Mannequin

Rating:
Summary: A guilty pleasure
Review: "Mannequin" is one of those movies where critics completely raked it over hot coals because the premise of the film is too silly but was a box office hit. Although an artistic bomb, I loved "Mannequin". I saw it in the theatre back in 1987. Still love it to this very day.

Andrew McCarthy plays Jonathan Switcher, a starving artist who moves from one job to another aimlessly because he focuses too muchon creating artwork as opposed to simply doing his job. One of his jobs was putting together mannequins for department stores. Before being let go, Jonathan finally creates his masterpiece. A few jobs later he comes across the same mannequin at his latest job working for Claire Prince Timkins(Estelle Getty). The mannequin comes to life as Ema 'Emmy' Hesire (played by a young Kim Cattral). Sparks immediately flies between the two. The only catch is that Jonathan can only see her while everyone else can see her only as a mannequin. The premise is silly but harmless. James Spader played the same smarmy, oily character as he usually does in a lot of his films (which is a good thing) as Mr. Richards, the head of the employment dept. at the store. G.W Bailey as Capt. Felix Maxwell was hilarious with his dogs Rambo I and II but the showstealer here was Meschach Taylor as the flamboyant Hollywood Montrose with his over the top sunglasses. He was hysterical. My favorite moment in the film was when Jonathan took Emmy out on his motorcycle and they pass an elderly couple in a car, not to mention the car chase when Felix and Mr. Richards pursues the pair. "Mannequin" may not be high art but I love this film.


Rating:
Summary: Some genuine laughs, but loses steam...
Review: Andrew McCarthy was just becoming a screen regular when he starred as a quirky artist named Jonathan Switcher in Mannequin. Somehow, when the mannequin he is designing comes to life -- in the person of Emmy, played by Kim Cattrall -- he is obsessed with his creation. Sparks fly, the two fall in love, and then their world turns into mayhem. Far-fetched? Yes. Entertaining? Sometimes.

McCarthy is everyone's favorite smartass -- the things that he says that are cute on-screen would get your average quirky artist's butt kicked three ways from Sunday. Cattrall, meanwhile, hadn't yet developed much in the way of acting ability. At times, she seems more lifeless than the mannequin she portrays, but she's always cute and bubbly. The biggest treat is Meshach Taylor as Hollywood Montrose, a window display designer who is always in fashion and whose briefs lines are usually gems.

All-in-all, Mannequin is a pleasant enough film, and there are some nice laughs and romantic moments along the way. Just don't expect too much out of it, and be prepared for the lulls that set in about halfway through.

Rating:
Summary: A live mannequin
Review: Andrew McCarthy,back in 1986 when he was a teen idol,co-starred with Kim Cattrall in this hysterical romance film. Jonathan Switcher(McCarthy) has held,but not for long,various jobs. Some of those jobs only lasted a few hours! But that all changed when Jonathan came to a department store and found his main superior,a late 50ish-early 60ish woman,very sweet and loving. He did everything at the store. He was a sales clerk,manager and even a security guard. At the store,in one of the ladies' departments,he discovers a beautiful female mannequin who comes alive. Cattrall,is the mannequin named Emmy. She even becomes the girl of his dreams! Jonathan couldn't be happier. Another security guard(G.W. Bailey) finds Jonathan pretending the mannequin is a real woman and romancing it. To everyone except Jonathan until the final scene,Emmy is an "it". James Spader plays one of Jonathan's immediate supervisors. Steve Vinovich is the store's president. Jonathan had broken up with his pre-Emmy girlfriend. So the girlfriend and her new boyfriend spy on Jonathan in the store and with a camera. Jonathan and Emmy are riding a motorcycle in one scene in formal apparel,with Jonathan operating the vehicle. Everyone else observes the "it" behind Jonathan on the bike. Jonathan almost lost Emmy to a trash incinerator in operation. The shoes she wore were destroyed by the incinerator. Bailey's and Vinovich's characters were taken into police custody after committing some kind of devious crime. The surveillance camera caught them in the act. It was then when the mannequin "died" and "was reincarnated as" a real woman. In the final scene,we see Jonathan and Emmy tying the knot. The featured song is "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now",recorded by Starship. Bailey and Cattrall previously appeared in 1984's POLICE ACADEMY.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't it just SING?!
Review: Don't be put off by all the bad press this movie has gotten. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a critically acclaimed movie only to be bored to death. Mannequin is another example where critics hated something that a lot of moviegoers loved. After all, this supposed piece of junk did gross $40 million bucks ($24 million in the first month) and justified a sequel, for crying out loud.

