Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

Running time: N/A

And live she does. At least through her words. Jennifer Jason Leigh remembers herewith her incredible portrayal of the infamous Dorothy Parker, a tragic figure whose fall from literary grace and relentlessly bad luck with men fueled her propensity for morbidity and cynicism. Dorothy Parker was the most famous member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of N.Y. writers who met for lunch daily in the 1920s. The film begins at the time of Parker's firing from Vanity Fair, an incident which solidified her friendship with drama critic Robert Benchley (Campbell Scott), who quits his job at the magazine in protest of the "stupid" decision to fire Mrs. Parker. Benchley is indeed Parker's greatest friend, and could perhaps be the great love of her life, if the two of them weren't already married. Dorothy Parker was the wittiest of the Algonquin crowd, and the one whose work has survived the best. She was also the saddest; never winning her true love, drinking too much, and never letting her wonderful talent break free from the wisecracks and booze. "Let's go wild tonight! There's plenty of time to do nothing once you're dead," was her motto, and her being a woman in a world of men was like a badge of honor, because she could outdrink and outtalk them. Once, on a happier occasion, Parker suggested her tombstone read, "Excuse my dust." Dorothy Parker died at the age of 74. --Mike Rabehl