I first saw this movie when it originally aired on television, and curious like everybody else to see the involvements of these for legendary ladies working together for the first time. They had all known each other for decades, but other than through personal encounters and scandals had never appeared on screen together. Of course the big curiosity would be seeing Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds working together in the same movie, their famous scandal involving husband Eddie Fisher still talked about to this day. What they are lacking however is a good script, and the weak plot that ties it together shows how desperate that someone was to get these four ladies together at least once in their careers.Elizabeth is only on screen briefly, playing the three star's agent, a crass woman whose dealings didn't just take place in studio offices, many of them allegedly taking place in her bedroom as well. Joan Collins and Shirley MacLaine join Reynolds as three former movie stars who now hate each other for various reasons, reunited because their fictional 1960 film "Boy Crazy" has become a hit in an apparent re-release. If this whole idea doesn't strike it was ridiculous, then there's also the situations that they get involved in which our forest, often silly and sometimes through the talents of the three women very funny.Among the men in their lives is MacClaine's gay son who has been estranged from her for years, Reynolds' handsome husband Peter Graves and Collins' lover, mobster Gene Barry. Add on Pat Crawford Brown as Collins' easy going very American mom, sleazy television producer and I rather if effeminate black choreographer, and you have enough sitcom situations to keep this slightly muse and if not remarkable.There are enough references to the star's real lives to amuse the curious and entice the nosy into finding out more. You won't be surprised to find out that the three queens end up in a gay bar where Debbie and Joan turn almost into drag queens while performing Get Happy. Debbie had already done this in Connie and Carla while Shirley had encounters with female impersonators in Postcards From the Edge. So while outlandish and silly, this is a very gay friendly comedy. All it was missing was Ann Miller.

Okay, so the film is almost totally witless, crude, vulgar, and silly, and heavy-handed in its treatment of the homosexual subplot. The script could've done better justice to these stars, but the stars, or at least two of them, generally execute the professionalism we have come to admire so much in them. And they do have fun spoofing their reputations and public personas... Debbie Reynolds, in particular, seems to be having the time of her life making fun of her eternally perky, virginal persona. I am not familiar with Joan Collins' other work, but though she looks great 'cause of all those fac... uh, never mind, and can toss off a good bitchy line or three, and the sight of her Italian digs is one of the only funny moments in the film, she really doesn't seem to be that good an actress. Elizabeth Taylor's cameo is generally embarrassing (What was with that accent?), but even she has a good moment, dishing with Reynolds about the husband she stole from her. Is it a coincidence that Shirley Maclaine, who looks embalmed compared to her costars (Or at least doesn't mind not trying to age naturally-in preparation for her next life, perhaps) gives the only truly genuine performance in the film? The USA Today review mentioned that it's weird that, of the three stars of the cult hit movie musical "Boy Crazy," Reynolds is really the only one of these stars to have truly made a name for herself in the real-life golden age of movie musicals, and then usually in supporting roles, (Maclaine made a few movie musicals near the end of this golden age which are forgotten today,anyway, and Collins never made a movie musical and was never a "movie star" in any case, finding her greatest success on TV). This perhaps accounts for why we don't see that much singing and dancing, except in several quick glimpses of rehearsals, until the "grand finale," if it can be called that. And then there's the sight of Reynolds and Collins singing (Well, Reynolds singing and Collins attempting to sing) "Get Happy" in the gay dance club. It's cheap and debasing, and guaranteed to find its way into the Great Camp Movie Moments some day soon. I hope that was intentional. But all in all, these ladies go out there and give their all, or attempt to as long as they can, which is really all we can ask for in such a sorry showcase as this.Perhaps the most telling sequence in the film is the first run-through of the special that salutes "Boy Crazy," with the network brass and the sponsers watching. The ladies' dance steps are off, their dubbed-in singing goes out of sync, a load of fake snow gets dumped on them, and all the boys, real and cardboard, fly everywhere. But they keep going and attempting to do something with it, until they're finally exhausted and overwhelmed by all the snow getting in their eyes and throats. Maclaine even huffs out a "Yeah!" at the end before collapsing. That is exactly what this movie is about... eventually even these, uh, dames can't get past this mess of a script and finally resort to petty bitchiness because they have no other way out, it seems. But through it all they attempt, professionally, to make something out of this, (Maclaine most of all) and for that they must be commended.The last line of the film is Taylor's: "Get off your asses for these old broads!" Crude, natch, but the point is certainly taken. They deserve it.And oh, yeah, Liz really did steal Debbie's husband. "Freddie Hunter's real name was Eddie Fisher, the father (with Debbie) of Carrie Fisher, alias Princess Leia, who was partially responsible for this script. Carrie also wrote a fictionalized memoir, "Postcards From the Edge," (Please God it was better than this!) and in the film version of that, Maclaine played the character based on Reynolds. Collins was one of the actresses considered for the role of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, before Liz got that one and began her legendary love affair with Richard Burton... while she was still married to Eddie Fisher! ANd then Liz and Collins both played the same role, Pearl Slaghoople, in, respectively, "The Flintstones" movie and its sequel, "Viva Rock Vegas." See, it's a lot more fun to ponder the various connections these ladies have had to each other over the years than to wonder why, despite their valient attempts to make something of it, they decided to do this.

The world is a terrible place when they cannot find decent roles for the talents of Shirley MacLaine and Debbie Reynolds. This movie was not worthy! Is Carrie holding a grudge against her mother? There were some good liners in this thing, but on the whole it must have been humiliating for these actresses to make. Joan Collins fit right in! She was a 'B' movie actress in the first place and she always overacted on Dallas. I loved her in that show.I must say she really keeps herself in good shape. The producers and directors and writers of this show owe these ladies another movie so they can redeem themselves!

A decent TV movie. Good interplay between the actresses. A little bit more slapstick humor than I would have expected.It helped that I was watching it at my mother's house so she could explain the nuances of the interplay between the characters (e.g., that Elizabeth Taylor really did steal Debbie Reynolds husband).