Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Featured Audience Ratings

• AJ V

  
  This movie is a semi spoof of Valley of the Dolls, and it's very funny. The girls find themselves in crazy situations, there's a lot of crazy orgy parties, and the characters are crazy too. A classic cult film, check it out, I love it.

• Tim S

  
  Absolutley insane and bizarre. I loved it!

• Drew S

  
  I have no idea what the fuck I just watched, but I kind of loved it. This is High Camp, effortless and energetic and unironically involving. I was totally submerged in the bizarre plot until the last ten minutes or so, which I think is an incredible triumph on Russ Meyer's part,… More
  I have no idea what the fuck I just watched, but I kind of loved it. This is High Camp, effortless and energetic and unironically involving. I was totally submerged in the bizarre plot until the last ten minutes or so, which I think is an incredible triumph on Russ Meyer's part, until I realized that a woman was being chased around by a breasted man in a cape calling himself Superwoman. There are some things that you simply CAN'T suspend disbelief for, but the movie isn't any weaker for it...it just kicks it back to camp land. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls will probably have zero crossover appeal to anyone who doesn't like shitty movies, which makes me sad. I wouldn't even try to initiate a friend with this, either. The drop into awfulness is very steep and played almost totally straight, which I really admire Dolls for. The only irony you find in the movie is blink-and-you'll-miss-them lines to the audience. I read an interview that Roger Ebert, who wrote the movie, did with someone, in which he claimed that he wrote the film as a parody of violent shitty movies, and the interviewer replied "did the director know this?" Apparently not. And that is good.

• Steve K

  
  I was not prepared for how awesome this movie was, nor had I realized how many films I have seen were clearly inspired by it.

• Stephen M

  
  How Russ Meyer ever managed to steer this film through a major studio (20th Century Fox) is nothing short of miraculous. It's an hilarious, ultra-camp, rags-to-riches soap opera about a girl-group trying to break into the music scene in L.A. Of course, it's pretty tame by… More
  How Russ Meyer ever managed to steer this film through a major studio (20th Century Fox) is nothing short of miraculous. It's an hilarious, ultra-camp, rags-to-riches soap opera about a girl-group trying to break into the music scene in L.A. Of course, it's pretty tame by modern standards but its nudity, drug references, violence and general perverseness must have been startling in its day. The fashions, music and language of the movie are hysterically dated now, but that only adds to the charm. Acting honours go to John LaZar as Z-Man, Cynthia Myers as Casey, the disillusioned lesbian, and Duncan McLeod as Porter Hall, the slimy lawyer. Russ Meyer made some great independent movies but "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is a fascinating glimpse of the mainstream career he never had, and of the subversive masterpieces he might have made within the studio system.

• Michael S

  
  Way better than I expected.

• xGary X

  
  The retro kitsch of Russ Meyer films has enjoyed a cult following amongst the po-mo crowd for some time now, much of it undeserved. His tacky mix of sensationalism and gratuitously over-sized mammaries is usually outright trash, but once in a while (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!… More
  The retro kitsch of Russ Meyer films has enjoyed a cult following amongst the po-mo crowd for some time now, much of it undeserved. His tacky mix of sensationalism and gratuitously over-sized mammaries is usually outright trash, but once in a while (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! included) it actually works. This bizarre cross between rock expose, soap opera and twisted serial killer movie is in turns hilarious, disturbing and absurd. Definitely one for a group of like-minded friends and a copious amount of booze.

• Cindy I

  
  An huge steaming pile of crap, with a screenwriting credit by none other than film reviewer Roger Ebert. He claims it was all a big joke now, but I wonder if maybe he's just saying that now to defend himself from more criticsim. I've giving it more than one star just for the… More
  An huge steaming pile of crap, with a screenwriting credit by none other than film reviewer Roger Ebert. He claims it was all a big joke now, but I wonder if maybe he's just saying that now to defend himself from more criticsim. I've giving it more than one star just for the campiness and B-movie weirdness of it all. Take this film, add your wackiest friends and copious amounts of alcohol, and enjoy.

• jay n

  
  strange to say the least, starts as a lot of silly fun but goes downhill by the end.

• Michael G

  
  This is easily one of the most ridiculous movies I've seen in my life but it's so funny and entertaining to the point of absurdity.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  This movie is so grooovy maaan. Russ Meyer really is the undispute champ of 60's sexloitation and camp. Also the screenpay was written by a young Roger Ebert. This film is good times from begining to end. The "plot" is sparse and involves a 60's girl group who move… More
  This movie is so grooovy maaan. Russ Meyer really is the undispute champ of 60's sexloitation and camp. Also the screenpay was written by a young Roger Ebert. This film is good times from begining to end. The "plot" is sparse and involves a 60's girl group who move to Hollywood to hit the big time, but along the way get caught up in the seedy underbelly of showbiz and ultimately are one by one corrupted by the fast life of sex, drugs and rock n roll. I'm not really sure how I felt about the heavy handed moralism at the end of the film, but I assume Meyer had to put that clip in to justify all of the perversty this film exhibits. That being said this film never feels sleazy or mean spirited, even at the eruption of violence towards the end. This is just light hearted campy good times intended for adult audiences. This film doesn't appear "fresh" anymore, but acts as a great time capsule of everything that was far out about the 60's. If you havent seen a Russ Meyer flick before he is a man who knew what he liked to see on the screen. Big Boobs, Fast Cars, Wild Parties and Violence. If you have a problem with any of these things you'd be advised to watch Bambi instead. If like me, this is what you look for in films than you really can't do any better than this unabashed sexploitation romp. Some of the most fun you're likely to have while watching a movie.

• Quinto W

  
  It's so hilarious how at the beginning of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS THEY REALLY WANT YOU KNOW THAT IT'S NOT A SEQUEL TO VALLEY OF THE DOLLS!! How could it?? It's not like they're both movies that deal with fame, drugs, sex and show way too many boobs in the… More
  It's so hilarious how at the beginning of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS THEY REALLY WANT YOU KNOW THAT IT'S NOT A SEQUEL TO VALLEY OF THE DOLLS!! How could it?? It's not like they're both movies that deal with fame, drugs, sex and show way too many boobs in the exact same manner. Oh, man, this movie is hilarious all the way through.

• Emily B

  
  Crazy, campy but ultimately quite fun! "In a scene like this you get a contact-high!"

• Patrick D

  
  Brilliant. There's alot of things going on in this film underneath and above. It's also just a funny, strange, and straight up a great watch.

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