Sextette (1978)

14% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
23% of users liked it
(98 ratings)

Mae West (1892-1980) was perhaps the original comic sex goddess of American cinema. Originally a vaudeville performer, she became a national sensation following her 1926 Broadway show Sex, which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in. She continued to outrage the sensibilities of her time on… More Mae West (1892-1980) was perhaps the original comic sex goddess of American cinema. Originally a vaudeville performer, she became a national sensation following her 1926 Broadway show Sex, which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in. She continued to outrage the sensibilities of her time on Broadway before coming to Hollywood and doing the same there throughout the 1930s. She perfected her double entendre humor onscreen and gradually fell out of favor with an increasingly prudish film-going public, though her career underwent several brief revivals. Even as an extremely old woman, she affected the manners and dress of a reigning sex queen. The 1978 release of Sextette, based on her own original scenario, marked her final screen appearance. It was not well received by critics nor the public, and was an undignified note on which to end her sensational career. In this farcical and star-studded film, West plays the fading movie star Marlo Manners, whose attempts to consummate her marriage to Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), her sixth husband, are humorously interrupted by the preceding five. Marlo is also dictating the unexpurgated story of her life, and when one of the tapes goes missing, it threatens to cause an international incident, as well as ruining a number of reputations (including her own). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Ken Hughes
Written By: Herbert Baker
Genres: Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 3, 1978 Wide

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Mae West's swan song to cinema at age 86 is one of the world's all-time worst movies, but that doesn't detract at all from its immense charm and lewd fascination.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Notable only for Mae West and a cast of future movie names.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Astonishingly, mesmerizingly bad.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Eric B

The Village People's "Can't Stop the Music" and the Peter Frampton/Bee Gees take on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" draw most of the heat, but "Sextette" deserves equal enshrinement as one of the disco era's ultimate film… More
The Village People's "Can't Stop the Music" and the Peter Frampton/Bee Gees take on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" draw most of the heat, but "Sextette" deserves equal enshrinement as one of the disco era's ultimate film catastrophes. Mae West essentially plays herself as actress Marlo Manners, humbly introduced as "Hollywood's all-time superstar" and "the greatest sex symbol the screen has ever known." Her list of lovers is even more outrageous than her age-hiding makeup, and she has just married her sixth husband, Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton, during his hungrier years). She and Michael have retired to their honeymoon suite and are eager to git busy, but the paparazzi (including Regis Philbin and Rona Barrett), ex-husbands (Ringo Starr, Tony Curtis, George Hamilton) and Marlo's entourage (notably Dom De Luise, perhaps the only cast member who comes off well) are a steady obstacle. Songs keep popping up regardless of how loudly you protest, and they aren't even originals except for a pair written by Van "The Hustle" McCoy. Instead you get nuggets such as "Love Will Keep Us Together" (this is why James Bond never sings), "Baby Face," "After You've Gone," the Beatles' "Honey Pie" and "Hooray for Hollywood." Usually with slick, period-dated arrangements. Awkward subplots feature a world-government conflict that only Marlo can solve (the Jimmy Carter lookalike is a tasteless cringe) and a pink cassette of her memoirs that she paradoxically labors over despite believing it needs to be destroyed. Don't miss the cameos of Keith Moon and Alice Cooper, though. Moon (sadly near death) is a flamboyant costume designer, and an unrecognizable Cooper is a well-groomed waiter who performs the film's only semi-listenable song on piano. Seeing a slimmer De Luise tap-dance is another fun surprise. West probably deserves some leeway, considering she was eighty-something at the time. It's ludicrous to present herself as a lust object who would drive men like Dalton and Hamilton wild, but she does supply an adequate string of one-liners to swat back obvious set-ups such as "I'll keep a stiff upper lip." Har har. (Actually, one pun about director Ernst Lubitsch is quite clever, and there's also her oft-quoted "...or are you just happy to see me?" quip.)

Cast

            Mae West as Marlo Manners

            Timothy Dalton as Sir Michael Barrington

            Dom DeLuise as Dan Turner

            Tony Curtis as Alexei Karansky

            Ringo Starr as Laslo Karolny

            George Hamilton as Vance

            Alice Cooper as Waiter

            Allison Keith as Waiter in Alexei's Suite

            Rona Barrett as Herself

            Van McCoy as Delegate

            Keith Moon as Dress Designer

            Regis Philbin as Himself

            Walter Pidgeon as Chairman

            George Raft as Himself

            Ian Abercrombie as Rex Ambrose

            Calvin Bartlett as Mr. Foreman

            William Beckley as Desk Clerk

            Ed Beheler as Jimmy Carter

            Roger Callard as Javelin Thrower (uncredited)

            George E. Carey as Dockweiler

            June Fairchild as Woman Reporter

            Jay B. Larson as 2cnd Deaf & Dumb Man

            Reg Lewis as Athlete

            Derek Murcott as Hotel Manager

            Richard Peel as English Chef

            Gil Stratton as Himself

            Harry Weiss as The Don

            James Bacon as Reporter

            Jill Freeman as Fan

            Jason Cooper as Guard

            Peter Alexander as Ronald Cartwright

            Jim Morris as Weight-lifter
See full cast