So said Estelle Getty on an episode of "Golden Girls" when Bea Arthur makes a comment on Liza Minnelli's stint in rehab. In retrospect, the film is certainly not as bad as the critics said it was, and while a sequel may not have been necessary, it was certainly more welcome than the wretched re-make of the original. In fact, the sequel gives Liza more to do than the first one, since John Gielgud's Hobson is now relegated to a ghostly appearance to show Dudley Moore's title character what he was missing in a sort of "It's a Wonderful Life" spoof.
Ironically, "Golden Girls" featured two appearances by the legendary Geraldine Fitzgerald, repeating her role here as Arthur's matronly grandmother, and also getting more to do. Liza takes on an interesting comparison to her own life, playing a woman unable to have her own child, and trying to find a baby to adopt. The main plot about Arthur's ex-fiancée's father going out of his way to bankrupt him in revenge is the only weak point, but that is overshadowed by the heart and soul of Moore and Minnelli's romance. So give this one a chance. You may not come out of it singing about the moon and New York City, but you won't be declaring it "Ishtar" either.
Ironically, "Golden Girls" featured two appearances by the legendary Geraldine Fitzgerald, repeating her role here as Arthur's matronly grandmother, and also getting more to do. Liza takes on an interesting comparison to her own life, playing a woman unable to have her own child, and trying to find a baby to adopt. The main plot about Arthur's ex-fiancée's father going out of his way to bankrupt him in revenge is the only weak point, but that is overshadowed by the heart and soul of Moore and Minnelli's romance. So give this one a chance. You may not come out of it singing about the moon and New York City, but you won't be declaring it "Ishtar" either.