Directed and co-starring Mel Brooks and screenplay by Brooks, Evan Chandler, and J. David Shapiro from a story by Chandler and Shapiro, Robin Hood: Men in Tights is the story of a royal who returns to Britain as he tries to reclaim his land from an evil prince and his sheriff with the aid of villagers. The film is a spoof on many variations of the Robin Hood story as it play into the legend and put a witty spin on it while making fun of other films as the titular character is played by Cary Elwes. Also starring Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Isaac Hayes, Tracey Ullman, and introducing Dave Chappelle as Ahchoo. Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a delightful yet flawed film from Mel Brooks.
The film is essentially a spoof on the Robin Hood story as it plays with the origin story but also infuse it with anachronistic humor and other quirks. Yet, it does faithfully follow the original story about a man who loses his family home and land upon his return from the Crusades as an evil prince and sheriff have taken over England where they raise taxes. This would force Robin Hood to gather some local villagers to steal from the rich and give back to the poor as well as lead a revolt against Prince John (Richard Lewis) and the Sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees) while winning the heart of the fair Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck). The film’s script would put in some quirks such as the fact that Robin Hood is a bit smug as he would go into long speeches that gets old very fast while the Sheriff of Rottingham often speaks in spoonerism. Prince John often sports a fake mole unaware that he has one while the character of Friar Tuck is remained as a rabbi (Mel Brooks).
Mel Brooks’ direction is quite straightforward as it play into this world of medieval times where it was shot in various locations and studio lots in Southern California while it also has recurring gags that often breaks down the fourth wall accidentally. While much of the compositions are simple in the way he shoots close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the way he present characters and situations. There are a few wide shots in the film to establish some of the locations as Brooks is more about presenting the humor and do whatever he can to bring laughs. Some of it doesn’t work such as scene rapping merry men as well as other bits relating to 90s culture that ends up being very dated. Still, Brooks does manage to find way to create moments that are still funny as well as put in bits and references from his own films. Even as it help tell the story while doing whatever he can to make it fun. Overall, Brooks makes a enjoyable though flawed film about a man who revolts against an evil prince while trying to woo a maiden wearing a metallic chastity belt.
Cinematographer Michael D. O’Shea does nice work with the film‘s cinematography from the way many of the daytime exteriors are presented as well as some of the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Stephen E. Rivkin does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of dissolves for a musical sequence involving Maid Marian as well as some jump-cuts to play into some of the humor. Production designer Roy Forge Smith, with set decorator Ronald R. Reiss and art director Stephen Myles Berger, does fantastic work with the design of the sets from the prison in Jerusalem to what was once the Loxley castle until it was moved because of owed back taxes. Costume designer Dodie Shepard does wonderful work with the costumes from the design of Maid Marian’s chastity underwear belt to the clothes the men wear including the tights.
Visual effects supervisor Mat Beck does OK work with the few visual effects such as a major sequence involving an archery contest. Sound editors Gary S. Gerlich and Gregory M. Gerlich, with Harry E. Snodgrass, do terrific work with the sound in the way some of the sound effects are heard as well as how the arrows sound when they‘re shot into a target. The film’s music by Hummie Mann is superb for its orchestral-based score that is triumphant and playful while the film also feature some original songs written or co-written by Mel Brooks that are funny though the rap song isn‘t very good.
The casting by Lindsay Chag and Bill Shepard is great as it feature some notable small appearances and cameos from Robert Ridgely sort of reprising his hangman role from Blazing Saddles, Dick Van Patton as the abbot, Joe Dimmick as a Clint Eastwood look-alike assassin in Dirty Ezio, Steve Tancora as a champion archer in Filthy Luca, Brian George as a Jerusalem dungeon maitre d’, Avery Schreiber as a tax assessor, Megan Cavanagh as Maid Marian’s lady-in-waiting Broomhilde, and Patrick Stewart in a brief appearance as King Richard. Other noteworthy small roles include Isaac Hayes as Ahchoo’s father Asneeze that Robin meets at the Jerusalem dungeon, Dom DeLuise in a hilarious spoof of Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone character in Don Giovanni, and Mel Brooks as Rabbi Tuckman who joins Robin Hood in dealing with Prince John. Tracey Ullman is fantastic as Latrine as a sorceress/cook for Prince John who is willing to help him but what she wants is the Sheriff of Rottingham. Eric Allan Kramer and Matthew Porretta are terrific in their respective roles as Little John and Will Scarlett O’Hara with the former being a big but dimwitted ally of Robin Hood while the latter is good with knives.
Mark Blankfield is superb as Robin’s blind servant Blinkin who is a comic relief that often is in some sort of mishap due to his blindness. Dave Chappelle is excellent as Ahchoo as Robin’s right-hand man who would say some funny things but also come up with some inspiring plans. Amy Yasbeck is brilliant as Maid Marian as a virginal maiden who is trying to find her true love as well as the one who can get rid of her chastity belt underwear. Richard Lewis is amazing as Prince John as an evil royal who has a hard time trying to rule England as well as do bad things where Lewis is very funny. Roger Rees is hilarious as the Sheriff of Rottingham as a spoonerism-spouting sheriff who says offbeat things and put himself into very hilarious situations. Finally, there’s Cary Elwes in an incredible performance as the titular character as a royal who is eager to reclaim his land and help the poor while being the Robin Hood that can speak with an English accent.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a witty though flawed film from Mel Brooks. Despite some dated jokes, the film does offer plenty of laughs thanks to a great cast and some funny gags. In the end, Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a stellar film from Mel Brooks.
Mel Brooks Films: The Producers - (Twelve Chairs) - Blazing Saddles - Young Frankenstein - (Silent Movie) - High Anxiety - (History of the World, Part 1) - Spaceballs - (Life Stinks) - (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)
© thevoid99 2017
Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Small Time Crooks is the story about a criminal who wants to rob a bank with some friends only to learn that his wife’s cookie-selling venture has gone well as they deal with their newfound wealth. The film is a return of sorts to Allen’s more comedic films of the early 1970s as well as exploring the world of crime and the downsides of being wealthy. Also starring Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport, Elaine Stritch, Jon Lovitz, and Larry Pine. Small Time Crooks is a very funny film from Woody Allen.
The film revolves around a former criminal eager to rob a bank with some friends by buying an old pizza place as a cookie shop as a front while they try to rob the bank. Instead, the cookie shop becomes a success forcing the man to give up a life of crime yet he has a hard time dealing with being wealthy while his wife befriends an art dealer who teaches her the etiquette of being rich. It’s a film about the simple things in life but also the drawbacks of being rich where there’s an expectation to conform to the world of the rich. For this man’s wife whose gift in making cookies has made them rich, it gives her the chance to feel like she belongs to something unaware that the rich is also filled with people who are as shady as the poor.
Woody Allen’s screenplay is filled with a lot of humor as the character that he plays in Ray is someone who has had a past as a criminal but couldn’t deal with just being a dishwasher who is making scraps. With this new scheme he wants to do with some friends of his, he decides to find a way to steal some money for himself and his friends where he and his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) can retire to Florida. With Frenchy’s talents in making cookies as a front for the real scheme, things go wrong except for Frenchy’s cookies that makes Ray and his friends rich as it becomes a major business. That’s what happens in the first act as the second act is about Ray’s difficulty with being rich while Frenchy conforms to that world leading to a third act that plays into revelations about the world of the rich and why wealth can be so fleeting. Though it’s a predictable scenario, Allen does infuse a lot of humor and charm into the story.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions as he doesn’t really do anything new but still add a sense of liveliness to the comedy. Notably the scene where Ray and his friends try to create a tunnel to dig into the bank where everything goes wrong. There’s a lot of craziness that Allen puts in for many scenes in the film including a dinner party where Ray is talking to people about things with Tequila being played in the background while Frenchy is having dinner with a couple of men with classical music playing in the background. With many of the scenes in the film set in New York City including a very funny sequence about Ray and Frenchy’s rise to success, it plays to how dim some of these characters are about handling a rising corporate business but it’s done in a pretty funny way. Overall, Allen creates a very delightful comedy about crime and the drawbacks of being rich.
Cinematographer Zhao Fei does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the New York City exteriors in day and night to some of the lighting schemes for some of the film’s interiors. Editor Alisa Lepselter does nice work with the editing from the presentation of the TV interview Ray and Frenchy have to a montage of the diverging lives between Ray and French. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Jessica Lanier and art director Tom Warren, does fantastic work with some of the set pieces including the posh penthouse apartment that Ray and Frenchy live in that plays to some of the cheesy taste that Frenchy has.
