Mrs Parker and The Vicious Circle

Particulars

‘The vicious circle’ is a description of the Algonquin Hotel’s round table. In the 1920s it was reknowed for its witty and caustic conversations and Dorothy Parker (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) was the wittiest. She is a smart tough alcoholic and a brilliant writer. The movie documents her whole (mostly miserable) life. Her failed marriage, failed love affairs and chronic debt make an interesting albeit tragic story. This is a movie for those who like clever conversations or for those who are familiar with some of the figures. It is much more suited to the cinema but if you rent it, I recommend you watch it alone. This isn’t actually a Stephen Baldwin movie but he does have an excellent, funny and memorable featured cameo as a potential suitor of Dorothy’s who can’t ‘rise’ to the occasion. He is only in the movie for five minutes or so, so don’t hire it just for him but if you do, he appears at about 1hr 15min into the movie. It also has an outstanding cast as you can see from the list above.

More Reviews
Back to Main Page