Customer Reviews

The Girl Most Likely To . . .

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie has been a long time coming!

In a nutshell... after a traumatic experience, an ugly duckling is transformed into a ravishing beauty.

By putting theory (from the numerous college courses she has taken) into practice, Miriam Knight exacts revenge on all those who were cruel and unkind.

Stockard Channing's breakthrough role.

It will be great to view this dark comedy on DVD. A welcome addition to my collection. There's a spot waiting for it between Kill Bill and Carrie, in other words, the REVENGE section.

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO..., is a gleeful revenge comedy and can best be described as "Carrie" with some wigs and sky-diving thrown in. Miriam Knight (Stockard Channing) has just enrolled at yet another college. The reason why she moves is simple: Miriam is ugly. And teased. And tormented. And sick of it.

When she is badly-scarred in a car accident, plastic surgeons transform this ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. Miriam emerges, vowing to exact her sweet revenge on those who made her life a living hell.

Be prepared for a wild and hilarious ride with Stockard Channing in this over-looked gem, which has garnered a sizable cult following. With Ed Asner, Ruth McDevitt, Annette O'Toole, Suzanne Zenor, Warren Berlinger, Jim Backus and Carl Ballantine. Based on a story by Joan Rivers.

I have been waiting for decades for this to come out on commercial video. I am thrilled to have the film. This is Stockard Channing at her very best (and she is always superb).

This is a classic tale of revenge. All of us who may have been ugly ducklings will definitely sympathize. And we will yearn to be as successful as Ms. Channing has been!

Bravo!

I saw this awesome made-for-tv movie when it was originally broadcast in 1972 (I was 7 years old), and it's lived on since on old videocasettes. I watch it over and over and it made me fall in love with Stockard Channing.

Each of the characters lampoons a "type" so perfectly (the jock, the popular girl, the nerd, etc.) and many are played by faces that became well-known on 70s TV (Fred Grandy from Love Boat, Larry Wilcox from CHiPs). This film is SOOOOO entertaining and it's full of classic lines that will build your camp movie lexicon (watch for ones like "We don't want someone the fans can shout 'here comes fat-fat-the-water-rat' at....")

Four thumbs up!

*sigh* I have been waiting for this to be on VHS or DVD for literally YEARS. Forget VHS, but when I first wanted it...VHS and Beta were the only available viewing options! This movie is hilarious!!! For all you people who have been scorned and pushed aside because of your looks...this movie is for you! For all others, it's just great fun! I saw it when I was a little girl and always remembered it, checking occasionally in my adult life for its release. It's been a long time coming, but the wait was worth it! I can't recommend this movie enough! It's so fun! I can't wait until my DVD arrives!!!

I had no idea that this made-for-TV film was scheduled for release on DVD (it never made it to video), so when I saw it on the shelf at Best Buy, I was thunderstruck. Forget WAR OF THE WORLDS or THE MAKING OF PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG--as far as I'm concerned, this is the big holiday release for 2005.

I first saw THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO... back in 1973 when it aired as part of ABC-TV's "Movie of the Week" series. Most entries in this series were highly forgettable outings, but there were notable exceptions, among them: THE NIGHT STALKER; THE NIGHT STRANGLER; DR. COOK'S GARDEN; A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH; RUN, SIMON, RUN; TRIBES; MAYBE I'LL COME HOME IN THE SPRING; and this wicked black comedy that introduced me to the wonderful Stockard Channing, who is still one of the best comedic actresses in the business. (She's also terrific in dramatic roles.) Stockard plays Miriam Knight, an "ugly duckling" college student whom nearly everyone humiliates and deceives. After an auto accident, Miriam undergoes plastic surgery, which transforms her into a shapely beauty. Since her tormentors no longer recognize her, Miriam adopts a variety of phony identities to exact her revenge on each and every one of them.

Written by Joan Rivers, THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO... is a sharp, biting satire, and one of the best comedies of its era. (In fact, it puts most modern comedies to shame, too.) Zipping along at a brisk 74 minutes (it was made to fill a 90-minute time slot), there are no wasted moments. Miss Channing is a marvel to watch as the underdog-turned-cobra, deftly balancing comedy and pathos, and she's ably supported by a strong cast of comic players (Edward Asner, Warren Berlinger, Suzanne Zenor, Jim Backus, Joe Flynn, Fred Grandy, Chuck McCann).

If you're already familiar with this dark comedy, you know the five-star rating is well deserved. If you've never seen it, you're in for a real treat. Now that it is finally available on DVD, the holidays will definitely be happier.

SPOILER ALERT: DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW THE FILM ENDS.

If you've seen this film, you already know that Miriam hunts down all her tormentors and kills them off one by one, then winds up getting arrested by a police inspector (Edward Asner), whom she marries after she's sentenced to prison. In Joan Rivers' original script, however, Miriam gets away with the crimes scott-free, having committed the perfect murders. But the network felt that this was pushing the envelope a bit too much, and the ending was revised (by Agnes Gallin?). Even in its compromised state, THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO... is a comedy treasure.

Miriam Knight (Stockard Channing) is beautiful "on the inside." She just has a problem of looking rather not so beautiful on the out side. Life and many of her acquaintances have played cruel jokes on her.

She recovers from a bad auto accident and her out-nards are now readjusted to match her innards. However it is too late and she remembers those whom took advantage of her earlier situation.

Many people of different walks of life are meeting their demise in mysterious ways. It is up to Det. Ralph Varone (a very young Edward Asner) to make sense of this and possibly fall in love with the brilliant mind that can create the perfect crime.

Will Herman Anderson (Warren Berlinger) die a plumber's death?
Will Miriam find a man to love her for what is on the inside?
Will Ralph solve the mystery?
Can we stop laughing?

Grease (Rockin' Rydell Edition)

This movie is a riot and Stockard Channing is fantastic! Written by Joan Rivers, The Girl Most Likely To is a dark comedy about an ugly duckling that turns into a swan. Tormented because of her looks, Stockard Channing plays an unlucky young woman whose life is forever changed after a horrible car accident. I'm so happy this film has finally been released!

I was very surprised to see that this movie was released on DVD. I don't think it was ever available on VHS, and if it was, it was years ago. This is a classic made-for-tv movie that I remember seeing in 1973. Seeing it again, it still has a great storyline. It was co-written by Joan Rivers, so you can see some of her comedy shining through. The video transfer is very clear for a made-for-tv movie. The sound is mono, but it's clear. Stereo sound for tv was years away back in 1973. If you are a fan of early '70s made-for-tv movies, Stockard Channing, or Joan Rivers, you will really like this movie.

I searched for this for several years, and a couple years ago bought a bootleg version that was so incredibly poor, I couldn't even really hear or see most of it.

Still, it's a fantastic film. I remembered it from way back when it must have been on tv and I was just a kid. The somersault scene and the bathtub scene stayed with me for years. I was so glad to be able to see it again.

Although a bit dated, now, it still is remarkable. Stockard Channing, never known for her absolute beauty, plays the lead role of a young woman who is consistently treated terribly and hurt constantly. But, through a series of events, she turns from unattractive and unwanted to beautiful and desired. With this, however, comes a transformation of character. Confidence is good, yes, but revenge? Probably not.

Despite the fact that Channing isn't doing "good", so to speak, Channing really plays this role well. While she takes revenge on everyone who has hurt her, you still are cheering for her. Ed Asner is on to her, though, as the tough-but-sympathetic detective.

Yes, although this has many comedic elements, I wouldn't just say it was a black comedy. Believe it or not, it's also a love story. And, though it's funny, it's also terribly sad. Definitely worth seeing if you haven't seen it.