YMMV / What's the Matter with Helen?

• Awesome Moments: The routine Adelle performs for all the parents and students. Debbie Reynolds did all of that at age thirty-eight herself.
• Narm Charm: The cheesy numbers at the recital are unbelievably ghastly and awesome at the same time. It helps that they're clearly meant to be a Take That! to such numbers of the day.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • The "You Nasty Man" girl performing at the recital. Her song is hugely catchy, as well as being a deeply unsettling look at how 1930s child stars could be pimped out.
  • And of course Agnes Moorhead as the hammy Sister Alma.
• Once Original, Now Common: The climax was considered very graphic in 1971 (it was going to be even more graphic but censors asked it to be toned down). Viewers raised on torture porn films or lots of Gorn might not appreciate this.
• Values Dissonance: Adelle is rather unsympathetic to Helen's deteriorating sanity. When Helen has a breakdown at the recital, Adelle is not worried about her friend at all and just complains about her ruining things. There may be some Deliberate Values Dissonance at play as well - since the film is set in the 1930s.

---