Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

gavin6942 An old mother and her middle-aged daughter, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, live their eccentric lives in a filthy, decaying mansion in East Hampton.Plenty has been written and said about the Kennedy family, and Irish political dynasties, but far less is out there about the Bouvier (?) family... and these odd black sheep of the family make me want to know more. I had never heard of them. How is that possible? This documentary has been floating around for forty years, and is really mandatory viewing for anyone who is interested in either Kennedy, the Hamptons or mental illness."Big Edie" died in 1977 and "Little Edie" sold the house in 1979 for $220,000 to Sally Quinn and her husband, former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee,[7] who promised to restore the dilapidated structure (the sale agreement forbade razing the house). "Little Edie" died in Florida in 2002 at the age of 84. According to a 2003 article in Town & Country, after their purchase, Quinn and Bradlee completely restored the house and grounds.

MisterWhiplash If creepy-as-s**t "aristocratic" Americans attachment disorders were McDonald's happy meals, Foxcatcher would be for the boys while Grey Gardens would be for the girls... weird analogy, perhaps, until you realize that one of the Bouvier/Beales (or both) knew the Duponts, and one of their photos is pointed in the film out as being shot by those other delightful bunch of blue bloods.This is the original 'Hoarders', a reality show before that concept had polluted the TV airwaves, only here given a natural boost and clarity by the Maysles brothers - they're unmistakable as being part of this whole thing and even try to sing along once or twice in good favor with these wombats - and thus they are all-too human depictions of decay and disorder. You might almost think going on, as I did, mistakenly, that there may be some laughs to be had, whether at their expense (cruel, but it's part of the whole Schaudenfreude thing with reality TV) or with them (a few of the elder Edith's observations are funny in a scathing way).But it's not really. This is a disturbing film precisely because the Maysles just show the place for how it is. And yet it also has some good historical context amid the mother and daughter squabbling (which makes up a good 55% of the film) - just one panning shot across the various homes along the Long Island sound, homes that were very likely at one time the sort one saw in Gatsby, speaks a lot of words.It's meant to be uncomfortable many times, though there's a lot of tragedy in the air as well. 'Little Edie' may or may not be here against her will in a way; but then the questions arise, and one goes into another. One might ask, why doesn't she just leave? Well then, who would take care of her mother? Maybe it's her mother's 'time' to go to a "home" for the elderly - her eyesight is quite terrible, and though she has some of her marbles she spends much of her time singing (not terribly, it should be noted) to old show-tunes and petting and feeding the stray cats. But then why even keep the house at all? Memories, perhaps. Or just the whole 'Old-Money' thing that came with being the cousin of the former wife of the president of the USA. Marriage is brought up a lot in the film - failed ones, (semi) successful ones, relationships that could have been that Little Edie resents her mother for, and her mother just thinks 'Eh, whatever'. In a way it's almost like the Maysles have no choice but NOT get in the way of these women. They only ask a question here and there to move a thought forward, not to press any point. Clearly, as one can see in Grey Gardens, these ladies can do that all on their own. Of course the house itself is another character, a gangly and rancid thing in the midst of "All those leaves" (as Little Edie points out) looking like something that should at BEST be considered for a *good* cleaning and at worst should be burned to the ground (those cute raccoons in the attic optional). Ultimately, the power of this creepy saga of the underbelly of the upper class is sometimes very hard to watch or take in, but that's the idea. After five minutes you'll either know to go along for the other hour and a half with these pieces of work, or not. I did, and I'm glad I did - whether I return, I'm not sure.

poe426 In SALESMAN, we saw traveling salesmen going door to door peddling copies of The Big Book of Jewish Fairy Tales (as comedians Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Lewis Black call the bible); in GREY GARDENS, we see the Rich as they slowly rot away in their crumbling castles. This is rot as seen from the Inside. No, not "rot," per se; rather, DECOMPOSITION: slow dissolution. Slow decay, on full display. "You shouldn't have a contact with The Outside World," "Big Edie" warns her mostly bed-ridden mother before pirouetting around the house like the young child she proclaims herself to be (her obsession with her looks and her weight aren't necessarily strange, but this self-proclaimed "eternal youth" is). GREY GARDENS is often difficult to watch, simply because there's not a lot going on- and, if not for the family name, it's unlikely anyone would've EVER heard of these two recluses. I wasn't particularly moved by it, but I'm sure the late Shirley Jackson would've understood.

bringlaurenback This is a cringe-worthy effort to try to make interesting the sad lives of two lonely people that had given up on trying to improve their lot in life, preferring instead to look back at a more illustrious past, and the missteps that brought them to their current condition. Sadly, I sincerely believe hat if there had been no connection to Jackie Kennedy, this would never have received the attention, and indeed, critical acclaim it has managed to attract. This distant relationship does not redeem the film in any way.I believe this was the Maysles' first real film, and it shows. The camera work & audio would be passable for a film-school project from the 70's, but just barely. This film could have used a lot more editing - it might have made it more watchable. I watched this film as one would an accident on the highway; with sympathy for those involved & with gratitude that I would soon be gone.Sorry, judging from the other reviews I am in the minority, but I've nothing good to say about it. Awful. Simply awful.