Is the plot weak? Yeah somewhat, but who cares?! It's FUN to watch. And for me, it gets more fun to watch the more times I see it. The antics of Jonathon Switcher (played by Andrew McCarthy) and mannequin-turned-girlfriend Emmy (played by the delightful Kim Cattrall) are fun in their own right. But the thing that really hooked me the first time through was the great uplifting ending with "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" performed by Starship, which netted the movie an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. I always did like Starship a.k.a. Jefferson Airplane a.k.a. Jefferson Starship. I realized that although I had a couple of their albums, I didn't have one with that great tune so I went straight to the Amazon.com used market place and picked myself up a copy of "Starship Greatest Hits - Ten Years and Change" (highly recommended as well).

After viewing this film a second time I started to really appreciate the great characters and funny lines. Meshach Taylor playing alternate lifestyler extraordinaire Hollywood Montrose is an absolute riot. Man what an acting job! And G.W. Bailey (from Police Academy fame) is great as the store security guard with his dogs Rambo and Terminator. His boss, James Spader, playing store manager Mr. Richards is a hoot as the boss you will love to hate.

Some of the funniest lines come from the character Armand (played by Christopher Maher) who is bound and determined to put the moves on Jonathon's ex-girlfriend Roxie (Carole Davis). Masquerading behind a supposedly poor command of the English language he delivers hilarious innuendo after hilarious innuendo to Roxie who can't stand his pathetic advances. A couple of examples: In his car, pulling up to Roxie walking on the sidewalk to ostensibly give her a lift he asks, "Can I ride you"? And while sneaking through the leather department of the store to spy on Jonathon he starts to unzip and says "Can I show you something in your size?" Har! And perhaps the funniest scene of all is when Roxie gets the final brush-off from Jonathon and finally agrees to go to Armand's place and Armand can't perform under pressure. A hoot!

Fans of Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) on the TV show Golden Girls will also appreciate her role in Mannequin rounding out the cast as the department store owner.

I've seen this movie about 10 times now and could go on and on about all of its charms. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Rating:
Summary: Hey, shut up -- I love this movie.
Review: I am a total sucker for Kim Cattrall. Porky's, Big Trouble in Little China, Turk 182 -- I've seen 'em all, man, and if there's an actress who more personifies the films of the 80's, I'll eat my hat. In that sense, "Mannequin" is Cattrall's swan song, as it is quite possibly the most ludicrous thing ever committed to film. Showcasing an unexpected all-star cast (Andrew McCarthy, Estelle Getty, James Spader, Meshaque Taylor, G.W. Bailey) "Mannequin" relates that age-old story we all know so well: Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Builds New Girl Out Of Spare Parts.

Jonathan Switcher (McCarthy) is an impossibly flaky artist who can't seem to hold down a paying job for more than ten minutes. At one place of employment, he sculpts his dream girl in the form of a mannequin; unbeknownst to him, he is reforming the body of a four-thousand year old Egyptian princess in fiberglass. A serendipitous mishap lands him a job at a local department store, where (coincidentally) his living doll also happens to end up -- and one night, he discovers her magical secret. Of course, it is only Switcher who can see her in the flesh, which leads to a series of embarassing mishaps with...

...oh, who the Hell am I kidding? I refuse to sit here and type sycophantic drivel like a complete tool. This movie is retarded. I can't hide the fact with lauding praises for the decade's Reaganomic-influenced Hollywood excapisms or that amazingly phat electro soundtrack by Sylvester Levay of "Three O'Clock High" fame -- it's a stupid film and that's that. I LOVE THIS STUPID FILM AND I AM NOT ASHAMED. There, I said it. I feel better.

Rating:
Summary: Hey, shut up -- I love this movie.
Review: I am a total sucker for Kim Cattrall. Porky's, Big Trouble in Little China, Turk 182 -- I've seen 'em all, man, and if there's an actress who more personifies the films of the 80's, I'll eat my hat. In that sense, "Mannequin" is Cattrall's swan song, as it is quite possibly the most ludicrous thing ever committed to film. Showcasing an unexpected all-star cast (Andrew McCarthy, Estelle Getty, James Spader, Meshaque Taylor, G.W. Bailey) "Mannequin" relates that age-old story we all know so well: Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Builds New Girl Out Of Spare Parts.

