By Mary Anne Hempe
pop writer
Despite her legendary theatrical genes, I never considered Drew Barrymore to be much of an actress. It seemed like all she really inherited was a famous name.
Sure, she was darling in "E.T." and "Boys on the Side," but every other Drew Barrymore performance has been just Drew.
It turns out, however, Barrymore's talent was there all along. But she was waiting for the right role to show it off.
The part of a lifetime finally came in 2009, when Barrymore scored heaps of praise and a well-deserved Emmy nomination for her amazing transformation into Little Edie Bouvier-Beale for HBO's "Grey Gardens."
Using the 1975 documentary of the same name as inspiration, our story begins with the filming of Little Edie as she performs one of her "cabaret" dances in the foyer of her famous mansion, Grey Gardens.
In her late 50s, clad in a black leotard, white spike heels and one of her signature turbans (to cover her hair loss from alopecia), Edie gleefully waves a small American flag while she dances for the camera.
Who is this strange and fascinating character?
To find out, we're transported back to 1936, on the night when a lovely young Edie made her debut into New York society. Little Edie was born into privilege, the daughter of Phelan Beale (Ken Howard), a wealthy lawyer, and Edith Bouvier (Jessica Lange), also known as Big Edie, a flighty former showgirl whose niece, little Jacqueline, a frequent summertime visitor to Grey Gardens, will one day be First Lady Jackie Kennedy.
Phelan and Big Edie hope Little Edie's debut will land her a rich husband, but Little Edie, always a free spirit to the point of weirdness, isn't interested in anything other than a career as an actress and dancer. She tries to make it big in New York, but when Big Edie's constant meddling thwarts that plan, Little Edie comes home to live with Big Edie at Grey Gardens, the family's once grand mansion in New York's Hamptons.
By the time Little Edie returns, Phelan has left the family to marry his secretary, providing a measly $150 a month to Big Edie to live on.
Feeding off each other's insecurities, Little Edie and Big Edie constantly battle, acquire dozens of cats and raccoons, and let the place fall into ruins over the next few decades.
When a tabloid photographer later discovers that Jackie Onassis's relatives are living in a pig sty, their bizarre story hits the papers, bringing a visit from none other than Jackie herself (Jeanne Tripplehorn).
Albert and David Maysles (portrayed in the movie by Arye Gross and Justin Louis) made their documentary "Grey Gardens" after Jackie's crews cleaned up the old place, but Little Edie and Big Edie were still as kooky and charming as ever.
Barrymore and Lange are marvelous in the starring roles. Lange, in fact, is completely unrecognizable. To get in character, Barrymore shut herself off from family and friends for months before filming and endured hours of make-up that didn't react at all well with her skin. It was worth it -- she doesn't even look like herself, and she certainly doesn't act like the old Drew from "Never Been Kissed." Even her voice is different.
Awards or not, Barrymore is definitely a revelation in "Grey Gardens" (rated PG-13), which you can find at Hastings. Check it out.
Entertainment
A new Drew
- Entertainment
-
-
2nd Friday Art Circuit tonight
Events for 2nd Friday Circuit of Art Feb. 10, 2012: Participating nonprofit organizations: · Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood, will exhibit artworks by students from the Healing Studio Feb. 10 through March 24. Firehouse patrons ...
-
Breathe Owl Breathe flying to Opolis
Breathe Owl Breathe (BOB) is not a typical band. Not surprisingly the trio’s percussionist, Trevor Hobbs, is not a conventional drummer. Between recording music, playing local gigs and touring, he teaches earth sciences at two different ...
-
A rare viewing of “There is More to Love...”
The University of Oklahoma College of Fine Arts and Norman’s Sooner Theatre is presenting a rare opportunity next weekend to see a staged reading of a new musical, “There is More to Love…” Utilizing love songs by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, ...
-
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ turns 50
By Carolyn Kellogg Los Angeles Times “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Sure, everyone’s heard of it. But is it worth reading? Before Jack Nicholson won his first Oscar, before there was a bus full of merry pranksters, there was a writing ...
-
On Se Rechauffe! Let’s Heat It Up!
By Hannah Cruz norman etc. editor Thousands of people will gather the streets of Downtown Norman next weekend to enjoy Oklahoma’s original Mardi Gras parade....
-
An interesting take on espionage with “Safe House”
He must have joined “The Agency” with an eye toward excitement, exotic locales and danger. But in Capetown, a backwater as far as foreign intrigue goes, agency newcomer Matt Weston is stuck — a one-man show, running a never-used “safe ...
-
The artist life of Warrior Spirits
With nearly 1,000 distinct dialects spoken, hundreds of years of colonization from multiple countries as well as vast natural resources, Papua New Guinea is the epitome of diversity. Its native art is no exception....
-
The ONE event is coming to town with chairs
The unexpected will be the center of attention at the Norman Art Council’s ONE fundraiser in March: chairs....
-
Economy on the upswing at the Deli Tuesday
Life-long Norman resident Travis Pierce denies being a Communist. He explained writing a requiem for recently deceased North Korean strongman Kim Jong-il as recognition of his place in pop culture rather than as a tribute to a brutal ...
-
Steel drums to hit OU
The largest steel pan ensemble Oklahoma has ever seen will assemble in Norman next weekend for a steel pan festival, a two-day celebration of Calypso music that will make any stage seem small. “This is going to be the first time we’ve ...
- More Entertainment Headlines
-
2nd Friday Art Circuit tonight