Costume designer Suzanne McCabe does terrific work with the costumes from the colorful clothes that Frenchy wear to the more simple clothing of Ray and his friends. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the mixing in the way the robbery plans try to go out while Frenchy is selling cookies. The film’s wonderful soundtrack includes an array of jazz and classical pieces from artists like Johann Strauss, Hal Kemp, Benny Goodman, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Champs.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Larry Pine and Kristine Nielsen as a rich couple Frenchy invites to her dinner party, Douglas McGrath as a lawyer Frenchy meets late in the film, Elaine Stritch as a rich socialite Ray tries to steal from late in the film, and as Ray’s friends who help him with the botched heist, there’s Michael Rapaport, Jon Lovitz, and Tony Darrow as they each bring in some very funny moments to the film. Hugh Grant is excellent as the very cultured arts dealer David who woos Frenchy with his knowledge on the arts and such.
Elaine May is amazing as Frenchy’s dim-witted cousin May as she says some very funny things while putting herself in situations that just ups the humor. Tracey Ullman is wonderful as Frenchy as a woman who has a hard time dealing with Ray’s schemes until she becomes a rich woman eager to be part of the rich world. Woody Allen is superb as the bumbling Ray where Allen brings in a lot of wit and humor to a role as a man trying to deal with wealth while wanting the more simple pleasures of life.
Small Time Crooks is a terrific film from Woody Allen that features wonderful performances from Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, and Elaine May. While it might be a minor comedy from Allen, it’s still a very funny film that is full of lively moments that keeps the audience entertained. In the end, Small Time Crooks is a fantastic film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Woody Allen and written by Allen and Douglas McGrath, Bullets Over Broadway is the story about a young playwright eager to succeed on Broadway as he hires a gangster’s girlfriend to star in the play while working with a gangster escort on re-writes to make sure his play is a success. The film is an exploration into the world of theater as well as one trying to not make compromises with his art with the help of a man who unknowingly has the gifts to be an artist. Starring John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Chazz Palminteri, Mary-Louise Parker, Tracy Ullman, Jack Warden, Jim Broadbent, and Rob Reiner. Bullets Over Broadway is a fantastic yet witty film from Woody Allen.
Set in the 1920s, the film explores a young playwright trying to stage a play without compromise as he is convinced that he’s an artist. In order to get his play produced that will feature a renowned diva, he reluctantly accepts his producer’s offer to put in a gangster’s girlfriend who wants to become an actress despite her lack of talent. The woman’s escort is a mob henchman who has to watch her all the time as he would eventually bring in some ideas that would not only change this writer’s play but also the idea about art and what it takes to be an artist. It’s a film that explores the world of a man trying to define himself as an artist as he is eager to succeed in his own terms but has a hard time making compromises. Especially as he is someone who has the talents to be a writer but is often bogged down by rules and ideas that seem detached from reality until this gangster’s henchman would be the one that would open the doors of the idea of art.
The screenplay by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath not only goes into great lengths to explore the world of theater as well as what it takes to be an artist. It also showcases a world in which individuals all are taking part in a play as there’s egos involved and also the danger for the fact that only a few people know that funding this play is a gangster (Joe Viterelli). For David Shayne (John Cusack), it’s a compromise he has to live with for the sake of his career as he’s amazed by the gifted but boozy leading lady Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest). Yet, he has to deal with the gangster’s girlfriend Olive (Jennifer Tilly) who is determined to succeed despite the fact that she’s a loudmouth and isn’t very good though Shayne thinks there’s potential. Along with a brilliant but insecure leading actor named Warner Purcell (Jim Broadbent) and a supporting actress in Eden Brent (Tracey Ullman) who always carries her dog.
It’s a strange mix of people that are involved with this play as Shayne is also directing the play but his actors have a hard time connecting with the script until Olive’s bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) would say things that he felt is hindering the story as he comes up with ideas that turned out to be great. It would prompt Shayne to secretly work with Cheech as the latter becomes more aware of his gifts though he still enjoys bumping people off. Once the story develops where Shayne becomes more confident in his work, there also comes the trappings of success where Shayne would alienate his longtime girlfriend Ellen (Mary-Louise Parker) while Cheech realizes what he must do in order for the play to become a big success as he cares more about its chance to be great. All of which would play into Shayne’s realization of what it means to suffer and sacrifice for your art.