Jonathan Switcher (McCarthy) is an impossibly flaky artist who can't seem to hold down a paying job for more than ten minutes. At one place of employment, he sculpts his dream girl in the form of a mannequin; unbeknownst to him, he is reforming the body of a four-thousand year old Egyptian princess in fiberglass. A serendipitous mishap lands him a job at a local department store, where (coincidentally) his living doll also happens to end up -- and one night, he discovers her magical secret. Of course, it is only Switcher who can see her in the flesh, which leads to a series of embarassing mishaps with...

...oh, who the Hell am I kidding? I refuse to sit here and type sycophantic drivel like a complete tool. This movie is retarded. I can't hide the fact with lauding praises for the decade's Reaganomic-influenced Hollywood excapisms or that amazingly phat electro soundtrack by Sylvester Levay of "Three O'Clock High" fame -- it's a stupid film and that's that. I LOVE THIS STUPID FILM AND I AM NOT ASHAMED. There, I said it. I feel better.

Rating:
Summary: A heart warming family classic! Erm, to bad about the DVD
Review: I gave this DVD 5 stars as it is one of my favourite movies.
But as an actual DVD release there isn't really anything special.
Its just the movie I love finally put onto a DVD. Obviously, it is great quality. But I was dissapointed as there were no special features. I'd still recomend buying this DVD if you enjoy the movie itself! I really don't care what people say about this, its a classic. And one of my favourites.

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for the film 2 for the DVD
Review: I give them 2 stars for finally releasing this gem on DVD but no extras??
This film is delightful and refreshing, Leonard Maltin obviously was having a bad day when he saw this film. I must have seen it 6 or more times when it was in the theaters.
Kim Catrall(Sex in the City) is delightfully coy and silly as well as charming in this comedy about an ancient princess with a too modern outlook and is "cursed" to live through thousands of years until she finds a love who can appreciate her for who she is and not try and control her.
Andrew McCarthy(Pretty in Pink) is wonderful as a failed sculptist who cannot keep a job until he gets a job working as a window dresser at a failing dept store in Philadelphia.
Great co-stars Estelle Getty(Golden Girls), Mesach(sp?) Taylor(Designing Women), James Spader(Stargate the movie) and others make this film a hysterical and romantic romp!

Rating:
Summary: A LOVE STORY!!!!
Review: I LOVE THIS MOVIE ABOUT ANDREW MCCARTHY FALLING IN LOVE WITH EMMY. EMMY WAS SUPPOSED TO MARRY CHIS COLUMBUS BUT HAD AN ACCIDENT DURING THE ANCIENT TIMES AND ENDED UP BEING A MANNEQUIN. ANDREW MCCARTHY GETS A JOB AT A DEPARTMENT STORE WORKING AT NIGHT AND A MANNEQUIN COMES ALIVE BEFORE HIS EYES AND HE WOULD BE THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD SEE OR TALK TO HER. BUT IN THE END SHE BECOMES ALIVE AND THEY END UP GETTING MARRIED.

WHAT A GREAT LOVE STORY!!!!!! THIS MOVIE KIND OF MAKES YOU THINK IF OTHER MANNEQUINS COME ALIVE.(JUST KIDDING)!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Kooky Classic
Review: I recently tried to watch my old "Mannequin" VHS but it wouldn't work. Fortunately, my boyfriend was aware of my disappointment and ameliorated the situation by purchasing this 1980's farce.

So, I watched it, and enjoyed it thoroughly. "Mannequin" follows a sculptor working at a mannequin factory who just got fired for making the darn things too slow. He lovingly chooses each body part, and truly cares for this unacknowledged "art" form. But soon enough, the quirky mannequinphile finds another job making window displays for a large store. He is successful at this in that people come from all around to see what his latest display is, but he is also looked at as much nuttier because he has fallen in love with a mannequin! She is played by the fabulous Kim Cattrall (sp?) of the HBO hit "Sex and the City" (she hasn't aged a bit since this film I might add!) Of course, he sees and interacts with her as a real person, but everyone else just sees a lifeless hunk of plastic in fashionable new clothing.

How does it end? You just have to watch it... it's not a serious film, but provides many laughs for all (read: cheesy dance/song numbers, corny jokes, and the pop culture of the 1980's that is represented)!!!!