TOP 25 CAMP FILMS OF ALL TIME - 15

SOAPDISH

Soapdish is a very early 90s satire of daytime soaps. It's still quite shoulderpadded, in fact Leeza Gibbons (as herself) wears an old Joan Collins knock off from Dynasty. Nolan Miller was the costumier and Aaron Spelling was one of the exec producers so Leeza snuck into an Alexis original from her 83-84 season. Big hair is still in as are CAAAARRRRAAAAAZZZZZYYY plotlines and characters. Here's a quick rundown of the main players.

CELESTE TALBERT played by Sally Field. Celeste plays Maggie on The Sun Also Sets. She's the darling of American daytime TV and gets pissed when her ex turns up back from the dead after being decapitated some 20 years earlier (on the show)

JEFFREY ANDERSON played by Kevin Kline. Jeffrey is the said ex of Celeste who returns as Dr Rob Randall. He was fired years before and has a grudge against Celeste.

DAVID SEATON BARNES played by Robert Downey Jr. David is exec producer of The Sun Also Sets and very highly strung. He wants to bed Montana Moorehead one of the stars.

MONTANA MOOREHEAD played by Cathy Moriarty. Montana plays Nurse Nan on the show. A slut but a nursey slut. She's bad and is definitely sitting on a secret.

LORI CRAVEN played by Elisabeth Shue. Lori is Celeste's niece who bags a part as deaf mute and then chaos ensues with Celeste and Jeffrey - you see where the plot is going......

ROSE SCHWARTZ played by Whoopi Goldberg. Rose is Head Writer on the show and Celeste's best friend. She is the only sane person on this show.

This movie is crazy on so many levels as we see the show being produced, plotlines getting ludicrous to ensure high ratings. Work between Celeste, Jeffrey and Lori reaches boiling point until a "live finale" is staged in which one of the characters must leave. Lori's character has an inoperable brain fever but Celeste wants to give her brain. It's all convoluted but makes sense when watching.

Going behind the scenes of The Sun Also Sets is a riot and shows that truth is stranger than fiction especially with all the twists this movie has. Some great bit parts from Kathy Najimy as Tawni, Celeste's wardrobe mistress and Teri Hatcher as Ariel Moloney who plays Dr Monica De Monaco on The Sun Also Sets. Carrie Fisher pops up as bitchy, slutty casting director Betsy Faye Sharon.

The movie has great costumes, great lines and Sally Field is great but I love Cathy Moriarty and Teri Hatcher. The movie caused controversy at the time of release as it was seen as a dig at daytime TV. The character of Celeste was seen as Susan Lucci, the ultimate daytime queen from All My Children and wikipedia says that the lobby of the TV studio looks like the lobby of All My Children's with large portraits on the walls of the current stars of the soap.

If daytime is as crazy as this, no wonder Montana Moorehead turns out to be a man, caught out by Dr Monica de Monaco and manages to have Rose turn up in the live show as Dr Franz Blau. It;s fucked up but fabulous.

MEMORABLE LINES

DAVID - I was under orders
CELESTE - So was Hitler!

LORI - Hi.... I'm Lori Craven.... And I'm an actress
BETSY - An actress! Really! How nice for you! I'm Betsy Faye Sharon and I'm a bitch

DR MONICA DE MONACO - Why, Bolt! I didn't realize you were here.
BOLT - Well... I am.

JEFFREY - You have beautiful hands
ARIEL - Ooohh, they're nothing compared to my tits.