Customer Reviews

Story Lady [VHS]

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

 

 

Just a word of warning, the DVD of The Story Lady that Amazon is currently shipping is not the edition advertised. It IS NOT the original Image edition, but instead one from Screen Media Ventures, oh and it's a DVD-R. The cover is not even remotely close to the one shown on the page, the UPC code is a sticker stuck on the case, and again the back of the case says it's a DVD-R. Just wanted to make everyone aware before you purchase an inferior DVD-R and have to waste time trying to get a refund. Once Amazon creates a separate listing or stops selling this version as the long out of print Image DVD release, I will delete or modify this review.

Grace McQueen is a senior citizen looking for an opportunity to be of service. She's turned down by agency after agency until she decides to do what she loves;story telling. She manages to get a spot on a public tv station and becomes a hit. Then the fun begins. She is "discovered" by some ad executives who see a gold mine in exploiting her talents.

A whirlwind of network ratings, make overs and new name (Granny Goodheart) overwhelms Grace. How she navigates through this mess is a delightful commentary about how we treat our elders, our own children and ourselves in a doggy eat dog world of our own making.

Jessica Tandy is wonderful as Grace, the grandmotherly figure unwilling to let the studio bosses remake her image. Stephanie Zimbalist stars as the ad executive who is so caught up in her work to the point of neglecting what matters most, her daughter. In this film we re-aquaint ourselves with the taste of what it means to be a family and affirmed in one's old age.

Now sit back and enjoy the Story Lady as she reads you a tale where "they live happily ever after. The End."

This movie is an artful combination of humor, moral instruction, and a reminder of what is really important in life. It is beautifully written and the acting is fantastic.

It's a duplicated ("home-made") DVD-R, not a commercial release. The cover looks nothing like what you see on Amazon, and it's not the high-quality Image Entertainment release. The cover art is an ugly, distorted looking image, and appears to be duplicated on a color copier.

The biggest reason you should not buy a DVD-R: it has no monetary value in the after-market, if you want to sell/trade it to a store in the future. Anybody can duplicate a commercial DVD; duplicates are always worthless, except as archival back-ups.

This is not a review of the movie, it's a review of the product itself and of Amazon's failure to respond to numerous complaints about this junk. You will be spending a high amount of money for something that has no value.

I am more used to movies starring the husband and wife team of Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. However, Tandy sparkles in this delightful tale of a "senior citizen" who didn't quit. When advanced age caused her to move in with her grown daughter and son-in-law, she found she had too much time on her hands, and went looking for work. After being turned down again and again, she stumbled upon a channel on the TV that interested her. After being told anybody, through cable-access TV, could have their own show, she went for it, and a world of children with busy parents found themselves seated in front of their sets while Grace read stories out of a book. The TV studio producer, enchanted by her, came up with a title for her show -- The Story Lady. One young lady who got hooked on it introduced it to her mother, a TV ad exec (played by Stephanie Zimbelist), and that's where the story takes off. She and her partner, played by Ed Begley, Jr., convince Grace to sign a contract, and try to take control of her. But Grace, and we viewers, find out in the end she proves more than a match for them. A final escapade lands Grace in trouble with the law, but again her indomitable spirit wins out, and she ends up teaching the judge (played by Charles Durning) how to portray himself as Toad of Toad Hall to his daughter. Funny, warm, fast-paced, sentimental, and very delightful.

This is a must-view every Christmas! Jessica Tandy is superb as usual and reminds us of what is truly important in life.

This is a heartwarming family friendly movie. It would even be appropriate for the school setting. Safe for children of any age to view.

My mother who loves this movie, she has looking for years. So one day I popped in my favorite place, Amazon and whala there it was. Thank you This has made her happy and it made me feel worthy.

Jessica Tandy does a beautiful job portraying Grace, a kind old lady that finds happiness by sharing her gift of story telling.

This is a perfect film for the entire family.

The plot has been very completely and well written, about all I can add is that this was one of Jessica Tandy's last movies and somehow got overlooked. However, it is a genuinely warm and entertaining movie with the moral that well meaning senior citizens are often lost in the fast paced whirl of modern society.