Raquel Welch should've not starred in this..
Man, does she look so bad compared to the good/great acting by the other casts. Easily one of the worst performances in great films.
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Raquel never was and never will be anything more then a bad actress who is incredibly hot. But isn't it amazing that her lack of talent never seemed to mar the good films she was in.
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Has it occurred to none of you that she was cast *exactly* for that reason!?? (i.e., that she fit the role required.) Herbert Ross was an *excellent* Dir. -- a great career. Look at the track record of his virtually all very successful films in his filmography, not to speak of directing (and/or casting; a *huge* factor, which any Dirs. with the power to do so take good advantage of) 12 actors to A.A. nom'd performances!
Welch is an indispensable part of the movie, bad acting and all. And that body is as smoking hot as anything in movies today -- well worth having her around.
There, daddy, do I get a gold star?
With all the talk about which real Hollywood people the characters in this film are supposed to represent, it seems obvious that the character of Alice is supposed to be.... Raquel Welch.
shareI just watched the narration/voice-over part of "The Last of Sheila" which came out, I think, in 2005. The narrators/commentators were Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and Raquel Welch-- who seemed embarrassed and axpressed as much-- at her performance in "The Last of Shiela." Of course it was at a time in her career when she was trying to abandon the "Raquel in a bikini" image. One of her comments was "Boy, I sure wouldn't have performed it THAT way, if I were doing it now."
Flanagan
If you think her a bad actress, I suggest you watch "The Three Musketeers," and "The Four Musketeers," both from the early 70's. She was widely lauded for her comedic ability in the first, and her sympathetic moments in the second.
Granted, she'll never be regarded as an Olivier or Gielgud, but she was indeed a capable actress.
..Joe
James Mason was one of the greatest actors in cinema history and even this gentle man detested Welch! He hated the fact she was unprofessional and kept everyone on the set waiting.
And Mason was very reticent and never trashed anyone. But he did this bimbo!
Raquel seemed intimidated by the rest of the cast. In many of her scenes with the entire ensemble, she comes across as self-conscious and unsure of herself. I suspect she lacked confidence and got little to no positive support from Herbert Ross. But she is very effective when she delivers her late night monologue on the top deck. In that scene, she projected just the right amount of movie star allure and pouty decadence. She made you want to know more about her character. Unfortunately, she peaked in that scene and any momentum she gained was lost.
Joan Hackett was amazing in this film. Her scene in the confessional should have won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. And Dyan Cannon absolutely nailed Sue Mengers with her deft comic timing and blase attitude. Given the strong writing of their characters and confident performances, Raquel didn't have a chance in her underwritten role.