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Rating: 5 out of 5
One of my very best friends, Eva, LOVES All About Eve. She told me many, many, many times that it is one of or is her favorite movies, along with it being the best movie to win Best Picture. I also think that Buzzfeed ranked it the #1 movie to win the best picture. With all of that, I still put it off until recently. I gave it a chance and what happened surprised me. Eva was right, and this is one of the best movies made and deserved the Best Picture award. If you want to talk about a trifling person, this film will show it; it has some great acting and one of the all-time best quotes ever.
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve is a story of one of the most trifling women in movie history. Margo Channing (Davis) is a Broadway superstar who is not happy at all. She has recently turned 40 and has significant worries about her age and what it will mean for her remarkable career. This was back in the day cause now 40 is like 21. Gone on and age, gurl. You are still fine and as great as ever. Margo is close friends with Karen Richards (Holm), wife of the play’s author Lloyd Richards (Marlowe). She is also in love with director Bill Simpson (Merrill). After a performance, Karen spots Margo’s obsessed fan, Eve Harrington (Baxter). Karen introduces Eve to Margo and listens to Eve’s life story. After hearing it and Eve inserting herself by helping Margo pack, Eve becomes Margo’s secretary-aide. Soon Eve inserts herself in every area of Margo’s life, from her relationships to setting up Margo in situations where she misses appointments and meetings. As time goes on, Margo suspects that Eve is not who she seems and wants her life. Eve soon becomes the middle of everyone’s drama.
As Eva says, “This bitch right here.” That what Eve is, a smiley, no good, trifling SNAKE. That is why this movie and story is so freakin good. When we are first introduced to Eve, she is this timid, shy woman who loves Margo and everything that she does. You really can’t judge a book by its own cover. You soon learn that Margo’s maid doesn’t give two shits about her and thinks she is a snake and when Margo believes she is a major snake, hold on because the catfight begins. You see Margo trying her best to convince everyone that Eve is bad and how she does things that violate her happiness and privacy. Homegirl called Margo’s boyfriend and tried on her stage dress and bowed. You know she is up to something, and she ain’t kissing ass for no reason.
I want to say that Eve is a sneaky bitch, and she does it so well. Apart from that, Eve is also a Hustler. I can’t blame or hate on homegirl for finding a way in and exploiting everyone. Well, almost every and I gets to that in a second. Eve will do anything possible to get what she wants, which is to be a big star. For example, that sneaky bitch Eve calls upon Karen to the ladies’ room. Homegirl seems so sweet and innocent while appearing regretful, but her true colors come out when she lays down an ultimatum: Karen must recommend her to Lloyd for the lead role of Cora in Lloyd’s next play, or she will reveal Karen’s role in Margo’s missed performance. Once again, this bitch right here. When she finally gets to the top, homegirl is miserable and without friends.
I really LOVE the ending of this film. I really like how the movie introduced the beautiful Phoebe in this film. She represents a cycle that seems to be going on in this film. One person replaces the next person and so on. It makes you think if Margo replaced someone and was a sweet person waiting to take the role of someone before her. The film does a great job showing the cycle and having Phoebe in the end with Eve’s statue standing in front of mirrors. I like the whole thing because Addison seems to know what Phoebe is doing and gives ZERO FUCKS about Eve and what is going on. He straight up looks at Phoebe and asks her if she wants to be a star, and then rolls out.
This is why Addison DeWitt is the wild card and complete GANGSTA in this film. He serves as the film’s narrator and gives all the background information on what is going on in the beginning. He stays in the background and views everything in his sly but calm way. When Eve reveals his plan, homeboy literally goes, “You ain’t going to do shit, and let me tell you why.” Homeboy reveals everything he knows about Eve and even gives her a slap, which we shall call the “I Own You Slap!” Just the way he looked at her. He had the whole, you got some nerve look as she spoke until he laid down the law and made her a star. I give it to Addison; the man’s loyalty is to no one.
Here is something about the cast. It is the only film in Academy Award history to receive four female acting nominations and not win a single one. That shit is crazy. Davis and Baxter were nominated for Best Actress, while Holm and Ritter were nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
I want to personally say that Bette Davis was absolutely PHENOMENAL as Margo Channing. I honestly don’t know how Davis didn’t win the award. As Margo, homegirl was fierce, strong, and filled with some despair as she was getting older and didn’t want to. She let people have it when she got drunk, but she never seemed to raise her voice. She just seemed so calm and always wondered what was going on. Also, Davis delivers one of the best lines in movie history. I had to stand up and applaud it because it was that good.
Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington was good and should’ve been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Eva explained that Baxter campaigned for her to be put in the Best Actress category. Just like her movie role as Eve, she was being a sneaky bitch. I will give it to Baxter, she was good as Eve. She looked so sweet and innocent. She only lost her temper once, but she was a snake.
Also, how about Marilyn Monroe in this film? When she came on screen, I was stunned as I wasn’t expecting her. She was just as beautiful in black and white as she is in color. Her voice was so sweet and soft. Major surprise to me.
Thank you, Eva, for introducing me to All About Eve. It is one of the best and most entertaining movies I have seen, and it definitely deserves its place in movie history. Davis and Baxter are excellent in their respective roles. I love the drama in this film, and everyone should watch it. As the great Margo Channing stated, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
