Faye

Matt Roush says...

Faye Dunaway will be the first to tell you that she’s “not easy.” In director Laurent Bouzereau’s sympathetic biographical portrait, the Oscar-winning actress, now 83, is first seen fussing over every detail, down to the water bottle, as she settles in for a revealing interview that provides the core of the film. She loosens up when joined by her beloved son Liam to pore over old family photos and those taken by his father and her ex, the late Terry O’Neill. Dunaway attributes her notoriously “erratic behavior” to a bipolar disorder and assumes some responsibility for legendary on-set spats, including with Roman Polanski during filming of the classic Chinatown. With disarming frankness, she covers the highs (Bonnie and Clyde, Network) and arguable lows (the over-the-top Mommie Dearest) of an astonishing career. As Liam movingly observes, “If she wasn’t in so much pain, would she have been that good?”

What's Worth Watching (Jul 13)