Sextette (1978)

Humor, Folks! That's what it's all about!

I'm not certain if most criticizing this film so callously are simply a bit daft when it comes to the gist of British humor, but they seem to be missing the vital dynamic of the movie entirely. Think of any Austin Powers movie. Are they intended to be serious Hollywood musicals with deep meaning that exhibit an abundance of musical genius? Not at all...because Mike Myers KNOWS his British humor. Wayward plots involving any combination of 'spies', sexual innuendo and campy musical numbers where characters are prone to break into song at nearly any random point throughout the film are classic trademarks of what we commonly refer to nowadays as 'spoof'. Ms. West was obviously very innovative and ahead of her time. I think it was absolutely brilliant of her to allow it filmed in such a manner. Very tongue-in-cheek! Bravo, to an extremely intelligent and elegant lady, rest her dear soul.

And also for those critiquing Tim's singing voice and phrasing during "Love Will Keep Us Together", he played it brilliantly as well; delivering the lyrics very in-tune with the highly upper-class 'stiffness' of Sir Michael Barrington--a British Secret Service agent who wouldn't know how to properly sing a Captain and Tennille pop-tune to save his sweet life. I absolutely applaud his unique sense of humor in tailoring the song to aptly suit the character. I have never known a better actor, nor will I ever. I found this movie utterly delightful years ago....and find it the same today, especially after having not seen it for some time. For those harsh critics, I suggest re-watching. However, this time with the lighter expectation of one not in search of great musical depth, but an appreciation for that which is better known as satire. October 18, 2008

A Movie So Bad, It's Actually Good!

I've seen Sextette a couple of times. The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped at the absurdity of pairing Mae West with love interest Timothy Dalton. Then there were the assorted cameos of everyone from George Raft to Alice Cooper. Mae West was probably the only star out there who had the moxie to assemble such a diverse group of characters into the same picture. The second time I watched it, I took the movie for what it was -- a fun, campy pic that doesn't take itself seriously in the least. Kudos to Ms. Mae! July 27, 2008

Mae West at her Best!

Great Musical so bad its perfect great companion piece to The First Nudie Musical. Love the songs sung by the West! Every Gay Man's Dream of the Musical so Bad its good! May 13, 2008

Sextette is all in good fun, nothing more

I first bought this movie on VHS many years ago. I have every Mae West film, including the hard to find "The Heats On", which I don't think has ever been out on DVD. So believe me when I tell you, I am a huge fan of Mae West. I have her albums, a doll of her, books on her and a few other rare collectibles.

Sextette is by no means "oscar material", but it makes no sense to me at all why so many people insist on bashing Sextette so badly. I must agree with the previous reviewer who said this movie only has a bad storyline if you compare it to Citizen Kane. In other words, taken for what it is, a fun, campy movie, Sextette is great.

First off, I read in one of my Mae West books that making Sextette was NOT Mae's idea. She was approached by those who wanted it made and she agreed. They said she had good days when she was "on" and other days where they couldn't get her to remember anything. Other days she thought she was back in the 1930's. However, overall, her performance is wonderful and everyone in the cast was so good, they helped sell her. I don't know how much of that is true about her condition, but assuming it is, she did a great job. The Mae West we all know comes through in many scenes.

To truly enjoy Sextette, first off you must suspend reality. Mae does not look like she's in her 80's here. She looks like she's around her late 50's or early 60's. I know a lot of women now in their 50's who don't look half as good as Mae did in this movie. In any case, we are encouraged to believe she is still the Mae West we knew in 1933. Once you forget the details about her age, and once you realize this is a campy 70's movie, you can appreciate that there really is a plot and there is a lot of funny stuff in this film which is well delivered. The performances of Ringo Starr, Dom Deluise, George Hamilton and others are excellent.

Why did all these stars want to do this movie? Probably for the same reason true Mae West fans wanted to see it. A tribute to a legend. A woman who never let the system beat her down. A woman who took on Hollywood back when it was truely a man's world. A woman who saved Paramount studios from going bankrupt during the Great Depression. A woman who wrote her own screenplays and Broadway plays when those areas were also male dominated. Mae West was not just a great performer and entertainer, she was a great business woman and a great writer. She was truely ahead of her time.

As for the criticisms about her age, I also agree with the previous reviewer who pointed out that Mae was almost 40 when she first came to Hollywood. When she did "I'm No Angel" in 1933 she was 40 and I think she looked great for 40, especially in a day long before anti-oxidants and botox. And as for her shape in Sextette, she sure doesn't look like a young woman, but her body isn't bad at all for her age. She's still got an hourglass shape. They shouldn't have given her a big, fluffy wedding gown in the opening scene, though. She'd have been better off with a tapered gown, but most of her gowns were gorgeous in this film and her dress maker in the movie is hilarious. Compare her shape here to her shape in the 1940 film "My Little Chickadee" with WC Feilds and she doesn't look all that different except for maybe a little more hunch to the shoulders.

All in all this movie is a movie for Mae's fans. It gives us one last chance to see her do her thing and give us those fun one-liners that made her so famous. If I had to make any real criticism of this film, it would be that some of the musical numbers were not so fabulous. "Love Will Keep Us Together" was my least favorite, but even the cheesey musical numbers are fun enough to sit through. The creators of this movie did NOT intend this to be a serious musical like "The Sound of Music" or anything of that caliber.

The bottom line is to suspend reality and enjoy it for what they intended it to be. A campy, fun tribute to a fabuous Hollywood legend. Nothing more or less than that. January 8, 2008

a lot of "tette" and no "sex"

ONLY for Mae West 'FANS' -- mostly unfunnnnny - even supporting players - buy if you just want "all" the great lady's movies. I love her even at her worsttes. January 8, 2008

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