (Ed Asner) about how "Some People" are expected to live little lives, and she doesn't want that for her daughters. "Small World" is Rose's first number with Herbie as she convinces him to become their agent. "Baby June and Her Newsboys" and "Dainty June and her Farmboys" are Rose's idea of a big vaudeville number for June, with the boys and Louise literally singing her praises in the first and Louise as the back half of a cow in the second. Rose, June, and the boys convince "Mr. Goldstone" (Michael Jeter) to take their act. Louise sings "Little Lamb" with a real lamb as she wonders what her actual age is. Louise wonders what would happen "If Momma Was Married," while June just hopes it would get her mother off her back. Rose reminds Herbie that "You'll Never Get Away From Me" in a Chinese restaurant after almost leaving him to care for the girls and he threatens to walk out.
Tulsa, one of the boys (Jeffery Broadhurst), shows Louise what he hopes will be his own classy dance act, "All I Need Is the Girl." Louise and Herbie watch in shock as Rose insists "Everything's Coming Up Roses," even though June and the boys have abandoned them at Omaha. Louise and Herbie are feeling a lot better when Rose upgrades the new act in "Together Wherever We Go," which makes its filmed debut here. Former ballerina Tessie Tura and fellow strippers Miss Mazeppa (Linda Hart) and Miss Electra (Anna McNeely) insist to Louise that "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" to make it in burlesque, showing how different from and similar to each other they are. Tired of supporting everyone and being thrown away afterwards, Rose finally steps out on the runway for the dynamic finale "Rose's Turn."
Trivia: Sadly, Ardolino didn't live to see this film's success. He died of AIDS three weeks before it debuted. It's dedicated to him.
What I Don't Like: This isn't the place for people who don't like Midler or the big, brassy musicals of the 1950's and 60's. One thing it does have in common with the original film is the length. It's over 2 1/2 hours without commercials. It's still too long, and it still shows its stage origins too plainly. I don't think there's a way to make this more cinematic. It was just made to be a stage show.
The Big Finale: While I do like the 1962 film, this one has many charms, including an excellent performance by Midler, a decent supporting cast, and gorgeous costumes. Check out both with your mom this Mother's Day and see which one you prefer.
Home Media: The DVD is in print but pricey. Streaming is your best bet here. You can find it for free just about anywhere right now, including Pluto TV and Amazon Prime.
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