In the ridiculously '60s movie Me, Natalie, Patty Duke stars as the title character, an unattractive young adult whose preoccupation with beauty causes her pain as she grows up. At first, when she's a child and her parents tell her that she'll grow prettier, the audience is supposed to feel sorry for her, as if that's a terrible thing for her parents to say. In reality, if a child truly thinks she's ugly, and her parents tell her she's beautiful, she won't believe them and will be unable to trust her parents in the future since she thinks they've lied to her. Maybe the screenwriter, A. Martin Zweiback, should have thought of a more abusive background for his main character to grow up in, so the audience would sympathize with her.

As Patty Duke grows up and is snubbed by young men and passed over constantly for prettier girls, she develops an attitude that makes her incredibly unlikable. At a dance, she gets insulted by Al Pacino-his first thirty-seconds in a movie!-but then gets asked to dance by someone she finds unattractive. Instead of being happy that someone sought her out after the recent snub, or wanting to give him the same chance to be attractive on the inside as she wants others to give her, she refuses and calls him a loser. The next instant, her inner monologue chides her rude behavior, but she doesn't apologize, and she still said it. In the heat of hurt, she chose to lash out at an innocent bystander; how is this someone to root for?

If you're the type of person who thinks I obviously didn't understand the message of the movie, and you'd behave the way Patty did, you should rent this movie. You'll really like it and will find a partner along the tough road of unfair life. If you agree with my criticism, you won't like the movie.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There's a scene where she goes to a party and there are strobelights, and when her drink gets spiked, the camera does some tricks that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

A buried treasure if ever there was one. This movie, released in 1969, is residing in the "where is it now?" file and that's unfortunate because it's an excellent, uncompromising look at the life of an ugly duckling and how she manages to "make it" in the world. It also features Patty Duke's best acting. She's great as a self deprecating social outcast who takes a long time to come to terms with herself. Donning buck teeth and a permanent scowl, Duke carries this film. There's no false notes in the script and Fred Coe's direction is great. Nancy Marchand, Martin Balsam, Salome Jens (unexpectedly cast as a stripper) and James Farentino are in the supporting cast. Elsa Lanchester has a cameo as Duke's daffy landlady. Al Pacino made his film debut as a creep who rejects Duke at a school dance. The songs are by Rod McKuen & Henry Mancini and the NYC location photography is by Arthur J. Ornitz.

It's tough to make Patty Duke into an ugly duckling. Her fierce determination, wiseass manner, and throwaway good humor are attractive qualities--and they each serve to save her "homely" character from heartbreak. Natalie is a textbook plain Jane from Brooklyn who finally makes a break from her parents and moves to the Village; she gains strength in her independence, but her self-consciousness (and keenly-honed sense of dramatics) cause her to hit a comedic bump or two. Martin Balsam has a wonderful and sensitive supporting role as an adoring uncle, and James Farentino is very fine playing an artist with whom Natalie falls in love. Their relationship is surprisingly free of the usual clichés, making this a sweet, warm, funny movie that has stood the test of time. *** from ****