info-2752 Review of The Betsy

The Betsy (1978)

The Betsy deserves 10 out of 10 for BEST TRASHY MOVIE EVER

[10/10 · 19 February 2006]

Having read Harold Robbins' book on the sly in high school, I certainly expected nothing but trash from this movie, albeit served with style--come on, most of you saw it to see if Olivier could pull it off. And pull it off he did, hammy acting all the way, and it sure looks as if he enjoyed it too. He plays (parodies is more like it) the patriarch, wanting to leave his legacy with a dream car called The Betsy, named after great-granddaughter Kathleen Beller. He engages the services of Jones, whose father saved his life years back and to whom he feels a certain responsibility, but runs into trouble with his grandson Duvall. Duvall hates granddad with a vengeance, and here's why: the night he witnessed his homosexual father kill himself, the 7-year old Duvall runs to his mother's room to tell her, only to see his grandfather in bed with her. How's that for family issues? Duvall vows to kill granddad's dreams at the directors' board meeting, only to be out-voted by his wife, who is just about fed up with his blatant affair with the stunningly stylish Down, who is also secretly seeing Jones (Down, that is). You still with me? Beller then manages to seduce Jones on the night of her 21st birthday, and afterwards, great-grandfather gives her the keys to the kingdom. After some scenes with the car (with Betsy emblazoned on its entire side--now who would want a car like that?), Jones manages to get Duvall's wife and Betsy's POA, with the backing of his late father's friend mafioso "Uncle" Joe Warren, and elects himself President of the company. The movie ends with Olivier walking (he's supposed to be in a wheelchair after a stroke) into the new president's office with a giant smirk on his face, since cocky Jones clearly got more than he bargained for, as mafioso Joe Warren is now part of the board of directors, and it seems only Olivier can reel him in. At least that's how I understood the ending--I've yet to reread the book to see if I got that last part right! So if you haven't seen the movie yet, don't expect Wuthering Heights please, it's hams, trash and sex all the way.