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Grey Gardens
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Grey Gardens

1975
Comedy
Documentary
1h 35m
The Maysles brothers pay visits to Edith Bouvier Beale, nearing 80, and her daughter Edie. Reclusive, the pair live with cats and raccoons in Grey Gardens, a crumbling mansion in East Hampton... (imdb)
Directed by:
Albert Maysles Albert Maysles David Maysles David Maysles Ellen Hovde Muffie Meyer
+3 more
Starring:
Edith \ Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale Edith Bouvier Beale
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Genres:
Comedy, Documentary
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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Grey Gardens

1975
Comedy
Documentary
1h 35m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 64.38% from 725 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(725)
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hellsditchhellsditch
Rated 29 Aug 2009
59
4th
No...people don't really like this do they? Maybe I missed something (or everything) but I could not wait for this to be over. Yes...it's a bit sad that "little" Edie is in the state that she's in and the co-dependency angle is certainly present but these two points were made clear in the first 15 minutes. That would have been fine if it was a short, but there was still another hour and a half of off-tune singing and shaggy dog stories that the viewer couldn't possibly understand.
Rated 29 Aug 2009
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 15 Jan 2012
83
93rd
Documentarists are on to something when they decide to turn their lenses toward eccentric, bitter old ladies. We can mock the Beales' foibles all we want, but it's hard to escape the lessons that watching them teaches us about ourselves. Exemplary.
Rated 15 Jan 2012
theficionadotheficionado
Rated 23 Mar 2015
88
87th
Adrift on a raccoon-ridden raft in a sea of green, Little Edie Beale performs for her first audience in ages a tragedy of dreams deferred and unfulfilled. The result is a film of contrasts: of aristocratic posturing and decrepit living conditions, of threats of abandonment and fears of the same, of youthful promise (or at least some imagination thereof) and present reality. "It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present. You know what I mean? It's awfully difficult."
Rated 23 Mar 2015
tonydaltonydal
Rated 30 Sep 2007
65
29th
Intriguing...and weird. And ultimately kinda creepy--like a bad Thanksgiving dinner that never ends (you can practically smell the cat piss).
Rated 30 Sep 2007
donezodonezo
Rated 19 Apr 2008
99
96th
Heartbreaking, eerie, and hilarious often at the same time. It's almost like a real life Sunset Boulevard but with two Norma Desmonds for the price of one. The Mayles brothers let the Beales women speak for themselves rather than impose a story on their footage like so many documentarians do. This is what makes Grey Gardens a masterpiece.
Rated 19 Apr 2008
indyatmnINDYATMN
Rated 13 May 2009
30
2nd
Did my best 2 sit through this, but watching 2 lonely recluses (w/ at least 1 suffering from a mental disorder),TANGENTIALLY ramble over what could have been isn't my idea of interesting.This is the sort of film critics pretentiously describe as a "meditation" on the passage of time (check ur watch) & certain hipster-types find funny 4 some reason. I know there r thousands of genuinely fascinating (& not just troubled) people out there - if only 1 of them could have been famous by association!
Rated 13 May 2009
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 05 Feb 2011
93
98th
I think I found it so fascinating because it's so honest. These two women are living in their own little world and at least a little crazy, but they're also aware enough that the sadness of the situation is mitigated by the clear joys they experience throughout the film. While it gets a bit repetitive towards the end I just couldn't help being completely drawn in.
Rated 05 Feb 2011
supergloosupergloo
Rated 03 Sep 2009
2
5th
I watched this expecting some amusing and/or acrid anecdotes concerning the luminous people these women must have encountered over the years. No such luck. Like watching a perpetual train wreck.
Rated 03 Sep 2009
billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 22 Aug 2022
100
98th
Boiling corn on a hot plate in bed surrounded by filth and memories. Absorbing documentary, I didn't want to leave their world - so sad and fascinating. My favourite documentaries are fly on the wall just let it play out wait and see things and these two ladies stand TALL. I'm allergic to cats, I would die inside Grey Gardens and just be another old faded memory haunting the halls, baby.
