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Prt--Porter (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Prt--Porter', released in the United States as 'Ready to Wear (Prt--Porter)', is a 1994 American satirical comedy-drama film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot on location during the Paris Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models, and designers.
The film features an extensive ensemble cast, including Anouk Aime, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Stephen Rea, Lauren Bacall, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, and Sally Kellerman.
Plot
Models, designers, industry hot shots and journalists gather for Paris Fashion Week, to work, bicker, and try to seduce each other. Early on, Fashion Council head Olivier de la Fontaine chokes to death on a sandwich, leaving behind a wife, a mistress, and a mysterious Russian companion who has fled the scene.
As the death is being investigated, Fashion Week continues. Injecting herself between the designers, American television personality Kitty gets sound bites from the high-fashion types throughout the length of the show.
Meanwhile, Anne and Joe are two American journalists, thrown together into the same over-booked room. They are meant to cover the show for their respective papers, but skip out on the majority of the festivities to have a hotel-room tryst during the week.
Three rival magazine editors from Harper's Bazaar, British Vogue and Elle vie for the exclusive services of Milo O'Brannigan, a trendy photographer who sexually humiliates the three; leading them to vow vengeance against him.
And fading icons Sergei (the 'Russian with Olivier when he died) and Isabella (Olivier de la Fontaine's widow) hope to rekindle a romance from decades ago, but right when they try to be intimate, he falls asleep while trying.
In the end, Fontaine's former mistress Simone sends her models down the catwalk nude in protest of her son Jack's (who incidentally had been cheating on his model girlfriend with another model) sale of her brand. Kitty quits on the spot, as the nudity confuses her. And the final scene is of Olivier de la Fontaine's funeral procession, after the police declared him dead from choking on a sandwich.
Cast
Title
In the United States, the film was released under the title 'Ready to Wear (Prt--Porter)', while the original title was used in other countries. The US DVD and VHS title was 'Robert Altman's Ready to Wear'.
Reception
The film was R-rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). However, following an advertisement by Columbia Records for the soundtrack album featuring a naked Helena Christensen in 'The New York Times' which also said "See the Movie", the MPAA threatened to rescind its rating unless the company agreed not to use the image advertising the film.
Critical reception
'Prt--Porter' holds a 24% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 4.75/10.Roger Ebert gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and thought it "should have gone further and been meaner; too many of [Altman's] jokes are generic slapstick, instead of being aimed squarely at industry's targets." Gene Siskel gave it one-and-a-half out of four stars and called it "a true bomb as director Robert Altman, on a very hot streak, improbably finds absolutely nothing funny or fresh to say about the fashion industry and the 'journalists' who cover it with a wet kiss. Lacking a screenplay, Altman's intercutting among boring caricatures grows old quickly, and after 2 hours, it may occur to you: 'I could have been shopping.'"Siskel, Gene (December 30, 1994). "'Ready to Wear' quickly starts to unravel in Altman's hands". 'Chicago Tribune'. Section 7, page B. Janet Maslin of 'The New York Times' wrote that Altman's "laissez-faire satirical style proves ineffectual for shooting fish in this barrel. Fashion is too self-conscious to be skewered so casually."Maslin, Janet (December 23, 1994). "Altman's Swipe At Fashion". 'The New York Times'. C1. Rita Kempley of 'The Washington Post' called the film "a mess" that was "most compelling when Altman turns his camera on the kitschy runway shows themselves ... Perhaps Altman should have made this film as a documentary instead."Kempley, Rita (December 25, 1994). "Altman's Got Nothing To 'Wear'". 'The Washington Post'. G8. Kenneth Turan of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote that the film "sounds like Altman's most recent successes, 'The Player' and 'Short Cuts.' But there is a difference between creative improvisation and absolute chaos, and while those films were delicately balanced balls that magically stayed in the air, 'Ready to Wear,' with a script credited to Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, has a haphazard 'Let's go to Paris and see what happens' feeling that wastes everyone's time and talent."Turan, Kenneth (December 23, 1994). "'Ready to Wear': Latest in Altman's Fashion Line". 'Los Angeles Times'. F1, F44. Owen Glieberman of 'Entertainment Weekly' gave the film a grade of C- and wrote, "Virtually everything that happens is held up for our ridicule, yet it's never quite clear what we're supposed to be laughing at. The characters aren't really mocked for their attitudes, their obsessions with glamour and money and style. They aren't savaged in any specific, observational ways that could truly be called satirical. They're made fun of simply because they're silly, trivial human beingswalking punchlines in a joke that never arrives. It's like watching an Altman film that's been drained by a vampire."Glieberman, Owen (December 23, 1994). "Nothing Underneath". 'Entertainment Weekly'. 44.
John Simon writing for the National Review said Prt--Porter was a picture that only a director's mother could love and that though the film lasted over two hours, wore out its welcome in ten minutes.
Box office
The film had a weak debut at the US box office. By the end of its run, the film grossed U$11,300,653 at the box office in the United States and Canada. It grossed $35.5 million internationally for a worldwide total of $46.8 million.Year-end lists
* 8th worst Janet Maslin, 'The New York Times'* Dishonorable mention William Arnold, 'Seattle Post-Intelligencer'
Accolades
Soundtrack
# "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (Heartical Mix) - Ini Kamoze
# "My Girl Josephine" - Super Cat
# "Here We Come" - Salt-N-Pepa
# "Natural Thing" - M People
# "70's Love Groove" - Janet Jackson
# "Jump On Top of Me" - The Rolling Stones
# "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" - Sam Phillips
# "Pretty" (Remix) - The Cranberries
# "Third Time Lucky" - Basia
# "Martha" - Eric Mouquet, Michel Sanchez forming the group Deep Forest
# "Close to You" - The Brand New Heavies
# "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" (West End Mix) - Cece Peniston
# "Get Wild" - The New Power Generation
# "Supermodel Sandwich" - Terence Trent D'Arby
# "Lemon" (Perfecto Mix) - U2
Television adaptation
In August 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation of the film is in development at Paramount+. The project will be produced by Miramax Television.
References
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