Search - Lipstick on DVD

Lipstick

02/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Really not as bad as everyone said it was back in 1976. Give Margaux a break! She was just 20 years old and this was her first movie. This Girl had to carry this film on her shoulders and I for one think she did a great job! I think she held her own with Anne, Perry & Chris too. The script does fail her,though. Give it a second try because its really not that bad! There are many other movies with firstimers out there that I'm sure were alot worse than this debut. Margaux deserves applauds just for taking the plunge from modeling to movies! ND"

A GLOSSLY TREAT

Martin Boucher | Montreal, Canada | 01/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The late Margaux Hemingway saw her movie career take a nosedive after the release of this film, while her co-star and little sister Mariel became the toast of the town. But to many cinephiles, she'll always be remembered as the woman in red holding one mean rifle. Margaux plays Chris McCormick, a top fashion model (no stretch at all, here, since she really was a top model at the time) who ends up regretting her decision of having innocently invited her sibling's music teacher (Chris Sarandon of "Fright Night" fame) to her apartment. While she cries rape (with the help of Academy award winner Anne Bancroft as her attorney) the judicial system, however, sees it differently. LIPSTICK is the ultimate B-movie extravaganza. Raw to the bone, it is avant-garde cinema with a glossy exterior. David Rayfeil's script spares no details in degrading women via ultra-violent scenes (one a la "The Accused") and a misogynistic message regarding men and feminine beauty. But as a whole--and not too taken seriously--LIPSTICK is 90 minutes of pure fun. The film has a Russ Myer feel to it, a sort of cinema verite of the late 60's (the ones who lured mostly the male clientele). Margaux Hemingway gives all she's got and comes up almost rosy despite her limited range. She may not be Meryl Streep, but, contrary to popular opinion, her performance is believable. Of course, then-12 year old Mariel do steal the show with her quiet but strong delivery. Every nuance of her emotional face shows the making of a great actress, and she did become one for awhile, while her older sister stumbled and stumbled in forgettable Z flicks. LIPSTICK was indeed the apogee of Margaux's career. Far from being Academy award worthy, it is definitely a fave among lovers of cult movies, and with good reasons. Now all it needs is a deluxe DVD edition with all the extra goodies.-----Martin Boucher



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A Bold Film With Rare Raw Power

C. Chow | Leesburg VA | 07/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let me preface this buy saying that I gave this movie five stars because of its raw emotional power. However, like 'The Exorcist' I cannot call it entertainment. Rape is not entertaining.



The plot: Chris (Margaux Hemingway) is an LA model who invites her younger sister's music teacher Gordon (Chris Sarandon) over to hear his music. But Gordon's music FUBAR to say the least and he brutally rapes Chris. At the rape trial Chris' moral character as a nude model is put on trial, while the prosecutor (Anne Bancroft) fights to defend Chris' character and put her rapist in jail.

This movie works because of its raw power. The rape scene is VERY violent and lasts 30 minutes, so graphic I forced myself to fast forward through most of it. The rape really is the only subject of the movie, everything revolves around it. I admire how the screenplay tells us NOTHING about whom these characters are or where they came from. We see only the most basic elements of good and evil. Chris is an innocent victim, I'm glad we were not forced to go through the motions of seeing a super model giggle and talk about how she wants to save the rainforest. This way we can see Chris as a real person. Gordon is totally evil simply for the sake of being evil, the scariest kind. We get no easy or comforting explanation as to how he can so victimize another human being.



Chris Sarandon's performance also deserves special mention. He should have won an Oscar. He was so evil and creepy I don't see how he was cast in any roles after this. Like Anthony Perkins in 'Psycho' he'll always be Norman Bates.



The most shocking thing is I remember seeing this movie as a young child unedited on HBO! I'm amazed I wasn't traumatized for life! But I remember I found it disturbing then and find it disturbing now as an adult. Not sad, not scary, just disturbing.

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Delicious Trash

Brandon L. Harlow | Colonial Heights, VA United States | 10/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oh how I love this film! Margaux is divine as a high fashion model who is raped by her teen sister's school music teacher! Well she is not just raped, she is completely brutalised! I swear some of those scenes looked a bit too realistic. Chris Sarandon is absolutely devilish in the role of the sadistic rapist. He doesn't just physically overpower Margaux, he also attacks her mentally. After the deed is done he slyly begs of her to "not do this with anyone else." During the trial he also torments her with late night calls playing selections of his Phillip Glass inspired music. While the subject matter is serious the film is also high camp & truely hilarious! In an emotional (or as emotional as Margaux can get) courtroom scene she shouts out "he tried to kill me with his c**k!" Let us also not forget lil sis Mariel who gets attacked at the end of the film...after a high speed chase through the Pasadena Design Center! This pushes Margaux over the edge so she grabs a shotgun and goes after Sarandon with a vengeance! After pumping him full of bullets she just keeps pulling the trigger...it is AMAZING! Francesco Scavullo must be so proud."