Who knew Bill Hader would make such a great Little Edie?
The new mockumentary series Documentary Now!, created by Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers, premiered with a hilarious “Sandy Passage” episode based on the classic doc. If you haven’t seen Grey Gardens yet, it’s a faded delight: a peek into the once-fabulous lives of socialites Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale (relatives of Jackie O), rattling around in their crumbling, cat-filled Hamptons mansion. Created by Albert and David Maysles, it was a groundbreaking documentary in 1976, a new introduction to direct cinema (observing real people and allowing them to tell their own stories).
Eerily glamorous, quirky and imaginative, both Edies are a creepy delight, particularly little Edie with her creative jeweled head wraps and constant, shameless hamming for the camera…. Bill Hader captures her shockingly well as “little Vivvy”! Not to be outdone, Armisen perfectly portrays the off kilter, hollow charm of the also- bizarre big Edie/Vivvy, complete with floppy hats and high off key singing.
An absolute must watch, check out Documentary Now! on IFC! The full episode is currently available on their site here.
The original Little Edie’s “best costume for the day”:
Mainlining Glamour 