Delayed Reaction: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

The Pitch: Is it possible to get people to enjoy a movie for the meta-narrative?

Alright, I'm on Bette and Joan full alert. At the beginning of the year, I recognized their names and that's about it. Since then, I've listened to the Joan Crawford series on You Must Remember This. It's watched FEUD. I've introduced myself to each actress through All About Eve and MildredPierce. I saw Mommie Dearest. Only then was I ready to see What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

OK. I didn't need that build up for it, but I sure as hell felt informed as I watched it. Especially after seeing FEUD, it was fun seeing the actual versions of scenes rather than the filming side of it. Seeing things in the order I did even made a few parts funnier than intended.

Similar to Mommie Dearest, I was surprised that this is actually a pretty decent movie. It's not my favorite thing by any means, but it was ok. Bette Davis and her commitment to the character ran away with the movie. Victor Buono was good too. I wasn't very impressed with Joan Crawford. It's not a story that I want to pick too closely at. It looked good though, for what it was trying to be.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend