Party Girl

In the very early 1990s, low budget movies were rebranded as "indies" and 'Party Girl' is a prime example. You have to be really into one of three things (preferably all three) to get the most out of this movie: early 90s house and club music; a nostalgia for that pre-Internet, recession era-ish NYC of the early 90s when people could still be poor and live in Manhattan; and Parker Posey: of whom this is a total star vehicle for and who carries the entire movie, appearing in nearly every scene. The rest of the cast manages-with varying results. There are a few good lines and almost-developments, but overall nothing really happens plot-wise. It has a lot of style, NYC Lower East Side club scene authenticity, and the Director Daisy von Scherler Mayer seems interestingly influenced by her brilliant, golden-age-of-Hollywood, real-life grandfather: a frequent collaborator with Ernst Lubitsch. An oddly charming bore that you want to love but it never really connects and delivers...although at times it sorta seems like a low budget 'Legally Blonde' if you swap out 'lawyer' for 'librarian.' But hey: there's a male stripper in a jock strap at a birthday party at the end.

"Party Girl" capitalizes on the tremendous charm of Parker Posey. In fact, at times, the movie seems to be a vehicle in which Ms. Posey is allow to play herself, as she normally is in real life.

The film, directed by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer, is a treat for Ms. Posey's fans. Ms. Von Scherler Mayer takes us on a wild trip into lower Manhattan to show us this aimless soul whose life is dedicated to have fun in the different clubs she constantly frequents. This is an era that still was more naive than what that area and the adjacent Meat Market districts became. At least, there are no pretensions in the films and we see down to earth people going about their lives in a normal way, if we can call it that way.

Parker Posey makes an amazing Mary. It's because of Parker Posey we enjoy the movie more than if another actress would have played Mary. She is the whole picture. The rest of the cast is good.

"Party Girl" is one of my all time favorite movies. The movie portrayed early 90's raving very well. Raves became distorted in later movies and television shows trying to depict that era of clubbing. The only show I can think of at the moment is "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" where Zack, wearing all plaid, has an idea to have a rave on campus, decked out with black lights, horrible music, and "whip-its."

"Party Girl" set itself apart from these stereotypical rave-umentaries by showing how raves (true raves) were not glow-stick, lolly-sucking teenage rebellion-fests. Posey, showing style and attitude, portrayed an over-the-top character who isn't necessarily perfect, but plays her part well. The movie isn't all about drugs, like other genre movies such as "Playing Mona Lisa." Posey played a girl that I know many of.

The movie epitomized the early 90's rave era. Watch this movie at least once just for Posey's performance.

Parker Posey flashes her 1,000-kilowatt smile frequently in this film, and your enjoyment of the movie will rely primarily on how smitten you are by Posey's quirky charm.

Count me as a follower. I think Posey is a hoot in everything she's in, incapable of giving an ordinary performance. I have a feeling that in "Party Girl" she plays a variation of herself, but that's just fine with me. She appears in virtually every frame of the film, but the movie isn't much of anything without her, so I welcomed the overdose of Posey.

The script for "Party Girl" feels half-assed, though I did appreciate the existential crisis faced by Posey's character and the shelter she seeks in the Dewey Decimal System as a way of bringing order to her chaotic existence. I wish the screenwriters had taken clever hooks like that further. And the ending had a conventional, all-loose-ends-tied-up quality that would better suit a television sitcom than an out-there indie film.

But none of these faults take anything away from Posey herself, so really, how serious can they be?

Grade: B

Strange, avant-garde, campy, AND feel-good. This movie walks a delicate line. Parker Posey is phenomenal, but so is the writing and directing which crams every moment and every character with witty humor. It's a cool, sly type of humor, for example: a librarian yells out "I've already got you on the list for the new Danielle Steele." Then we see that she's talking to a young black man who gives a confused look. Young black males are not Danielle Steele's targeted demographic, so is this a unique man who is embarrassed by being outed as a Steele fan or has the librarian confused him with someone else. That moment causes us to question our stereotypes and gives us a laugh at the same time. But that is one miniscule joke in a movie that has thousands of such bits. It's thoughtful, intelligent and a bit emotional when it comes to the main character's search for herself and her full potential. Bravo!