Rating: 
Summary: The only movie I ever walked out on
Review: My patience with films and filmmakers is high, regardless of length or pacing. I watched the five-hour version of "Fanny and Alexander" in one afternoon with considerable pleasure. Conversely, I've sat through incredible stinkers to the last frame, hoping for some worthwhile glimmer that never came. With a director as demonstrably talented as Robert Altman, it seems impossible that he could create a film sufficiently awful to send me running from the theater in mid-movie.But he did. "Ready to Wear" is unbearable. Painful. Unspeakable. There's nothing here except a colossal waste of talent. It's not bad in the right way to be unintentionally funny, and God knows the intentional "comedy" isn't funny. Stay far away from this cinematic torture.
Rating: 
Summary: neglected masterwork
Review: Robert Altman's 'Pret a Porter' was slammed by critics on its theatrical release for its apparent sprawling, incoherent and superficial nature. But it's a film about the fashion industry. How could it be anything but superficial! Superficial it is, but it is also witty, intelligent, and ravishingly beautiful. And the integration of music with image is up there with the best -- wait for the end credits, as the final fashion parade takes place to Grace Jones's pulsating version of 'La vie en Rose'. My DVD copy is Region Two, and benefits from anamorphic mastering. But whether anamorphic or not, this DVD demands to be seen. Altman's work ultimately and resoundingly answers his critics, who simply cannot understand the nuances of this great director's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Lengthy, Pretentious Mess
Review: Robert Altman's indictment of the fashion industry has a few high points---the parody of "Striptease" with Mastroianni and Loren, photographer Stephen Rea's hilarious "revenge tactics" against three fashion editors, and the subplot wherein reporters Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins find themselves stuck in a hotel room together and spend the whole weekend making love---(not a bad predicament for Robbins's character!!). Unfortunately, Altman fails to develop any of his subplots or characters fully, and the remainder of the film is ersatz and boring: lengthy, pointless scenes of runway models that serve no purpose other than conveying the "feel" of the fashion world. A few plot points make little sense... watch it and see if you can figure out why Marshall Fields tycoon Danny Aiello winds up in drag! According to Julia Roberts in an interview, Altman and his cast had a heyday making Pret-a-Porter, and that's obvious from the resultant picture. Unfortunately, it isn't nearly as fun to watch...
Rating:
Summary: Lengthy, Pretentious Mess
Review: Robert Altman's indictment of the fashion industry has a few high points---the parody of "Striptease" with Mastroianni and Loren, photographer Stephen Rea's hilarious "revenge tactics" against three fashion editors, and the subplot wherein reporters Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins find themselves stuck in a hotel room together and spend the whole weekend making love---(not a bad predicament for Robbins's character!!). Unfortunately, Altman fails to develop any of his subplots or characters fully, and the remainder of the film is ersatz and boring: lengthy, pointless scenes of runway models that serve no purpose other than conveying the "feel" of the fashion world. A few plot points make little sense... watch it and see if you can figure out why Marshall Fields tycoon Danny Aiello winds up in drag! According to Julia Roberts in an interview, Altman and his cast had a heyday making Pret-a-Porter, and that's obvious from the resultant picture. Unfortunately, it isn't nearly as fun to watch...
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful evocation of Parisian fashionistas
Review: This is one of my favourite films. Many of the critics of this movie missed the point. This movie is not about plot or characters. Robert Altman does what movies are for; he takes us to another place. What Altman does is give us a vivid impression of the incestuous whirl of the fashion world. His world is populated by both real designers (as ever spotting them is half the fun). and wonderful performances such as Richard E. Grant as a male Vivienne Westwood. The movie also effectively transports us to Paris. And yes, Paris really is covered in "Dog Poop" (they were Paris jokes, not Poop jokes). I think that many of the jokes about Paris, may have gone over the heads of US movie critics who have not set foot outside LA and New York. One of the reviews of this movie described the fashion shows as "pointless". They were pointless in the same way a Monet is pointless; they were in the movie because they are beautiful. To summarise, if you love Paris and you love fashion, you will love this. The closing credits of a montage of Issey Miyake and other fashion shows set to Grace Jones' "La Vie En Rose" is worth the price of admission alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Garbage, with some exceptions...
Review: This movie has an unbelievable cast and they are almost all wasted! However, I must give snaps to Altman for getting Anouk Aimee and Sophia Loren in front of a camera, and for a great performance from Kim Basinger, and for putting Linda Hunt in a movie, cause I love her. Roberts & Robbins scenes could have ended up on the editing room floor, and I doubt anyone would have missed them. The movie itself is a retread - see "A Wedding" instead. The dog poop thing gets boring after the 75th time you see it.
