Customer Reviews

Sordid Lives

5 star:		(197)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I caught this film in a theater in Ft. Lauderdale and I was bowled over. AT last, it's been released on DVD and it's worth the wait. Seeing it again, I laughed even more than the first time - the characters get under your skin with their bizarre antics and the direction is truly clever, juxtaposing a running plotline about a white-trash funeral and the surreal characters who come together as a result. Special kudos to Bonnie Bedelia, who is shrill but ultimately a real character. And Leslie Jordan as a drag-queen in a mental institution channeling Tammy Wynette is flat out HYSTERICAL.

The DVD has some standard extras - deleted scenes, extra songs, a new opening, and commentary from stars and the director. I promise you - this is a movie you will share with your friends and laugh laugh laugh! Sure, it can be corny and superficial at times, but lemme tell ya...the characters are never less than 3-dimensionsal.

This is a sharp, witty, humane movie with a terrific ensemble cast that deserves attention. An intertwined collection of small town stories about faith, love and redemption, "Sordid Lives" has more laughs in its first 15 minutes than most comedies enjoy in two hours. The performances are uniformly file, including Bonnie Bedelia, Delta Burke, Olivia Newton-John (a sweet and pleasant surprise), Leslie Jordan, and Beau Bridges. There are moments of sheer bliss as a town prepares to bury one of its own against a backdrop of angst, humor and real drama. Even the hysterical parts are handled with great sentiment and care. The audience I saw the movie with was cackling with laughter! A terrific film!

"Sordid Lives" received only a limited release in theaters in the Los Angeles area, so it has not been seen by nearly as many people as it should.

Writer-director Del Shores balances delicate sensitivity with gut-busting laughs in this tale of a Texas family beset by death and homosexuality, not necessarily in that order.

The central figure, Ty, is a gay TV soap opera actor who is "out" to his friends and associates, but still closeted to his Texas family, who have gone so far as to institutionalize another family member ("Brother Boy") simply because of his penchant for dressing up like Tammy Wynette.

The two story elements are brought together over the funeral of the family matriarch, who passed away in the midst of a motel room tryst with a married man. (She tripped over one of his prosthetic legs and hit her head on a bathroom sink).

Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia and Oliva Newton-John bring Shores' characters to life in this hysterical film adaptation of his long-running stage hit.

Don't miss it when it arrives on home video.

It was easy to invision Delta Burke as the queen of a trailer court type neighborhood, but when you throw in Olivia Newton-John as a lesbian folk singer and Beau Bridges as a pathetic loser you begin to see the picture of a highly dysfunctional group of friends and relatives intertwined in a tale, more about righting the wrongs of a dysfunctional history and less about the real story: What are we going to bury mama in now that she is dead. Apparently she tripped over Beau Bridges prosthetic leg on the way to the bathroom in a cheap motel where they were doing the nasty!! Sordid Lives is a befitting title to a movie that will have you somewhere between horrified and in tears from laughter. Sounds like the way things were in many families I know!

This movie was a complete and delightful surprise. The characters: two 'adult' sisters and an assortment of relatives and neighbors are dealing with the death of their elderly mother who has had an affair with the younger husband (Beau Bridges) of their trailer-trash neighbor (Delta Burke). Bridges has two prosthetic legs which, left on the motel floor during a tryst, cause the older woman to fall and kill herself.

Rich Texan stereotypical behavior and language dominate the thoughts and actions of the characters.

The adult son of the deceased woman has been institutionalized for many years for being 'different' ... the female psychiatrist at the institution in which he resides frantically attempts to altar his sexuality, with hysterical results. A grandson has been exiled for similar reasons and is frantically, through therapy, attempting to screw up the courage to return home and be himself.

Everyone finally makes it to the funeral only to have their eyes opened even further as family members begin to see and appreciate each other.

The setting, casting and timing are impeccable.

See the movie and perhaps see a bit of yourself. At least you'll have a great laugh!

