Review

I loved OUTRAGEOUS (1977), a funny and sweet story abut two misfits (Craig Russell, Hollis McLaren) who find each other in a crazy world and who bond together against that world. The film also showcases Russell's great tributes to several great ladies.

This sequel comes ten years later and we find Russell and McLaren still together, with Russell's Robin Turner trying to break into the big time.

The overall plot gets messed up with an unlikable female TV executive and slight nod to the AIDS plague (which would kill Russell in 1990) via a minor character.

David McIlwraith returns as Bob as does Rusty Ryan as Jimmy. It's a huge loss that Richert Easley didn't return as Perry. The major problem, however, is that the structure of the film doesn't allow Russell to perform his ladies.

We get snippets rather than a full act and, sad to say, many of his voices are off. While he does well with Peggy Lee, Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, and even Eartha Kitt, his salutes to Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, and Ella Fitzgerald are not very good.

Still, when he's good he's very good. It's too bad it took so long to mount a sequel and that the joy and exuberance of the first film has been lost.

But let's not forget Craig Russell. He was a pioneer and a true artiste.