Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter (both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka "Big and Little Edie"). They were raised as Park Avenue débutantes but withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens ." As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. Based on the lives that inspired the Maysles Brothers' classic documentary.

***

How could a ravishing young debutante and her life-of-every-party mother -- relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, no less -- become crazy cat ladies, occupying a dilapidated 28-room East Hampton mansion? "Grey Gardens," an HBO movie inspired by the eponymous documentary shot in 1973, doesn't fully answer that question -- indeed, there's a rather sizable hole in the story -- but nevertheless has a fabulous time contemplating it, showcasing marvelous performances by Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. It's a must-see for those fascinated by the lore of the U.S.' modern Camelot, as well as another sure to be lavishly adorned movie for the pay channel.

Director-producer Michael Sucsy (who also co-wrote with Patricia Rozema) is such a devotee of the original documentary that he spends chunks of the movie grainily recreating scenes from it, while turning the filmmakers (Arye Gross, Justin Louis) into minor characters.

The film is strongest, though, when flashing back to portray mother and daughter before their descent, opening in the mid-1930s, when 18-year-old Little Edie (Barrymore) dreamt of being a starlet, and her vivacious mother, Big Edie (Lange), would entertain with elaborate song-and-dance numbers at parties.

Excerpt from Brain Lowry's review at Variety located HERE