Rated 22 Aug 2022
kubricksuckskubricksucks
Rated 25 Mar 2007
55
7th
two disgusting kennedys whine about dead men
Rated 25 Mar 2007
staryarabbistaryarabbi
Rated 29 Aug 2022
75
68th
A bold, impressionistic documentary tracing the lives of an ex-singer and her daughter Eddie in their lonely domestic setting that is overshadowed by the memory of their past glorious days. There is a strong feminist argument: brothers are gone, husbands are gone, old socialite days are gone; two women, who are now old and unattractive are abandoned by their social circle, are still obsessed with their body and manners, as if the male norms are still with them. Very interesting movie.
Rated 29 Aug 2022
henrikHenrik
Rated 05 Mar 2014
85
90th
Often succeeds in being sad and hilarious at the same time.
Rated 05 Mar 2014
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 20 Dec 2009
82
73rd
A uniquely captivating documentary. The crumbling residence is an apt metaphor for their lives, full of stories but with all its glamour fading. Little Edie is a character in every sense of the word, with the most surprising and amusing speech mannerisms. She longs to escape Grey Gardens, but these two are so fiercely co-dependent that you can't imagine one existing without the other. It does get rather one-note, and the note can be quite shrill, but it's hard to look away from this trainwreck.
Rated 20 Dec 2009
gnalkhereGnalkhere
Rated 09 Feb 2013
90
91st
What We Do In The Daylight
Rated 09 Feb 2013
donquixoticdonquixotic
Rated 04 Apr 2016
1
3rd
Mumble mumble, rabble rabble, blah blah. Wow so insightful. Who the hell is this crap for? I live next door to a neurotic shut in who lives without central heating and can only leave the house on a Friday - she's more interesting than these pathetic people
Rated 04 Apr 2016
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 19 Mar 2015
90
80th
If you think this movie's good, you should try visiting my grandparents' Lower East Side apartment. It's basically the same thing, except with less singing and dancing, there's roaches instead of raccoons, and all of the crazy shit being said is not in English.
Rated 19 Mar 2015
kavuKavu
Rated 13 Dec 2013
28
11th
Maybe there's a message to be found and maybe it's special that the pair let the authors film absolutely everything but it's one of the most boring and pointless movies I've ever watched.
Rated 13 Dec 2013
josh_forrestJosh Forrest
Rated 23 Jul 2019
80
94th
an empty bliss beyond this world
Rated 23 Jul 2019
stepsidewaysstepsideways
Rated 13 Nov 2007
98
97th
A perfect documentary about happiness, starring two "eccentric" nth generation aristocrats whose flea-bitten dissipated lifestyle in a decrepit mansion will either chill you or charm you.Watch it with the captions on (or a notepad in hand), because the "dialogue" is essential too. Little Edie: "You can't have your cake and eat it, too in life." Big Edie: "Oh, yes, I did. I did, I had my cake, loved it, masticated it, chewed it and had everything I wanted." Now how eccentric is that?
Rated 13 Nov 2007
darrenDarren
Rated 05 Jun 2017
79
74th
Reminded me a little too much of my grandmother and aunt.
Rated 05 Jun 2017
mrstumnusmrstumnus
Rated 22 Nov 2015
97
96th
One of my favorite docs ever. A wonderful look at the mother/daughter relationship that's both disturbing and endearing.
Rated 22 Nov 2015
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 29 May 2014
76
50th
My greatest nightmare is ever becoming anything like the people in this film.
Rated 29 May 2014
davidkahaneDavidKahane
Rated 29 May 2009
89
81st
A fascinating slice of cinema in that it is prying but restrained. There is little form to the construction, no real attempt to try and build a narrative. The film is unvarnished and unadorned, making for an odd but enticing viewing experience.
Rated 29 May 2009
jpfergusonJPFerguson
Rated 30 Aug 2020
91
97th
Big Edie and Little Edie live in a world all of their own; but this is no delusion, dream or fantasy. It's an attempt to live a more authentic life, secluded from the society that harshly judges anyone who dares to be themselves. Sure, they have regrets like the rest of us, but they also live in the moment (while always still referring to the past and future) like few of us ever do. The Maysles brothers invite the viewer to have fun with and admire these two staunch (as Little Edie says) women.
Rated 30 Aug 2020
emupieemupie
Rated 02 Jun 2014
90
80th
not so strange to me...
Rated 02 Jun 2014
cowfrappecowfrappe
Rated 01 Aug 2010
83
93rd
An insightful, hilarious, and heartbreaking documentary.
