The Group Reviews

Middling, busy, handsome Class of '33 soaper. Based on a blockbuster novel by Mary McCarthy, THE GROUP was made with an all New York cast comprised mostly of stage actors. Several young players made their debuts in the movie and went on to great success. Others faded away and were hardly heard from again. Eight bright young women graduate from college during the Depression and look forward to life after education, but reality has a funny way of creeping in. Hackett and Knight excell in the ensemble, but Bergen's lesbian got all the publicity; some say the asexual Walters was the real McCarthy. Lumet has trouble juggling so many major characters, and something has to suffer. In this case it's the audience.