Allen’s direction is truly exquisite in not just the way he presents the 1920s New York City and Broadway but also a period in time where a writer is trying to create something new without making compromises. While there’s an intimacy to the play that is present in the film, there’s also a sense of beauty for the scenes in the city including a moment between Shayne and Sinclair that has this gorgeous backdrop behind them. Allen also creates some unique compositions where he puts the actors in a scene while also using some moments of violence to play up that world of the gangster including the place where Cheech would kill people. It all would play into that world of art and a man’s desire to succeed as an artist where Allen would find ways to mesh humor and drama in the story while playing to that theme about art without doing it in an overbearing way. Overall, Allen creates a truly riveting film about a man’s desire to become an artist and the trappings of what one has to do to succeed as an artist.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the look of the nightclubs with its lights to some of the more low-key lighting schemes for the nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Susan E. Morse does excellent work with the editing to create some rhythmic cuts for some of the lively moments involving the gangsters while most of the cutting is quite straightforward. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with art director Tom Warren and set decorators Susan Bode and Amy Marshall, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the play and nightclubs to the home where Olive lives
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does fantastic work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the array of dresses the women wear to play up that sense of style. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of the theater along with the sounds of gunfire for the gangster scenes. The film’s soundtrack is wonderful for the music that is played that includes pieces by Cole Porter, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, the Gershwin Brothers, and Duke Ellington.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is superb for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Tony Sirico and Tony Darrow as a couple of henchmen, Debi Mazar as Cheech’s girlfriend Violet, Benay Venuta as a theater patron Shayne meets at a party, Rob Reiner as the writer Sheldon Flender who is also Shayne’s mentor, Harvey Fierstein as Sinclair’s agent Sid Loomis, Jack Warden as the play’s producer Julian Marx, and Joe Viterelli as the gangster Nick Valenti. Mary Louise-Parker is wonderful as Shayne’s girlfriend Ellen as a woman who supports Shayne until success comes in as well as his fascination with Helen Sinclair. Tracey Ullman is terrific as Eden Brent as a supporting actress trying to get her part to be good while bringing her dog whom Helen dislikes. John Broadbent is excellent as Warner Purcell as a gifted actor who takes a liking towards Olive while he is also revealed to be a compulsive eater.
Jennifer Tilly is amazing as Olive as a young woman who is determined to be an actress despite her lack of talents as Tilly brings a lot of humor and charisma to her performance. Chazz Palminteri is brilliant as Cheech as a gangster’s henchman who has a gift for coming up with great ideas as he becomes someone who realizes his gift as he does whatever it takes to make it be a big success. Dianne Wiest is fantastic as Helen Sinclair as a veteran actress who likes to drink but is also so gifted as she seduces Shayne in the hopes that she can become much bigger. Finally, there’s John Cusack in a marvelous performance as David Shayne as a playwright eager to succeed without compromises while dealing with some of his flaws as a writer as he hopes to finally create something that will be great only to deal with the other compromises he must face as a person.
Bullets Over Broadway is an incredible film from Woody Allen. Armed with a great ensemble cast, amazing set pieces, a fun soundtrack, and an intriguing take on the world of art. It’s a film that definitely stands as one of Allen’s triumphs as well as riveting period piece about a man trying to do something new in the world of theater. In the end, Bullets Over Broadway is a sensational film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don’t Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Robert Altman and written by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, Prêt-a-Porter is the story about a group of very different people who attend Fashion Week in Paris as some are reporting the events while some are just attending to see what is out there. The film is an exploration into the world of fashion that involves many people in the course of a week. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger, Lili Taylor, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Chiara Mastroianni, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Tracey Ullman, Rossy de Palma, Forest Whitaker, Rupert Everett, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Bacall. Pret-a-Porter is a witty yet chaotic comedy from Robert Altman.
The film is about many different groups of people attending Fashion Week in Paris where a lot is happening while a prestigious fashion president had died believing that he had been murder. In the course of the film, a lot happens as a fashion TV reporter covers the events that is happening while lots of affairs between fashion designers are happening. Two American journalists are forced to share the same hotel room while covering what is happening and a fashion designer is dealing with possible bankruptcy. Fashion magazine editors spar with each other to go get a prestigious photographer while a woman goes on a shopping spree around the city. All in the course of an entire week as it leads to a climatic fashion show where a designer presents the ultimate show in grand style.
The screenplay by Robert Altman and Barbara Shulgasser doesn’t really have any kind of singular plot as it’s all about the chaos of Fashion Week. Notably as there’s journalists trying to cover the event and make sense of it as it involves a New York Times photographer (Lili Taylor) and a fashion TV reporter named Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger). Yet, there’s also this story about this French fashion president in Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who meets a mysterious man named Sergei (Marcello Mastroianni) where something happens leading to de la Fontaine’s death as his wife Isabella (Sophia Loren) seems relieved though is lover in fashion designer Simone Lowenthal (Anouk Aimee) is saddened as she is dealing with losing her business where her son Jack (Rupert Everett) does something that will save her business but with some reservations. Things get crazier as two different American journalists in Anne Eisenhower (Julia Roberts) and Joe Flynn (Tim Robbins) are forced to share a hotel to cover what’s been happening.