Rated 01 Aug 2010
disasterDisaster
Rated 28 Jan 2014
83
69th
It's really bizarre watching these old women with cultivated aristocratic speech mannerisms yell at the camera like caged chimpanzees crying at passersby. I can certainly see why this is a cult classic.
Rated 28 Jan 2014
sebbysebby
Rated 20 Dec 2011
75
83rd
Pretty astonishing in the way that these two wacky old gals allow the Maysles to honestly document everything.
Rated 20 Dec 2011
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 02 Mar 2008
59
34th
# 824
Rated 02 Mar 2008
who8muhriceWho8muhrice
Rated 18 Aug 2010
58
9th
It's an hour and a half of two ladies bickering and singing about nothing. I understand why some people may find them eccentric but I've met much crazier people that are much less annoying to be around. I give the Maysles brothers points for having the patience to document them.
Rated 18 Aug 2010
cosmicmonkeyCosmicMonkey
Rated 21 Nov 2015
60
17th
Despite whatever journalistic merits cinema verite may or may not have, as a style is leads to incredibly boring and uninteresting film-making. Most of films in the style are unwatchable snorefests and this film is saved from that fate only by the larger-than-life personalities of its subjects. That is, saved, but only just barely.
Rated 21 Nov 2015
seethruskinSeethruskin
Rated 14 Mar 2016
5
81st
Would make a great double bill with The Queen of Versailles. Where both the houses are metaphors for the people inside. Tragic.
Rated 14 Mar 2016
yiannosYiannos
Rated 02 Feb 2015
53
32nd
This offbeat documentary works best in the tragic-comic register: the delapidated surroundings of the Beales speak volumes about their inner lives. This is a tale of faded glory, and there is an eerie, Norman Desmond-esque vibe to Edie that is borderline disturbing in the film's best moments, but unfortunately the characters stopped being interesting and started irritating me tremendously by the halfway mark, so my interest level waned. There are some lessons to be learned here however.
Rated 02 Feb 2015
sneeandysneeandy
Rated 08 Jul 2014
78
23rd
I liked the subject, but the coverage/structure was a little hard to stay with. I imagine it was a lot more interesting when it was culturally relevant.
Rated 08 Jul 2014
astrakhanastrakhan
Rated 25 Mar 2015
73
28th
While the characters and their environs were initially eccentric, fascinating and slightly creepy, after a certain time I simply got bored of listening to them rabbiting away at each other. It was like visiting a madhouse. I could care less about who their wealthy relations were. I think the Maysles Brothers could have tried harder to craft something with a bit more meaning or structure to it. This story only has a middle, an end and an end.
Rated 25 Mar 2015
facsimileFacsimile
Rated 23 Sep 2020
81
56th
A somewhat pornographic peek into the pitiful lives of the deranged and less well to do relatives of the Kennedy family. The aging Edie and the even more aging Edith live in an old, decrepit manor in East Hampton. They lead a symbiotic though clearly dysfunctional Mother-daughter relationship and often come to blows. The presence of the camera conjures up old feelings and memories from the women's past and brings them to light. A poignant documentary that is both tragic and funny at once.
Rated 23 Sep 2020
fichincefi_chince
Rated 16 Mar 2011
70
38th
Kind of heartbreaking, and yet entertaining, to see the two main "characters" blame each other for their dissatisfaction with life. Also scary because I think I could easily become like that if I was in their circumstances.
Rated 16 Mar 2011
colbycolby
Rated 29 Jul 2011
100
80th
this is one of the most fascinating stories i've ever seen in a documentary. eccentric lunatic women with electric personalities living in a rampaged mansion for all those years. little edie just makes me smile. her fragile happiness, her confidence. it's really altogether tragic! another of my favorite pictures indubitably!
Rated 29 Jul 2011
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
56
12th
883
Rated 19 Dec 2008
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
65
51st
Intriguing. One for the category of documents of an aristocracy in decline, which is commonly a worthy spectacle in one way or another. The Beales are certainly not exempt from this, and may be documentary cinema's most exemplary figures of that subject.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
lemonyaLemonya
Rated 11 Nov 2020
85
85th
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen.
Rated 11 Nov 2020
jenner1407jenner1407
Rated 08 Mar 2015
85
77th
Visceral, eerie, funny, sad...you won't forget either Edie anytime soon.
