Avis Metacritic

The film knows how absurd this is, yet its triumph is that, by the end, we're actually rooting for Mary to see the library as her salvation.

What makes it delicious fun is Posey, a party girl for the ages.

Party Girl has the courage of its own no-braininess.

Party Girl strives only to be as fun and lighthearted as its namesake.

This exudes trendiness at regular intervals, and otherwise manages to be reasonably charming about Manhattan's melting pot culture, but my general response was still "Wake me when it's over."

It's a showcase leading role for Parker Posey, who obviously has the stuff, and generates wacky charm. But the movie never pulls itself together.

If Party Girl weren't so contrived, and if Posey didn't exude such cold hauteur, all of that might have worked.

When Party Girl isn't being silly, it tries to be endearing and socially redeeming, and to a good degree succeeds.

Party Girl aspires to be a mid-90's answer to the Susan Seidelman movies "Smithereens" and "Desperately Seeking Susan." Although it has some of the same frothy energy, it has no real story to tell.

Through it all, actress Posey strikes attitudes and preens across the glib surface of the film, and though her campy excesses are tolerable for a brief time, the performance becomes an exercise in overkill. [13 Oct 1995]