The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)

Perennial Oscar(r) nominee Judi Dench shakes off the dust of period pieces to play a sassy widow looking to recapture a little of the excitement of her youth: she was the star saxophone player of a World War II-era all-girl dance band. Yanking her instrument from mothballs, she starts blowing the old standards as a street musician, much to the horror of her cultured children (they prefer symphonies to swing classics), and then hatches a plan to track down her band mates for a gala reunion at her granddaughter's school dance. The script carries little suspense and few surprises, but the cast is a delight. Ian Holm costars as the band's womanizing drummer (in a dress and a platinum blonde wig), a rascally old rogue who seduced almost every member during their brief wartime run and married half of them in the intervening years. Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) is their trombonist, a hard-drinking American widow living it up in a Scottish castle; jazz great Cleo Laine is a trumpeter turned torch singer; and Leslie Caron cameos as their brassy bass player. Joan Sims (a fixture of the Carry On movies), Billie Whitelaw (Quills), and June Whitfield (the mother on Absolutely Fabulous) are among the great British character actors who join the fun. The old broads bring sass to the sentimentality in this fluffy, feel-good, made-for-cable comedy, insisting there is not only life after 60, but that it swings sweetly if only you let it. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells DVD

I received the DVD The Last of the Blonde Bombshells as a gift and since have ordered 2 as gifts. The response has been terrific! You don't have to be a Judi Dench fan to thoroughly enjoy this delightful period story. August 24, 2008

A bit disappointing but worth the viewing

If you are a Judi Dench fan and have collected all she's done, of course you'll jump to it for this DVD. However, it is so much more fluff than expected, one feels obligated to preface one's sharing with "don't expect too much of this". Although glimpses of past stars seemed more like walk-on tributes, it was enjoyable to see them again. Ian Holm plays his part as if it were autobiographical. Now that was fun. July 26, 2008

Judi Dench can do no wrong.

No matter what Dame Judi does it is always marvelous. And to see Cleo Laine was a treat, and to hear her sing. Oooh la la. June 10, 2008

Receipt of Last of the Blonde Bombshells

I had never ordered over the internet before, and I was very surprised at just how quickly this DVD arrived. Also, it was still in its cellophane wrapper...nice!!! October 22, 2007

Judi Is The Blonde Bombshell

What a delightful, fun, family movie. It spans the generations with a little something for everyone. There is some adult content that wouldn't be suitable for young children. It would be great fun for a grandmother and teenage grandaughter to see together, since grandchildren are often more in tune with their grandparents than are the offspring themselves. Suffice to say that Judi Dench uses her many talents to bring the bombshell to life! August 27, 2007

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