Beautiful Darling

2010

1h 25m

Documentary

List

77%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

The life and work of Candy Darling.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent Beautiful Darling on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Mark Jenkins

Washington Post

Darling's fragility was no secret, which gives even the movie's comical moments an underlying poignancy.

Rated: 3/4

May 20, 2011

Full Review

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

"Beautiful Darling" is sympathetic and critical, a sobering reminder in this fame-grabbing age of a time when gender politics, art and artifice could make for a turbulent identity cocktail.

Rated: 4/5

May 5, 2011

Full Review

Loren King

Boston Globe

Like fellow Factory figures Edie Sedgwick and Jackie Curtis, Darling now gets her own documentary, and proves a more than worthy subject.

Rated: 3/4

May 5, 2011

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

This celebrated film...is worth revisiting in a time of runaway pronouns and ever-shifting acronyms, a reminder of how far the culture has come and how much of this evolution began with the exceptionally feminine and delicate Candy.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 6, 2021

Full Review

Chris Barsanti

Filmcritic.com

Eventually, everybody who ever spent five minutes with Andy Warhol will have a film made about them

Rated: 2/5

May 5, 2011

Full Review

Liz Pelly

Boston Phoenix

A discomforting look at a transsexual actress's difficult life and isolating pursuit of fame.

Rated: 3/4

May 4, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Loved all the archival footage of Candy in her heyday!!! I loved the fact that it focused on happy times in her life and not the hardships and setbacks during an era of a close minded society!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/20/19

Full Review

jimi l

great footage with the first pop/rock/punk transgender icon, Jayne County

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a documentary about the drag queen/transsexual performer Candy Darling, who was one of Andy Warhol's Superstars. Most of the film is relayed through interviews conducted by her friend Jeremiah Newton, who takes up almost all of the film as he mugs for the camera. I don't believe his sentiments are untrue to the spirit of Candy, but the film shouldn't have featured him so heavily. The film also provides a lot of footage of Candy in various films, backstage at comedy clubs, and there are voice overs (Sevigny) that read from her diaries. From the many interviews there's a decent enough picture of who she really was and what she wanted, but there wasn't a lot of context, historically speaking. For someone unaware of Warhol's oeuvre, this film is not very informational. There's no link between Warhol and Candy, except for when those interviewed express Candy's dependency on the icon for her continued fame. Otherwise it's unclear how Candy became Candy other than from the words of Newton. We don't know how she made it to New York, how she transformed herself, or what her relationship with Warhol was like. While these aspects of her story may not be what's important to understand her as a person, they need to be shown to the audience so we understand the film's narrative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A poignant look at Candy Darling (one of my favourite personalities from the Warhol/Morrisey films) - Darling was audacious and tragic, manipulative and dazzlingly charismatic. The filmmaker uses drawings, photos and sketches to great effect, to bring out the high and low points of Darling's too short life. This is also a compelling portrait of a fascinating era full of prodigious creative output.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A documentary most-likely for pop culture enthusiasts only as this film is about female impersonator Candy Darling -- a frequent inhabitant of Andy Warhol's The Factory who also featured prominently in some of his "film" work with her most notable work being in two Paul Morrissey-directed films (Warhol-produced), Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971). Always dreaming of being a larger-than-life star, Candy Darling wanted to be an acclaimed actress and aspired to find the right role in a mysterious noir film in which Candy's true talent would be recognized and not marginalized as "that cross-dressing actor" many in the mainstream still joked about. We are so busy judging others based on who we think they should be we oftentimes forget those we chide are also human beings trying to find meaning and understanding themselves. Candy is a sad human being -- not because of who she was -- but because of how others believed it was their right to belittle her as they didn't want to understand her. Playwright Tennessee Williams wrote a piece for her off-Broadway that brought her some of the success she had so desired and craved; but it was short-lived -- as was she. Darling was diagnosed and died from lymphoma at the age of 29 -- a tragic star was a role to die for! This is an interesting piece as Warhol's celebrity circle prided itself on being different and unusual.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fascinating documentary about one of Warhol's "chicks with dicks"

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

James Rasin

Director

George Abagnalo

Actor

Paul Ambrose

Actor

Mary Woronov

Actor

Peter Beard

Actor

Jackie Curtis

Actor

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

84%

86%

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

100%

100%

Edward Said: The Last Interview

75%

%

The Incomparable Rose Hartman

90%

88%

Llyn Foulkes One Man Band

96%

83%

I Am Divine

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

The life and work of Candy Darling.

Director: James Rasin
Producer: Lynne Kirby, D.J. Martin, Michael J. Newman, Ann Rose
Screenwriter: James Rasin
Production Co: Flowerside Creations, JJay Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 22, 2019
Runtime: 1h 25m

Most Popular at Home Now