The story of Myra Breckinridge
Myra Breckinridge opens with a premise that was genuinely shocking for mainstream cinema in 1970: Myron Breckinridge, a film critic, travels to Europe for gender reassignment surgery and returns as Myra, a striking woman ready to reclaim her place in the world. She lands in Hollywood with a single goal—to track down her wealthy Uncle Buck and claim her inheritance as Myron's widow. What she finds instead is Uncle Buck's acting school, a ramshackle operation full of aspiring performers and sexual confusion. Rather than cash out, Myra takes a job teaching at the academy, where she becomes a catalyst for chaos among the students, particularly the hunky Rusty and his girlfriend Mary Ann. What unfolds is less a traditional narrative and more a series of increasingly outrageous encounters—a film that doesn't so much tell a story as it does provoke, amuse, and occasionally perplex its audience.
Behind the making of Myra Breckinridge
Director Michael Sarne helmed this adaptation of Gore Vidal's 1968 bestselling novel, and the casting of Raquel Welch as the title character was itself a statement. Welch was already a major star, known for her sex-symbol status in films like Fantastic Voyage, so the choice to put her in a role that interrogated sexuality and identity was deliberate, even daring. The supporting cast reads like a who's who of Hollywood's old guard and rising stars: John Huston played Uncle Buck with gravitas, Mae West—herself a legend of sexual provocation—appeared as Leticia Van Allen, and Farrah Fawcett was among the young ensemble. What's often overlooked is that Tom Selleck made his film debut in a small role, and Dan Hedaya appeared uncredited as a hospital patient, both early steps in what would become much larger careers. Theadora Van Runkle handled costume design, though Edith Head specifically designed Mae West's wardrobe, a detail that speaks to the film's star power and production values. Released by 20th Century Fox in 1970, the film arrived at a moment when Hollywood was testing the boundaries of what could be shown and discussed on screen. The IMDb rating of 4.5/10 tells you something about how critics and audiences have judged it over the decades—it's not a film that won universal acclaim, but it's one that refuses to be forgotten.
What makes Myra Breckinridge stand out
Honestly, the film works best when you stop expecting it to work at all. It's a mess—structurally loose, tonally all over the place, and sometimes genuinely uncomfortable in ways that feel less intentional than accidental. But that's also why it's interesting. Welch brings a deadpan confidence to Myra that shouldn't work but somehow does; she's playing a character who's both predatory and vulnerable, and Welch doesn't shy away from either dimension. Mae West, then in her late seventies, steals scenes with a breeziness that reminds you why she was a legend—she understands camp before the word became fashionable. The thing nobody mentions is how the film's sexual frankness, while tame by today's standards, must have felt genuinely transgressive in 1970. Myra isn't punished for her sexuality; she's not redeemed or reformed. She simply is, and the film lets her exist on her own terms, which was genuinely rare for mainstream comedy at the time. The 94-minute runtime means the film never overstays its welcome, even when individual scenes feel stretched or repetitive. What's striking is that for all its structural problems, the film captures something about Hollywood's obsession with youth, beauty, and reinvention that still feels relevant—the specifics change, but the desperation doesn't.
Where to stream Myra Breckinridge online
Myra Breckinridge is available on major OTT services, and finding it shouldn't be difficult—the film's cult status means it's regularly in rotation across streaming platforms. Check the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page to see which services currently have it available in your region, as streaming rights shift frequently. If you're a subscriber to Movie OTT, you can track where this title and hundreds of others are streaming right now without having to hop between five different apps. The film's 94-minute length makes it perfect for a casual weekend watch—it won't demand hours of your time, but it'll definitely give you something to think (or laugh) about afterward. Because the film's reputation is mixed, you might want to go in with tempered expectations; that's often when cult classics hit hardest.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Myra Breckinridge based on a true story?
No, it's based on Gore Vidal's 1968 satirical novel of the same name. Vidal wrote the book as a provocative comedy about identity and Hollywood, and the film adaptation captures that satirical spirit—though the novel is generally considered sharper and more coherent than the movie.
Q: Who directed Myra Breckinridge?
Michael Sarne directed the film. It was his feature directorial debut, and while Myra Breckinridge remains his most famous work, it's also a film that defined his career in ways both good and complicated.
Q: Did Tom Selleck really make his film debut in Myra Breckinridge?
Yes. Selleck appears in a small, uncredited role as one of Mae West's "studs," making it a genuine piece of Hollywood trivia. He'd go on to much larger fame with television and major film roles, but this 1970 appearance is technically his first credited film work.
Q: Why is Myra Breckinridge rated so low on IMDb?
The film's 4.5/10 rating reflects decades of mixed reactions—some viewers find it genuinely funny and transgressive, while others find it dated, tonally confused, or simply not funny. It's a divisive film that doesn't have a broad appeal, which is partly why it's become a cult curiosity rather than a widely beloved classic.
Q: How long is Myra Breckinridge?
The film runs 94 minutes, making it a relatively lean comedy that moves quickly through its premise without lingering too long on any single joke or scene.
Final thoughts on Myra Breckinridge
Myra Breckinridge isn't a film you watch because it's "good" in any traditional sense. You watch it because it's weird, because it exists at a specific moment in cinema history when boundaries were being tested, and because Raquel Welch and Mae West are genuinely magnetic on screen. It's a film that swings for the fences and misses more often than it connects—but when it does connect, there's something undeniably alive about it. If you're curious about 1970s Hollywood, interested in how cinema handled gender and sexuality before it became more normalized, or just want to see what happens when a major studio lets a director run wild with a provocative property, it's worth ninety-four minutes of your time.
