A dying woman's wish to meet her lifelong idol, Greta Garbo. Her son spends the film trying to make that happen.
Anne Bancroft is the star attraction here as the ailing Estelle. We see her character's wit, vulnerability, and unwavering dedication to her principles, and to her fandom of Garbo. Ron Silver is her devoted son, Gilbert, who embarks on a quixotic quest to fulfill his mother's dream, at the expense of everything and everyone in his own life.
"Garbo Talks" is a nostalgic and charming film, and a love letter to both NYC and the bygone era of Hollywood glamour and cinematic magic. But in the end, as a film, it offers little more than character studies of, granted, interesting people that never form a cohesive story together. Garbo herself is clearly a sort of aspiration symbol, but for... What?
Gilbert's wife, played by Carrie Fisher, is treated pretty unfairly by the film. She didn't do anything wrong, and was supportive throughout. And yet Gilbert does nothing to save his marriage why? Instead he falls immediately for a random coworker out of simple lust. What does this have to do with Garbo?
So, yes, "Garbo Talks" is a heartfelt story of human connection and the importance of cherishing loved ones. But unfortunately this doesn't seem to extend beyond Anne Bancroft's role. Estelle is far and away the most interesting character as a woman with a lifelong obsession with progressive causes, fighting for the underdogs of society. And who is also hopelessly starstruck by the glamorous Hollywood imagery of Garbo.
It's not a bad film, but in the hands of any number of lesser directors it surely would have been. It simply should have been more. "Garbo Talks" is loaded with '80s fashion, hair and furniture though. So there's that.
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