Product Details

• Actors: Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin
• Directors: Paul Aaron
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Full Screen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: MGM
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000SDJAN2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,208 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

EDITORIAL REVIEWS: After establishing her screen career with supporting roles in The Big Chill and The Natural, Glenn Close made her starring debut in the title role of this tepid comedy--an example of the "body-switch" movie trend of the mid-1980s. No doubt Close sensed tour-de-force potential in playing a virtuous San Francisco wife and Catholic bishop's secretary whose body is possessed by the vampy spirit of a 1920s flapper. Instead, the movie drains all the energy from Close's valiant efforts, neglecting virtually any idea that might have made this film genuinely fresh and funny. What's left is an amiable, old-fashioned comedy that gets by on sporadic bursts of charm. Jan (Close) and her librarian husband Nick (Mandy Patinkin) discover Maxie's past in their roomy Victorian home; elderly neighbor Ruth Gordon (in her final film role) informs them that Maxie was on the verge of silent-movie stardom when she died in a car accident in 1927. But Maxie's spirit lives on, and her ectoplasm settles intermittently into Jan's body, sending Nick into a panic when Maxie "drops in" at unpredictable intervals. All Maxie wants is another shot at stardom, and she gets her chance in a remake of Cleopatra--with unbilled Harry Hamlin as Marc Antony! A dubious premise to begin with, it's further victimized by a nagging flatness of tone; if this were a TV sitcom the laugh track would be silent. Fortunately for Close, her psycho-success in Fatal Attraction was less than two years away. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Cat's Pajamas..., November 27, 2004

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MAXIE (DVD)

This review refers to the MGM DVD edition of "Maxie"....

Jan and Nick live quiet, low key, uncomplicated lives. He's a librarian, she is secretary to an Archbishop. They are not exactly the wild and crazy type. Their idea of a big night is peeling away the layers of wallpaper, decade by decade, in their new apartment. What they uncover when they are down to the 1920's, is about to change their lives entirely.

Flapper Maxie Malone, left her mark here. A once young and promising actress, who met with an untimely death. The free-spirited, outgoing, energetic, contagiously fun ghost of Maxie, returns, inhabits the body of poor Jan and it's anything goes, as she tries to make her mark on the big screen once more. Maxie may be dead, but she's full of life. She wears the couple out with her antics. Will Jan ever get her life back, or will Maxie go on to stardom?

In the hands of a less adept cast, this may not have the hold it immediatley has on the viewer. Glenn Close is "Maxie/Jan", and she is wonderful going back and forth between the dull Jan of today and the exuberant Maxie of the 20's. She does a rendition of "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" that is simply intoxicating. You may even want to rewind and watch it again before going any further(I did). Mandy Patinkin is Nick. He is brillant as the befuddled husband, who wants his wife back but also falls for the ghost with the most. Bernard Hughes is hilarious as the Archbishop planning an exorcism, and most delicious of all is the legendary Ruth Gordon. Ruth was Maxie's pal in the roaring 20's and hasn't lost a bit of her charm. It may even be by her summoning, that the spirit of Maxie has returned.

The DVD has a very nice picture with vivid colors. It is presented with the choice of widescreen or a standard format. The catchy music sounds great in DD2.0 Surround, but the DVD seems to be recorded low. I had to turn it up several notches higher then usual, but stayed even throughout.. No special features(excpet a trailer), just a delightful time with this fun and charming fantasy.

For some reason, at this time, this DVD is hard to come by. They are quite high priced by the outside sellers. If interested, put it on your wish list or in your cart, and be patient and watch for a good deal(or check with your local video store)

It's "the cat's pajamas and the bees kness!"
enjoy....Laurie

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maxie, April 12, 2001

By 

Marcy (Bay City, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maxie (Amazon.com Exclusive) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

OK so Maxie isn't a blockbuster and not for every taste (what film is??) and I will admit that had the part of Nick been played by anyone other than Mandy Patinkin I would have liked it less, but I found it entertaining enough. Even when one is based on the other books and film are two different mediums and shouldn't be so closely compared. Maxie was just meant to be a bit of fun and fantasy and as such is ok.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MAXIE LIVES!!!, March 3, 2008

By 

David Plomin "Movie Guy" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maxie (1985) (DVD)

I saw this film when it first came out, and although....NOT the number one of ALL the best ghost movies of all time, STILL, it's a good watch. Ruth Gordon, of course, is ALLWAYS a plus, and she makes us cry when confronted by her former vaudeville co-star, Maxie when she is possessed through "Jan". I appreciated the film even more, when I read the source: MARIONS'WALL, by the late, Jack Finney. MAN.....if they made THAT FILM, it would have been even MORE elaborate...STILL, a fun film!!!