Stella Stevens was a delicious comedienne and an often quite touching dramatic actress whose career was overshadowed by a sexpot image she always resented and her exploitation by “Playboy” magazine. Her best work often came in films that flopped at the box office or films in which she was overshadowed by the production itself. She deserved better. She also deserves a better documentary than her son Andrew Stevens’ well-intentioned but ultimately unsatisfying STELLA STEVENS: THE LAST STARLET (2025, Prime, Tubi, though I don’t think I could have made it through with commercial breaks).

The film is clearly a low-budget job with original material shot on video. There’s also a paucity of clips from movies they just describe. I’d rather see Stevens’ verbal sparring with Ernest Borgnine in THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) than just hear someone talk about it. Yet there are surprising television clips, including musical performances from various variety shows (Stevens was part of a vocal group that recorded the themes to THE FLINTSTONES and THE PATTY DUKE SHOW). It’s also refreshing that Andrew Stevens, who’s one of the main interview subjects, doesn’t shy away from his problems with is mother. There are other interviews from friends and colleague BarBara Luna, who’s a lot of fun, shedding light on her life and career, along with experts like Leonard Maltin and Quentin Tarantino, though the latter’s unquestioning love of just about every film she did, no matter how bad, seems a little over the top.

But in trying to cram an 84-year life and 50-year career into a 99-minute movie, the picture keeps bringing up important issues with no follow-through. Stevens and live-in boyfriend Skip Ward were heavily into drugs in the 1960s. And so? Did it affect her career or health? Who knows? She rebelled against sexist typecasting. How? She wanted to direct and produce and finally got her chance with the documentary AMERICAN HEROINE (1979). And so? What happened with it? She championed gay and trans rights? How? Her last partner, Bob Kulick, died suddenly after giving up his role as legal trustee and we all know what happened. And that was?