Videos
This item is graded EXCELLENT
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Cardboard case
This splashy 1993 remake of the 1950 film Born Yesterday (based on the 1946 Garson Kanin stage play) has been retooled as a star vehicle for then-marrieds Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. Roughneck self-made millionaire Harry Brock (John Goodman) wants to become a powerful Washington lobbyist. Brock's efforts to hobnob with DC uppercrust are compromised by his brash, embarrassingly vulgar mistress Billie Dawn (Melanie Griffith). He'd like to unload the ex-chorus girl, but he thinks he's in love: besides, she knows too much about his crooked dealings to be running around loose. Thus, Brock hires bookish Paul Verrall (Don Johnson) to educate Billie. Verrall does his job amazingly well, awakening Billie to her responsibilities as a loyal, honest American: along the way, the two fall in love. The basic premise of Kanin's play-that the evil Brocks of the world can be thwarted only by educating the masses-tends to be watered down in this version; in addition, the play doesn't age too well, its many successfulBroadway revivals notwithstanding. The original stage and film versions of Born Yesterday starred the peerless Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn; though Melanie Griffith is no slouch in the comedy department, she's also no Judy Holliday. Of the three principals, John Goodman comes off best, combining phony affability with cold ruthlessness. Featured in the cast are Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his star reporter (and wife) Sally Quinn, amusingly cast as DC power brokers; also appearing in a small role is 1960s starlet Celeste Yarnell.
allmovie dot com
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USA
1993
Hollywood Pictures
Out Of print |
