msalensky This film was mediocre at best. Ms. West was at her best during the early part of her career. This was her mostly self funded swan song. Some of her friends were asked to and accepted parts in order to salvage a so so screenplay and somewhat better original play penned by Ms. West.It had its moments but thats about it Further interest was peaked when I read a review dated 2006 from someone who not only gave it a "10", but for a better word drooled over Ms. West for most of his review. He also stated that she was not just one of but "the greatest actress of all time". What?????. I believe he needs to get out of the house more often.

jjnxn-1 Horrendous vanity production is of interest only to show how an out of control ego and years of self delusion can lead to a public shredding of an carefully constructed image. Mae is supposed to be the adored object of the world but her teetering presence and ossified appearance cause the viewer concern for her well being more than anything else. After decades of carefully maintaining her public persona she was somehow induced to return to the screen to sully her reputation with the double whammy of Myra Breckinridge and this abominable travesty. A horrifying train wreck of a film only to be watched by someone with a love of bad, really bad, cinema.

Pippin So, I finally got to watch "Sexette" this year. I must say, after hearing years of bed comments and reviews, I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would. In fact, I enjoyed myself. Now, I'm not saying that this was the best movie I have ever seen, or the best vehicle for Miss West. It's just not as bad film as I was lead to believe. Plus, I didn't feel like I wasn't getting my time back. I think if it had been filmed in the late 60's instead of the 70's, the picture might not have been as big a bomb. Honestly, I think the film itself is taken too seriously. Mae West had been a trickster and a prankster her entire life. People went to watch her movies to laugh and forget about their troubles at the time... let's not for get that those trouble were the depression and the early years of WW2! Now, when watching this, so many people threw a fit about her age and desiring/having sex. Keeping in mind that George Burns was doing the same thing with young starlets in his act at the time and THE GOLDEN GIRLS was only seven years off in the future, it really makes me wonder, why pick on Miss West? Watching her performance in this, it seems like she is nudge-nudge wink-winking her way through it. Dom Deluise, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and George Hamilton seem to be having a great time working with the legendary performer. I also think it's kind of touching that she gets a moment with her old friend and co-star George Raft. The moment feels very full of love. Sure, Miss West was up there in years, her voice not as strong, her moves a little shaky, but thinking that this was the routine SHE created well over 50 years ago by the filming of this picture.... it's just cool to see. Her wit, charm, and star power are still evident here. Sextette shouldn't be trashed, nor should it be praised. It should be appreciated for what it is. The final film of the marvelous American institution, Mae West, getting to see her do her act that she loved doing, and had entertained millions with, one final time.

MARIO GAUCI I didn't even know that this one was readily available to watch but I immediately snapped it up when I saw it was available for rental from the local DVD store. Actually, I had watched the godawful MYRA BRECKENRIDGE (1970) on TV while I was in Hollywood a few months ago so I was really expecting the worst here. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a fitfully amusing affair…if a completely embarrassing one.Previously, I had only watched Mae West (with whom, I just found out, I happen to share my birthday) in her prime – SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933), I'M NO ANGEL (1933) and MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (1940) – and I love all three of them. Despite her writing talents, West's main assets were always her figure and appearance so it's no surprise that she bowed out when she did…which, of course, makes her eventual re-emergence as a heavily cosmeticized octogenarian all the more outrageous and baffling! Over the years there have been numerous surprising comebacks in Hollywood – not to mention lavishly produced ego-trips – but I'd bet few reach the level of preposterousness attained by SEXTETTE! Hollywood in the Seventies, among other things, was an era of catastrophic, all-star attempts to recapture past glories particularly its musical heritage and therefore it's small wonder that SEXTETTE ropes in some uncharacteristic cameo appearances by contemporary music stars like Ringo Starr (as an Erich von Stroheim-like director), Keith Moon (as a flamboyant fashion designer) and, weirdest of all, Alice Cooper (as a piano-playing, bellboy crooner sporting a curly-haired wig)! The Beatles also make another appearance of sorts when Mae's agent, Dom DeLuise bursts into an exuberant rendition of Lennon/McCarney's "Honey Pie"…and guess who he was thinking of when he was singing it? Apparently, Miss West wasn't too keen on having these four stealing her limelight… However, she did approve of her leading men who, of course, are requested to still be lusting helplessly after Mae – an aristocratic Timothy Dalton (who gets to sing a duet with Mae and whose remarks are frequently misinterpreted in the press!) and mobster George Hamilton (who is also seen pleading in broken Italian to his "Godfather" - cue the Nino Rota score from that film!! - for the sakes of "Mario…Irving… Mozzarella…Marinara!"); other guest stars who make an appearance are Tony Curtis as a Russian powermonger(!), Walter Pigeon as a bewildered Chairman of the Board and a split-second cameo from George Raft - who co-starred with Mae in her very first film, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1932) - as himself.Ken Hughes helmed some good films in his day – THE TRIALS OF Oscar WILDE (1960) and CROMWELL (1970) – but, I guess, the producers of SEXTETTE only knew him from his comedic, big-budget extravaganzas like CASINO ROYALE (1967) and CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (1968) when they engaged his services for this misbegotten enterprise