Rating:
Summary: Too much of nothing
Review: What exactly is this supposed to be? I still can't figure it out. There is a dozen beginnings, that don't make much sense. There is a dozen endings that don't make much sense and there is a whole lot in between. With about a hundred characters that do, or do not have anything in common it gets to be just a little bit confusing. I had to watch this three times, before I could keep track of who was who. Think of the Ten Commandments but then with all the extra's playing parts compatible to Yul Brinner's and you get the idea. Altman tried, but this goes nowhere, with perhaps one in every ten plotlines holding any interest. 'Shortcuts' was a hundred times better.
Rating:
Summary: Ready To Wear? No, Try It On A Few More Times.
Review: When "plot-less" movies come out now and then; Woody Allen's "Radio Days", or Fellini's "Amarcord" some of these films work (like the two I mentioned) but some don't. When you make a career out of making films like that, like Altman has, your films usually become hit or miss. Movies that are structured like this can be praised or criticized for the same reasons. Either you can enjoy some of the bits, like the acting between certain people, and think some scenes work and some didn't, but you still enjoyed yourself. Or the other way to look at it is; you didn't like the fact that there's no central charcaters, no real relationship between the viewer and the actors involved. And, it doesn't feel "complete". Now, I'm not a really big fan of Altman's. I'm just starting to get into his films. Some of his movies work like "M.A.S.H", and "The Player", and the more recent "Dr. T & The Women". Others don't work as well such as "Popeye", what was he thinking!! And this film. The real problems with this movie are the fact that number one it carries no energy. It just lags around, trying to pick up some steam only it never does. The characters are not real at all, but, I'll excuse that because after all this is a comedy. Are the characters in "Blazing Saddles" or "Scary Movie" real? No! The movie takes on more that it could handled. There were certain things that only could of made this film work. Like the whole story involving Rupert Everett (Jack Lowenthal) selling his mother's Anouk Aimee (Simone Lowenthal) fashion company. They could of been negotiating and Simone doesn't like what she's hearing and starts yelling as loud as she could while the models are on the runway. That could of been funny. But no time is paid to that part of the story. It's one scene. In one short scene they talk about it, and we never hear them mention it again. Then there was the fashion editors who wanted to get a photographer. They could of worked a lot more on this part of the movie. Or the stuff involving Sophia Loren (Isabella da la Fontaine), Marcello Mastroianni (Sergio) and Jean-Pierre Cassel (Oliver de la Fontaine) if they would of work it so what happens, happens while the show is going on, that could of been interesting also. But the script by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser barely touches these themes. Too many scenes don't work, it just becomes boring after a while. For older movie fans, try to remember those all-star cast movies of the 60's. Where there wasn't really a plot, but, it was all just an excuse to get a bunch of famous people in a movie, think about "What's New Pussycat" or "Casino Royale". That's sorta what this movie is like, without the laughs. We see a lot of famous people like Kim Basinger, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Terri Garr, Danny Aiello, Tracey Ullman, Sally Kellerman, Lyle Lovett(Why is he even in this? lol), Forest Whitaker and Laren Bacall(!). And if you were to ask me why. I wouldn't be able to answer you, there're just there to be there. The movie also has a score by Michel Legrand (Watch What Happens, What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?). Really bad movie by Altman, truly one of the worst movies of the year it came out.
Rating:
Summary: The whole is worth less than the sum of its parts
Review: Whilst Prêt A Porter might be taken as a sly dig at the Paris fashion industry, its appeal is probably limited to those it satirises, that is the designers, models, buyers, journalists, and other hangers-on. Someone close to the world of these famous designers with their peculiar costumes and logos might get every one of the jokes, references, and even know that some of the real-life people the characters are based on. The problem is that this world is an exclusive one. Whilst This Is Spinal Tap and The Blues Brothers satirised an industry and an art form known to many, the Paris fashion scene is available only a select few. For an object lesson in how to spoof the fashion business without alienating the general public, see Absolutely Fabulous. The impressive roster of actors in the film (Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Richard Grant, and Julia Roberts to name but four) and the directorial talents of Robert Altman are really wasted on a movie that is of such limited appeal.
Rating:
Summary: The whole is worth less than the sum of its parts
Review: Whilst Prêt A Porter might be taken as a sly dig at the Paris fashion industry, its appeal is probably limited to those it satirises, that is the designers, models, buyers, journalists, and other hangers-on. Someone close to the world of these famous designers with their peculiar costumes and logos might get every one of the jokes, references, and even know that some of the real-life people the characters are based on. The problem is that this world is an exclusive one. Whilst This Is Spinal Tap and The Blues Brothers satirised an industry and an art form known to many, the Paris fashion scene is available only a select few. For an object lesson in how to spoof the fashion business without alienating the general public, see Absolutely Fabulous. The impressive roster of actors in the film (Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Richard Grant, and Julia Roberts to name but four) and the directorial talents of Robert Altman are really wasted on a movie that is of such limited appeal.
|