Altman’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he explores the world of fashion and what goes on in Fashion Week. Taking on a style similar to cinema verite, Altman captures all of the craziness that occurs while going inside into what goes in the world of fashion as shows are being prepared and such. Notably as the film features cameos from celebrities, models, and fashion designers as they’re part of this crazy yet fascinating world. The direction is also intimate and straightforward for scenes inside the hotel rooms and offices where many people work out as well as some moments in the fashion runway. It is still about the show and the world that is happening which also includes Sergei trying to contact Isabella as they’re revealed to be former lovers. Their scenes together is essentially an ode to their appearance in Vittorio de Sica’s 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. While it’s a film that can be described as a rambling mess due to the many storylines that happens. It is still a very enjoyable and very exhilarating film from Robert Altman.
Cinematographers Jean Lepine and Pierre Mignot do excellent work with the look of Paris during Fashion Week with its many landmarks as well as the scenes inside the fashion shows and some of the film‘s interior settings. Editors Geraldine Peroni and Suzy Elmiger do wonderful work with the editing to capture the sense of chaos that occurs in the world of fashion as well as more straightforward moments in the intimate scenes. Production Stephen Altman, with set decorator Francoise Dupertuis and art director William Abello, does nice work with the looks of the hotels and the runway shows that occur including the very street-based show one of the designers at a metro.
Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does terrific work with the non-designer clothes some of the characters wear to maintain their lack of style while most of the characters wear clothes that display their unique personalities. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the runway shows to the chaos in some of the parties. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is delightful for its playful piano pieces and other cuts to play out the humor. Music supervisor Allan F. Nichols creates a fantastic soundtrack that features music from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2, Ini Kamoze, Salt-N-Pepa, the Rolling Stones, M People, Janet Jackson, the Cranberries, Pizzicato Five, Robert Palmer, Grace Jones, and many others to capture the spirit of the fashion world.
Finally, there’s the film’s amazing ensemble cast as it features cameo appearances from Bjork, Harry Belafonte, Cher, and David Copperfield along with supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Carla Bruni, and Christy Turlington, and fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Issey Miyake, Christian Lacroix, and Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior as themselves. In small but notable roles, there’s Alexandra Vandernoot as a TV reporter, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc as police investigators, Teri Garr as an obsessed shopper, Danny Aiello as the shopper’s husband, Rossy de Palma as Simone’s assistant Pilar, Chiara Mastroianni as Kitty Porter’s aide Sophie Choiset, Ute Lemper as the pregnant model Albertine, Kasia Figura as the dim-witted assistant of magazine editor Sissy, and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the Fashion Week president Olivier de la Fontaine.
Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, and Tracey Ullman are great in their respective rules as the dueling magazine editors Sissy Wannamaker, Regina Krumm, and Nina Scant who all try to nab Stephen Rea’s very devious photographer Milo O’Brannigan who would provide a prank of his own all three where Rea is very funny. Lauren Bacall is wonderful as the colorblind fashionista Slim Chrysler while Lyle Lovett is terrific as the cowboy boots designer Clint Lammereaux. Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins are excellent as the dueling journalists Anne Eisenhower and Joe Flynn where they eventually fall for each other as they share a hotel room together. Lili Taylor is superb as the NY Times photojournalist Fiona Ulrich while Kim Basinger is hilarious as the somewhat dim fashion TV reporter Kitty Porter. Forest Whitaker and Richard E. Grant are fantastic in their respective roles as fashion designers in the street-wise Cy Bianco and the snobbish Cort Romney.
Rupert Everett is pretty good as the slimy Jack Lowenthal who does something without his mother’s consent while Anouk Aimee is phenomenal as the respected fashion designer Simone Lowenthal who deals with Olivier’s death as well as the prospect of losing her business. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in marvelous performances in their respective roles as Sergio/Sergei and Isabella where they play former lovers who finally meet after many years where Mastroianni brings a lot of humor with Loren bringing an element of class to her role as well as a sexiness that is still captivating.
Pret-a-Porter is an excellent film from Robert Altman. Featuring a wild ensemble cast full of actors, models, fashion designers, and all sorts of people. It’s a film that captures the craziness that is Fashion Week while taking time to inject humor into that world. While the film is a bit of a mess, it is still enjoyable for the way Altman explores a world that is fascinating. In the end, Pret-a-Porter is a remarkable film from Robert Altman.
Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion
© thevoid99 2013
