Garbo Talks (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Though it has a good premise & cast, the execution of 'Garbo Talks' (directed by Sidney Lumet) is a little bit suspect. This is a bittersweet dramedy with hit & miss humor (lots of NY in-jokes, Jewish jokes, contrived stretches). But as mentioned, that premise is cool. And you can't go wrong with Anne Bancroft.
Overbearing Jewish momma Estelle Rolfe (Bancroft), also a feisty, liberal crusader and divorcee, is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor & told she has 6 months to live. Hospitalized in New York Hospital, Estelle tells her mild-mannered, mama's boy accountant son Gilbert (Ron Silver) that her dying wish is to meet the reclusive Greta Garbo. Garbo's always been her idol, & someone she still relates to even though the Swedish actress stopped acting lonnnnng ago. Since childhood, Garbo has been woven into the fabric of Estelle's imagination; a way for her to glamorize her day-to-day life. Gilbert does everything he can to track down Garbo for 3 months, which puts more pressure on his already rocky marriage.
His pretentious wife Lisa (Carrie Fisher) doesn't appreciate him spending all that time for his mom; whom she can't stand. Gilbert hires an old time paparazzi who once got a picture of Garbo on the street. After stalking her for a week, Gilbert comes up empty. He can't even see the old actress when he takes a job as a delivery man for her building. A trip to Fire Island, where Garbo is known to visit, turns out that Gilbert only meets a lonely gay man (Harvey Fierstein). Finally an elderly Shakespearean actress (Hermione Gingold) tells Gilbert that he might find Garbo at a 6th Ave. flea market. Gilbert meets her there & arranges for the legendary actress to visit mom in the hospital. Meanwhile Gilbert's quest gives him confidence to daringly divorce his wife, quit his exploitative job, & find love again.
I enjoyed such peripheral characters as the gay Garbo fan (very poignant scene), the elderly Shakespearean actress, & an aging paparazzi (Howard Da Silva). It all shows an appreciation for The Arts, for old-time movie stars, & for legacy. If there is a theme to be found in this film it would be about obsession and legacy. But really, 'Garbo Talk' is just a nice little dramedy about a prickly do-gooder whose dying wish may or may not come true. The film will certainly not be for everyone (too low-key, insular). No everyone will enjoy or 'get' it's aggressive NY charms. But bubbling beneath all of that is a very human story.
Anne Bancroft is great as Estelle. She's spirited (almost annoyingly so, but that sets up the character early on - when she's defending all of her causes & getting arrested for fighting everyday indignities). But that all gives way by the end of the film and you see the sad, vulnerable, failing Estelle in the hospital bed. The ending is quietly wonderful. And it basically saves the film; because as mentioned, it rides a fine line from being 'okay' & 'suspect'.
Overbearing Jewish momma Estelle Rolfe (Bancroft), also a feisty, liberal crusader and divorcee, is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor & told she has 6 months to live. Hospitalized in New York Hospital, Estelle tells her mild-mannered, mama's boy accountant son Gilbert (Ron Silver) that her dying wish is to meet the reclusive Greta Garbo. Garbo's always been her idol, & someone she still relates to even though the Swedish actress stopped acting lonnnnng ago. Since childhood, Garbo has been woven into the fabric of Estelle's imagination; a way for her to glamorize her day-to-day life. Gilbert does everything he can to track down Garbo for 3 months, which puts more pressure on his already rocky marriage.
His pretentious wife Lisa (Carrie Fisher) doesn't appreciate him spending all that time for his mom; whom she can't stand. Gilbert hires an old time paparazzi who once got a picture of Garbo on the street. After stalking her for a week, Gilbert comes up empty. He can't even see the old actress when he takes a job as a delivery man for her building. A trip to Fire Island, where Garbo is known to visit, turns out that Gilbert only meets a lonely gay man (Harvey Fierstein). Finally an elderly Shakespearean actress (Hermione Gingold) tells Gilbert that he might find Garbo at a 6th Ave. flea market. Gilbert meets her there & arranges for the legendary actress to visit mom in the hospital. Meanwhile Gilbert's quest gives him confidence to daringly divorce his wife, quit his exploitative job, & find love again.
I enjoyed such peripheral characters as the gay Garbo fan (very poignant scene), the elderly Shakespearean actress, & an aging paparazzi (Howard Da Silva). It all shows an appreciation for The Arts, for old-time movie stars, & for legacy. If there is a theme to be found in this film it would be about obsession and legacy. But really, 'Garbo Talk' is just a nice little dramedy about a prickly do-gooder whose dying wish may or may not come true. The film will certainly not be for everyone (too low-key, insular). No everyone will enjoy or 'get' it's aggressive NY charms. But bubbling beneath all of that is a very human story.
Anne Bancroft is great as Estelle. She's spirited (almost annoyingly so, but that sets up the character early on - when she's defending all of her causes & getting arrested for fighting everyday indignities). But that all gives way by the end of the film and you see the sad, vulnerable, failing Estelle in the hospital bed. The ending is quietly wonderful. And it basically saves the film; because as mentioned, it rides a fine line from being 'okay' & 'suspect'.