Sordid Lives is best seen with as large an audience as you can muster. Audience reactions become infectious as the events progress and you will leave with a fresh look at your own gene pool.

As SORDID LIVES opens, Sissy (Beth Grant) is awaiting the funeral of her sister Peggy, who recently died in a cheap motel room after tripping over the detached wooden legs of her adulterous lover, G.W. (Beau Bridges), and smashing her head against the bathroom porcelain. As if Sissy doesn't have problems enough in the wake of five failed marriages, she's struggling to quit smoking, popping Valium like candy, and having to cope with the dysfunctions of assorted family members. Niece Latrelle (Bonnie Bedelia), whose husband is off with Jimmy Carter building homes for the poor, is in denial over the homosexuality of son Ty (Kirk Geiger), an aspiring actor out in L.A., and contesting the decision of her sister LaVonda (Ann Walker) to clothe Mom in her favorite mink stole for the burial in 110-degree Texas heat. Meanwhile, Peggy's son Earl (Leslie Jordan), a homosexual transvestite, has been confined to a mental institution for the past twenty years. Out in SoCal, Ty is suffering a sexual identity crisis, and is on his twenty-seventh therapist.

SORDID LIVES, a politically correct film espousing gay rights in a heavy Texas accent, won't appeal to everyone, but several of the performances are surprisingly excellent. Jordan is positively superb as Earl, who spends his life dressed up as CW singer Tammy Wynette, and has a permanent gig entertaining his fellow inmates in the asylum.

Also exceptional is Rosemary Alexander as the sexually frustrated Dr. Eve Bolinger, the institution psychologist assigned to Earl's case. Eve's career, as well as a lucrative book deal and an appearance on Oprah, are all dependent on her ability to successfully de-homosexualize her charge. Therapy has not progressed well after sixty-eight sessions, and Eve is prepared to take Earl's problem in hand, so to speak. The single, on-screen session between Earl and his shrink is brilliantly scripted and worth the price of the video rental, and then some.

A very nice touch is Olivia Newton-John as Bitzy Mae Harling, an ex-con and local bad girl, whose timely live performance of topical songs augments recorded Tammy Wynette vocals. Delta Burke as Noleta, G.W.'s unhappy spouse, is also effective, as is Sissy's striking hairdo.

Sometimes, the film's humor becomes shrill and a little forced. For that reason, I'm lopping off a fifth star. However, though SORDID LIVES is perhaps not suitable for screening at a Southern Baptist potluck, it's one that may offer a pleasant surprise if selected off the rental store shelf as a "well, why not?" afterthought.

I first saw Sordid Lives at the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival back in the Summer of 2001 and it was the audience hit of the festival. My friends and I thought sure it would be released in the art house theaters..and we waited...and waited...and were quite surprised that it seemed to just disappear (although I did hear it was quite a hit in Palm Springs, CA and a few other theaters around the country ).

So I patiently waited for it to come out on DVD and I am happy to say that it is just as funny as I remember. It has many, many laugh-out-loud moments and the entire cast is great. However, Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy and Beth Grant as Sissy are standouts and you will be quoting their lines all the time...they are just that good! And the DVD comes with lots of extras for the truly obsessed Sordid Lives fan!

I know that My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a movie that became a hit by word of mouth. I think it is time that Sordid Lives became a DVD hit too! So spread the word...

I saw this film at a fund-raising event in East Stroudsburg, PA today (12/8/02)to benefit the Lehigh Valley F.A.C.T. (Fighting Aids Continuously Together) and I can't recall a more enjoyable movie. I have a good friend who is very active in the organization and, when I read about the performance, thought it sounded like something I might find interesting. Well ... that was certainly the case.Excellent cast and the actor portraying the young gay male is yummy (and, I couldn't care less if he's straight or not ... he's talented!). The audience was truly diverse and everyone there seemed to find it vastly amusing and -- in some scenes -- extremely touching. Talented cast and great music. I'm ordering the DVD because: 1) I missed some of the lines due to the audience's (and my) raucous laughter and 2) I want to share it w/ family and friends and revel in their enjoyment.
I LOVED this movie! (For the record, I am 70 years old and a grandmother, happily married and lucky to be who I am!)