Rated 08 Mar 2015
hawkinsHawkins
Rated 07 Jan 2024
61
28th
Two crazy cat ladies being crazy and catty while their country home slides into disrepair. Gradually, the documentary succumbs to the two playing it up for the camera until their histrionics become incomprehensible.
Rated 07 Jan 2024
ladymcdeathladymcdeath
Rated 11 Jun 2010
98
95th
Edie!! YAY!
Rated 11 Jun 2010
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 24 Feb 2013
89
97th
Extremely quaint and highly memorable.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
saudadesaudade
Rated 30 Jan 2016
52
55th
They're not as crazy as my most sane family members, so maybe this is entertaining to people who don't have C-PTSD? For the normals with their corn pops and such perhaps
Rated 30 Jan 2016
glm01glm01
Rated 24 Aug 2013
83
75th
82.500
Rated 24 Aug 2013
oldgoatoldgoat
Rated 08 Feb 2011
70
51st
Weird, kind of loses it's interest after a while.
Rated 08 Feb 2011
kcknzkcknz
Rated 04 Jun 2018
5
1st
5 points for cats.
Rated 04 Jun 2018
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 18 Oct 2022
80
78th
In some ways, it's nice to know that other families have moments of complete inanity. But it's also a bit too voyeuristic when the details keep spilling out, and you're left wondering if you should be laughing or crying. The camerawork is awkward and it feels like an eternity -- and yet it's hard to look away.
Rated 18 Oct 2022
ottott
Rated 11 Jan 2021
75
68th
notes on camp
Rated 11 Jan 2021
kasperlKasperL
Rated 14 Nov 2015
80
86th
And you thought your family was weird?
Rated 14 Nov 2015
burmashaveburmashave
Rated 05 Nov 2011
95
95th
so so sad
Rated 05 Nov 2011
gogolitgogolit
Rated 21 Jun 2016
70
37th
The flimmakers do absolutely nothing with the absolute docu treasure trove they have been presented with. Lazy, they even manage to almost make these two most interesting people into a boring film.
Rated 21 Jun 2016
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 15 Jan 2010
68
36th
641
Rated 15 Jan 2010
snallygastersnallygaster
Rated 14 Apr 2013
62
66th
Documentaries about eccentric-but-not-famous people are my favourite kind, so this is right up my alley. It doesn't disappoint, although it is a bit monotonous -- after the first 20 minutes or so, we don't learn much more about the Bouviers but we do start to appreciate what it feels like to be stuck(?) in that house 24/7. The Bouviers occupy a peculiar social position in that they live in decrepit conditions yet maintain their upper class mannerisms - resulting in some interesting commentary.
Rated 14 Apr 2013
teckgeckoteckgecko
Rated 24 Sep 2012
75
66th
80? 70? As my first encounter with the "direct cinema" style, this is a difficult documentary to rate. I'll be looking into The Beales of Grey Gardens though as well as some of the things listed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Beale#Legacy
Rated 24 Sep 2012
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 01 Dec 2006
83
50th
I think my days at Grey Gardens are limited.
Rated 01 Dec 2006
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 05 Jan 2023
68
35th
A movie about two women, a mother and daughter (extended family of Jackie Onassis-Kennedy), who live in a dirty dilapidated mansion with cats, raccoons, and a lot of bugs. Their dynamic is more like an old married couple than mother and daughter, with the mother in particular being occasionally quite funny albeit possibly unintentionally. They are fairly interesting to spend some time with, though it's unclear to what degree they might be mentally ill.
Rated 05 Jan 2023
feublofeublo
Rated 21 Mar 2020
80
57th
Honestly, I'm pretty sure Ms. Beale was my landlord second year of college, you crazy cat lady you.
Rated 21 Mar 2020
shewasSheWas
Rated 06 Jul 2020
79
85th
Pornographic and tragic as you like
Rated 06 Jul 2020
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 01 Dec 2011
67
34th
#669
Rated 01 Dec 2011
byderByder
Rated 12 Mar 2017
77
84th
Get out! Get out, raccoon. Get out of here!
Rated 12 Mar 2017
quirkyjunkyquirkyjunky
Rated 09 Feb 2014
85
87th
quirky, weird, irresistible...
Rated 09 Feb 2014

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