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Isn't She Great

Play trailer Poster for Isn't She Great R 2000 1h 33m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
25% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 37% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Jacqueline Susann (Bette Midler) had invented a whole new way of writing books, and once she and Irving (Nathan Lane) hit the road, the publishing world would never be the same. Embarking on a book tour from coast to coast, paying calls on regional booksellers and impressing Mom-and-Pop shops with her intimate knowledge of all their personal lives, Irving saw to it that everyone was clamoring to read "Valley of the Dolls." Together, Jackie and Irving invented a whole new way of selling books.
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Isn't She Great

Isn't She Great

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Critics Consensus

Bland material produces entirely forgettable comic performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 24, 2010
2/5
Midler's character is empty, boring, selfish. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy Variety Dec 14, 2006
D
The most notable aspect of this trashy (but unenjoyable) biopic of Jacquleine Susann, Valley of the Doll's best-selling author, is its running time (93 minutes); Bette Midler and Nathan Lane give two of their worst and broadest performances. Go to Full Review Jan Stuart Newsday Jan 1, 2000
Neither Midler nor director Bergman are able to navigate the queasy shifts from camp cartoon to bathos, as Susann sputters in denial over her cancer and autistic son. Go to Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid May 26, 2006
Every joke and every scene collapses and blows away before it's finished. Go to Full Review Jeanne Aufmuth Palo Alto Weekly May 14, 2003
1/4
James Sanford James Sanford on Film Jun 10, 2002
gives its heroine all the rough edges of a throw pillow... Susann couldn't write sentiment convincingly and neither can Rudnick. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ed . @RT01276001 Aug 29, 2025 She might be, but this film ain't. Yes, she was. She deserved a much better ode than this substandard quality TV Movie. Now, Jackie Susann was more of a typist than an authoress of quality, but boy could she type trash that transfixed book buyers and filmgoers. Her biographical film should have been trash camp at a minimum. Even Valley of the Dolls 1981 TV-Movie was more fun, and that sucked! See more steve d @RT35616104 Jul 2, 2020 She is not, and nether is the film. See more Feb 19, 2019 Hopefully the helicopter rental was the biggest expenditure See more Oct 18, 2018 Critics get paid for their good reviews so do not believe them. Very good movie. Stockard Channing is a bonus. So sad that critics only give good marks to the ones that bribed wined and dined them. See more Jun 19, 2016 Bette Midler stars in this autobiographical tale of the "Valley of the Dolls " writer and her ups and downs throughout her literary career. See more Mar 4, 2013 Cute and entertaining See more Read all reviews
Isn't She Great

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Cast & Crew

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Andrew Bergman

Director

Bette Midler

Jacqueline Susann

Nathan Lane

Irving Mansfield

Stockard Channing

Florence Maybelle

David Hyde Pierce

Michael Hastings

John Cleese

Henry Marcus

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Isn't She Great

Isn't She Great (2000) Isn't She Great (2000) Nathan Lane as Irving Mansfield and Stockard Channing as his best friend, actress Florence Maybelle, in Universal's Isn't She Great Bette Midler (right) as Jacqueline Susann and Nathan Lane (center) as her husband and manager Irving Mansfield meet with her editor Michael Hastings (David Hyde Pierce) in Universal's Isn't She Great Irving Mansfield (Nathan Lane), Jacqueline Susann (Bette Midler) and publicist Debbie Klausman (Amanda Peet) invent a new way to sell books in Universal's Isn't She Great Bette Midler as Jacqueline Susann, best-selling author of Valley of the Dolls in Universal's Isn't She Great Bette Midler as Jacqueline Susann and Nathan Lane as her husband and manager Irving Mansfield in Universal's Isn't She Great Bette Midler as Jacqueline Susann and Nathan Lane as her husband and manager Irving Mansfield in Universal's Isn't She Great Isn't She Great (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Jacqueline Susann (Bette Midler) had invented a whole new way of writing books, and once she and Irving (Nathan Lane) hit the road, the publishing world would never be the same. Embarking on a book tour from coast to coast, paying calls on regional booksellers and impressing Mom-and-Pop shops with her intimate knowledge of all their personal lives, Irving saw to it that everyone was clamoring to read "Valley of the Dolls." Together, Jackie and Irving invented a whole new way of selling books.
Director
Andrew Bergman
Producer
Mike Lobell
Screenwriter
Paul Rudnick
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Lobell/Bergman Productions, Mutual Film Company
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 28, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.0M
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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