When Bette Met Mae

When Bette Met Mae (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Director-writer Wes Wheadon once had a very lucky moment when he managed to bring legends Bette Davis and Mae West together. This sixty-three minute feature has a couple actresses playing the legends and they pretty much lip-sync to an audio recording of the conversation that was done that night.

The new actors basically re-enact what was heard on the audio recording. This is a pretty interesting idea that also works as a documentary as there are people on hand to discuss the careers of both Davis and West. The documentary stuff really isn't anything we haven't seen before but I will admit that it was good.

The audio recording is what's going to bring film buffs to this movie and for the most part the conversation is good, although you have to wonder if either of them really thought it would be turned into a movie forty years later. The audio recording could have used subtitles at times because it was pretty hard to hear what was going on.

There are some great stories told by the legends and you can tell that Davis is the more vocal of the two with that loud and striking voice. WHEN BETTE MET MAE isn't a masterpiece and how it's presented is a bit strange at times but I must admit that it was still entertaining listening to these legends talk about their careers and disappointments.

In my many years of delving into classic-movies and background info, I've never run into anything quite like this---what the audio recording may lack in high-tech polish, is more than compensated by natural, up-close, personal realism, and is greatly enhanced by the re-enactments. This is not meant to be a show-stopping performance...it's just comfortable eavesdropping, casual conversation, and very personal life observations by two show biz powerhouses who are meeting for the first time at a dinner with friends. A unique idea, and well worth a watch. I found it interesting that the brains of the project, Wes Wheadon, moonlights from his main occupation as a medical professional by generously sharing his experiences in behind-the-scenes Tinseltown. (He has the looks to be an actor himself, and forty years after the original taping, is still adorable.) Fans should check this out.

I was privileged to see this remarkable film as part of a Mae West tribute at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. The casting was so superb that members of the audience thought the actresses in the film were the real film legends they were portraying. The concept is incredible, the execution wonderful, and the design of the film is excellent. This is an incredible peak into the private lives of these great stars. Davis is very familiar, her personal and screen person'as being one in the same. West, however, is a surprise and a pleasure. There is no work comparable to this film. This would have been easy to parlay into parody, but the filmmakers took the high road and let the legends speak for themselves while providing a remarkable vision for the rest of us.

This is a 'recreation' of an actual event. One which didn't shake the world (although Ms West was in her, 'shake it up baby note', rock phase at this time), it's about the meeting if 2 very individual, totally opposite women; Bette Davis and Mae West.

Though the acting is complimented by the audio taped voices of the actual speakers, their lip-synching abilities -admirable, are still not a match for the genuine women.

It's very funny for any fan of either (or both) of the women to watch; Ms Davis had an almost professorial-like fascination with all things Mae West. Ms West (who arrives to the dinner, by showing only get feet - which made me laugh even harder as I recalled a description of her from a couple of years later - while making Sextette - as being in these 'towering heels' and 'tottering' on them) is mostly a very good reactor; she's sparse of words, letting Ms Davis (who's very 'fortified' with her...'orange juice' - code for vodka & oh), as she does most of the talking.

It's a lot of fun. Silly, unimportant, but, it's made by people who obviously have affection for these two.

I recommend this to other classic films fans that like Mae West and Bette Davis. A friend of Bette's once taped the actual 1973 first meeting of the two on a cassette. What they do in this production is have actors who look very much like them (especially the one playing Bette) mouth the words to the actually voices of the actresses on the tape. It sounds strange, after a few minutes you get used to it. There are some nice little nuggets of film history included in their conversation and it also includes breaks that show what they are referring to in their conversation. I believe the meeting was for dinner at Bette's home, and she, Bette Davis, was actually a bit star struck by Mae. You get a taste for just how intelligent a business woman Mae West was too. So if you want a real treat give this film a chance, remember the voices are really theirs from the recorded tape.

I give this a 9 out of 10 stars for it's historic film history value