All about Eve

1950 best picture

Rating: 17/20 (Jen: 16/20)

Plot: Aging Margo Channing is a freaky bug-eyed alien from the planet Bettedavis who is posing as a Broadway superstar but has plans to take over the world with her alien pals. She's managed to fool everybody around her--Bill, her dopey producer and boyfriend; writer Lloyd and his wife Karen; her assistant Birdie; thousands of admiring fans. The government suspects that something is up, however, and sends an undercover agent named Eve to befriend Margo and stop her before it's too late.

This movie is too long. It's very well written, but it's hard not to watch this without thinking about how written it is. The dialogue never seems natural. And Anne Baxter's Eve is really a pretty weak character, probably because of the dynamic and more flamboyant character Bette Davis plays. Baxter does innocence just fine here, but there's nothing about her performance that makes me believe she's really manipulative or hungry for fame. I guess that might be the point since the other characters (other than Birdie) don't see it either. Having said all that, the good stuff far outweighs the bad with All about Eve. That aforementioned dialogue is literary and witty and sharp. Lots of lines, especially Margo's but also Addison Dewitt's, have just enough bite. There's also the right amount of humor beneath all the drama. I didn't laugh out loud though. The performances are great, the actors bouncing off one another and blending into the story so naturally. I like the structure of the story. There's the revelation right at the beginning that Eve is a snake. I like how instead of the narrator telling us that, we see it in the actors' faces at the awards ceremony. And I like how there's gradual suspicion about her intentions building up to Margo's drunken breakdown at her boyfriend's birthday party. That entire party scene is terrific. I also love the final scene with the mirrors. Sunset Boulevard should have won best picture, but this is still pretty good.