Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

My Review

“Inside Daisy Clover” is the story of a tomboy teenage girl who suddenly achieves big success as a Hollywood star, with the glitz and glamour of fame masking severe psychological problems. Robert Mulligan (“To Kill a Mockingbird” 1962) unfortunately employed uneven directing techniques with shallow character development from a poorly written screenplay by Gavin Lambert, adapted from his own 1963 novel of the same name.

To make matters worse, lead actress Natalie Wood was overacting throughout the entire 128 minute running time. These factors lead to the whole film having an air of unreality about it. Co-stars include Christopher Plummer, Ruth Gordon, Roddy McDowell, Robert Redford, Peter Helm, Betty Harford, and Harold Gould as a cop on the pier. The unwatchable “Inside Daisy Clover” was a flop at the box office for producer Alan J. Pakula and Warner Bros. Pictures. It was nominated for three Oscars including Supporting Actress (Gordon), Costume Design, and Art Direction.