"Watching writer and director Del Shores's Bible Belt parody, Sordid Lives, is like driving through the boondocks, finding only honky tonk radio and listening to one of those raunchy tunes; it's weird, it's funny and you find yourself humming along." Scott Holleran

We know we can't choose our relatives and aren't we glad someone else has this group? White Trailer Trash may not be apropos for this collection of oddities because these people are so damn funny. Don't think their intention is to be funny, but they are all just a little bit left of center. They are living their lifestyles or not, but they are doing this in their own way.

The beginning of the movie starts at a slow pace but soon builds to a crescendo that will have you laughing til your sides hurt. Sissy Hickey is on the phone discussing the demise of her sister. A rather unfortunate incident of tripping over the wooden legs of her married lover in a third rate motel. Now, the two daughters, Latrelle played by Bonnie Bedelia, and Noletta played by Delta Burke, are arguing over whether mom should be buried in her fur wrap in the middle of summer. This done over a table full of southern fried food sent in by neighbors. The talk turns to Noletta's husband, the lover with the wooden legs, mom's son-in-law. And then turns to Boy Brother, their younger bro, who dresses in women's clothing and has spent the past 20 years in the insane asylum. Latrelle's son is in Hollywood and acting in gay plays. The curious incident of the wooden legs has made the family a laughing stock and how to deal with this?

In the meantime Boy Brother and his psychiatrist, Dr Eve Bolinger, are undergoing his therapy. Dr Bolinger is going to cure Boy Brother of his homosexuality and make her so famous she will appear on Oprah. However Boy Brother is not cooperating, He does not want to change. So, there appears to be a stand-off.

The problems of each family member and the collective are enough to make a grown man cry. However, in this case, we may be down on our knees gasping from our laughter. How this family comes together is a mystery and the country western singer, played by Olivia Newton John , sings the family back home. Not a laugh a minute but funny enough to keep us all off-base.

"Like a live-action version of "King of the Hill" in hyperdrive, features some ornery down-homers who remain convinced of their common sense even when every move puts them in deeper doo-doo. The doo-doo that they do so well is adultery, with the latest round of musical beds in the tale's unnamed small town having resulted in the death of old Peggy, who tripped over the misplaced wooden legs of her married lover, G.W. (Beau Bridges)." Ken Eisner

Highly Entertaining and will become a cult classic. prisrob 02-11-08

Judicial Consent

This DVD came highly recommended by several friends. I was sure not disappointed. I've watched it a half-dozen times now and loved it every time.

The actors are fabulous, especially Leslie Jordan as 'Brother Boy' Earl. Far from playing the role in typical drag queen camp, Jordan brings depth and even poignancy to his (hilarious) character, who copes with his hellish looney bin existence by living out vicariously the life of Tammy Wynette. Beth Grant is also sensational in her protracted nicotine fit.

I've seen enough of mega-studio Hollywood not to mind the fresh, offbeat, low-budget feel of this film. The big-name talent certainly delivers, including, as musical backdrop, Olivia Newton-John's awesome guitar numbers (impressively sung live on camera--wow what a talent, she's still got it).

Apart from uproarious laughs, the film offers a meaningful theme of the dysfunctionality that non-acceptance from DENIAL can inject into family relationships. Be sure to add 'Sordid Lives' to your DVD collection, because it's becoming a cult classic of white trash humor--and memorable lines from the film are starting to go around. I'd tell you more about this movie, but you'll have to, in the words of Brother Boy...."excuse me...I got a show to do!"

While visiting LA...friends said "you MUST see Sordid Lives"..
I did and every time I think about it...a smile comes on my face or I openly laugh. It's not an Oscar contender, but it is one funny flick....if you're even slight nutty....you'll LOVE this one.