jjnxn-1 Horrendous vanity production is of interest only to show how an out of control ego and years of self delusion can lead to a public shredding of an carefully constructed image. Mae is supposed to be the adored object of the world but her teetering presence and ossified appearance cause the viewer concern for her well being more than anything else. After decades of carefully maintaining her public persona she was somehow induced to return to the screen to sully her reputation with the double whammy of Myra Breckinridge and this abominable travesty. A horrifying train wreck of a film only to be watched by someone with a love of bad, really bad, cinema.

Allexander Lyons Mae West was, and still is, an icon. She had a swagger and a gift for naughty double entendres that both titillated and outraged the American public. She was a person who was not above using her feminine wiles to her advantage and she did all of this in her early forties at a time when Hollywood was even more unforgiving to middle-aged actresses. Even now, nearly a century after she burst onto the scene, her influence can still be seen in the likes of Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Cristina Aguilera.However, by the time she made "Sextette," she was well over eighty and still trying so hard to be "Mae West" that she had devolved into a parody of herself. Decked out in a giant platinum blonde wig, slathered with enough makeup to attend her own funeral and long, bodice-covering dresses obviously meant to hide the ravages of time on her body and her increasing waistline, this was not Mae West. This wasn't even the same Mae West who appeared in "Myra Breckenridge" eight years earlier. This was some two-bit drag queen's impersonation of Mae West. Apparently, even the director for this film knew it too, as he bathed her in enough soft white light to make Barbara Walters envious.You can argue all day long about whether a woman of such advanced age has a right to think of herself as sexy or whether or not the rumors about her using earpieces or being wheeled around the set are true, but the fact is, she just doesn't have it anymore in this film and it is just painful to watch. She has noticeable trouble moving, some of her lines seem off, and all of her songs are either obviously lip-synched or spoken-word numbers where she doesn't have to exert herself trying to sing. The fact that she has men young enough to be her grandchildren fawning over her only highlights the cognitive dissonance between who Mae West thinks she is and who she actually is.The plot for this movie is ridiculous and doesn't pretend to be serious, so I won't go into much detail, just that Marlo Manners' (Mae West's character, as if it really matters) honeymoon night with her sixth husband (Timothy Dalton, would you believe) is mercifully interrupted by a parade of past ex-husbands, movie shoots, and world peace talks that have stalled because one of the ex-husbands is involved and wants one more night of passion with our geriatric sexpot before he'll make nice with the rest of the world's leaders.Also there's a missing cassette tape that Marlo doesn't want anyone to get their hands on despite the fact that she was using it to record her autobiography. If you don't want people knowing about your past exploits, why would you record an autobiography? Why would you record them period? The plot only exists to build up Mae West as a memetic sex goddess anyway, so who cares? I won't go into the acting too much either, except that Timothy Dalton does a surprisingly good job considering he's playing a man who's anxious to get into an octogenarian's pants. West herself seems to have lost her comedic timing in her old age which does lend some plausibility to the earpiece urban legend. Other standouts include a cardboard Russian stereotype played by Tony Curtis, a cardboard mobster played by George Hamilton and a cardboard camp gay fashion designer played by… Keith Moon? Other bizarre casting choices include Ringo Starr as a prima donna film director and yet another ex-husband and Alice Cooper as a singing bellboy in a horrible wig that makes Mae West look good by comparison.And that brings us to the next point: this movie is a musical… even better, a DISCO musical! This just wouldn't be a 70's period piece without bad musical numbers, now would it? The musical selection ranges from bad to hilariously bad from the opening number where Mae West's ego is massaged by a choir who declare her to be a "living dream" and compare her to Venus de Milo to Miss West mumbling her way through a disco-fied update of "Baby Face." The bellboys pay tribute to Marlo as she arrives to her hotel with a song-and-dance rendition of "Hooray for Hollywood" that comes off as a big lipped alligator moment due to how poorly set up it is and finally, we have the "duet" between West and Dalton of "Love Will Keep Us Together". I use the term "duet" loosely as Dalton caterwauls through most of the song while West occasionally wakes up just long enough to mumble a few words here and here.Mae West wanted so badly to prove that she still had it by making "Sextette," but proved just the opposite instead. She was already in such bad shape that she would only live for two more years. However, despite the horrifying train wreck that this movie is, a part of me can't help but admire having the chutzpah to declare oneself sexually desirable at an age when most people are wiling away their days in a nursing home. I can't decide whether to be appalled or inspired when watching this movie.Maybe it's both.

thedoctorisnot One of the first Mae West films I ever saw was Myra Brekenridge. The film was OK up to a point but when Miss West enters the auditioning for leading men only.....I was mesmerized. I couldn't believe she was pushing eighty (assuming her birth year was 1890ish). From that point on I was determined to find Sextette. Fortunately, the video store purchased a copy for me. It was a pretty good film the first few times I saw it, but then I began to study it. There were a few scenes I saw that made me pause. It seemed that she had to be cued to say her lines. Usually when a flash bulb went off. For example, the the hotel lobby scene, when she says "well, if it wasn't my wedding night, you'd have a deal". Look for the flash just before the line is said. Another example was during the song "Hooray for Hollywood" It appears that Timothy Dalton has to really tug on her to get her to follow him. After closer examination, I think she sees an opening in the crowd, so she may have thought that was where she was supposed to go. Timothy REALLY tugs on her to get her to follow. Other than that, it is a film that will be cherished by her fans, for whom it was made. Still a good view.

wonerfulsomba Oh yes, the magic is still there for sure in the Queen of Sex's final film Sextette. Some people may attack her because of her age in this film, but in truth, this film is good fun and really campy! Miss West was also the Queen of Camp and she sure as hell delivered the camp in this one! She deserves honors, not attacks for still having the ability to deliver!! I have to admit I was absolutely dumbfounded when I saw this and the reason was because Mae West was still the Number 1 Queen of Sex for certain! She was such a darling in this, such fun, and so very good humored!!! It did my heart good and uplifted me in a way like I have never been uplifted to see her still strutting her magnificent stuff here! Man, was she an original and one-of-a-kind! There exists no other like her in all of movie history! She was so smart, so wise and so very wonderful, and it all shows in this -- her final movie. She still had what it takes, looking absolutely wonderful and so perky too!!! All those whispered rumors about her were absolutely that -- just gossip!!! She was and still is the greatest movie star in the history of film. She is so fantastic it is unbelievable!!! What forces came together to make this Empress of Sex???? I don't know the answer to that but I do know that she was one of the most fun loving, wonderful, magnificent film stars in all of movie history! What a woman!!! What an actress!!! And let me tell you that no other film star in history hung in there to the very end like she did and still had it!!! She has to be given credit for that no matter what else you may think!!! Who says a person has to give up on life, sex or anything else just because you reach a certain age???? Everyone should be able to identify with this durable, ageless wonder in that regard. She should be an inspiration to all, because all of us get older really, really fast, but Mae West proved that doesn't mean a thing!!! So stop attacking and get on the Westian bandwagon and celebrate!!! This movie is good natured fun, and a good damn movie in fact!!! Full of good natured fun and it proves that life doesn't end at any certain age and we should all be thankful to Mae West for that, bless her wonderful, wonderful heart!!!!