Party Girl (1995)

Remember when independent cinema was actually FUN? :p Well this cult classic was released during the height of the indie boom in the mid '90's and was pretty much the launching pad for rising star Parker Posey (Best In Show, Superman Returns, The White Lotus, The House of Yes) who plays the titular character, Mary.  Mary is an aimless young lady in her '20's living in Manhattan who's good at organizing, planning parties, and not much else until one day working for her godmother (Sasha von Scherler) at the New York Public Library, she suddenly discovers what might be her calling....to become a librarian. :o This wacky sorta-coming-of-age comedy features a bouncy soundtrack and stellar cast of up-and-comers including Liev Schreiber, Guillermo Diaz, Omar Townsend, and Anthony DeSando.  It was also directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (Woo, Matilda) who would eventually going on to be a prolific director of prestige TV.  Heh-heh-HELLO!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

PARTY GIRL - 1995

Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Starring Parker Posey, Guillermo Diaz, Omar Townsend, Live Schreiber, Anthony DeSando, Sasha von Scherler, Simon Verhoeven, Nicole Bobbitt, C. Francis Blackchild, LB Williams, and Donna Mithchell

Genre: Indie Comedy(Audio clip)

Remember when indie films were allowed to just be fun?? It had been a while for me and this was actually better than I remember it being even though it's VERY mid-'90's....though the less dreary parts of the mid '90's and filled with house music. 😉 The whole production is basically an indie '90's version of the sort of goofy "young directionless woman finds her calling" comedy which Shelly Long might have starred in a decade prior but writer/director Daisy von Scherler Mayer brings a genuine lower Manhattan looseness to it which just makes it more fun! 

She populates the story with a variety of silly but engaging characters - none of them are given much depth besides the titular lead but they're each at least well-drawn. There's Leo the aspiring DJ who seems to fail upward played wittily by then indie darling Guillermo Diaz, the Mustafa the struggling falafel vendor with a romantic streak who just wants to be a teacher (Omar Townsend who's charming in this - why was this his ONLY role? 🤔) and even the embittered recovering alcoholic Rene (Donna Mitchell) who runs a local dance club.

But of course at the center of it with her breakout role playing Mary is '90's Indie Queen Parker Posey (either she or Catherine Keener were literally in EVERY indie comedy/drama at the time). This is HER movie and if you can withstand some of her histrionics pretty much determines whether you can enjoy this movie - I happened to enjoy her in this role as she's rides that fine line between manic pixie irritating and whip-smart misunderstood dreamer. It's really the variation on a female trope we have seen a hundred times before and since...whether it be Legally Blonde or Working Girl but Posey keeps her engaging even when you can relate to any character on screen who finds her insufferable. 🤫 She's playing a type who goes through an arc and I think she pulls it off...

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Coming out during era of several SEMINAL soundtracks, this might be one of the more forgotten ones as it’s an impressive collection of house dance music from the mid ‘90’s playing throughout the film – it definitely helps drive the energy of the film with an eclectic group of musical acts including The Tom Tom Club, Run-DMC, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, and one of my PERSONAL favorites from the ‘90’s, the ALWAYS delightful Dee-Lite who are featured prominently in a club sequence when the aforementioned DJ Leo during his first real set spots the woman of his dreams on the dancefloor. (Audio clip) 

It’s hard to narrow it down to just ONE standout but I’m ALWAYS a sucker for  a fun song closing out a movie which INCORPORATES the title of the movie.  And that occurs here the film ends triumphantly with Mary at her birthday party where she has JUST convinced her godmother to go along with her new career goal of becoming a librarian….we’re in her spacious studio apartment, pretty much every prominent character from the film is there to celebrate alongside her…..and EVERY ONE is dancing of course which brings us in the closing credits. The song comes to us from the LEGENDARY dance pop diva from Havre de Grace, Maryland….Ultra Nate who has been putting out club hits since ’89.  I believe this one was released as a single in ’95 as part of the official soundtrack for this film – it’s the irresistibly catchy “Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

After this, I believe that Daisy von Scherler Mayer only directed two more feature films: Woo with Jada Pinkett and Madeline with Frances McDormand and SINCE the '90's, it's just been nothing but TV which has become quite common for a lot of talented directors post-2000. Disappointing but it speaks to her chops that she has had a hand in directing episodes of EVERY notable series imaginable: Yellowjackets, Ray Donavan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Walking Dead, Shameless, Nurse Jackie, Mad Men, and countless others! So I'm glad that she's kept working (as has Parker Posey) but I DO miss films like this. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

It occurs around the 35 minute mark and of course it’s not only the turning point for our lead character but it’s just FUN.  Alone one night at the library, Mary not only finally understands the Dewey Decimal system but she EMBRACES IT. (Audio clip) 

I don't know, maybe I'm just a sucker for a montage of books being properly filed set to Chantay Savage but how can you not enjoy the site of young Posey bopping around a library in vintage clothes? 😆 It’s also particularly impressive just HOW many books she can stack on top of her head – it might seem relatively low stakes but it’s triumphant regardless! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

SPEAKING of which….it has to be THE titular Party Girl right?  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy most of the rest of the cast, the locations are great, it’s well-paced…..but not EVERY scene lands as there ARE some clunkers.  For one thing, there’s an attempted sexual assault late in the film which just DOES not need to be there no does it gel with the tone of the rest of the film.  Also the actress playing her godmother Judy – the late, great Sasha von Scherler who HAPPENS to be the director’s mother – well she looks the part and she’s trying but it’s also just clear that she wasn’t really a professional film actress…..very few credits though apparently she appeared in NETWORK?  Her scenes with Parker work more as purely expositional. (Audio clip) 

But overall this film works because of Parker – on paper, this character should NOT work but the actress just delivers EVERY key moment: watching her struggle to explain her calling as a librarian to her skeptical godmother WHILE a male stripper (it also happens to be her birthday) bumps and grinds all over her? 😁 Or how Mary adeptly organizes Leo's collection of over a thousand records by genre INCLUDING a card system designed to locate each one? The movie is just filled with fun, goofy moments like these which just would NOT work without the actresses signature breathy voice and boundless energy – for delivering on-screen the Party Girl which Gotham deserves, Parker Posey is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Sure every once in a while we might get something sorta light and fluffy from a Searchlight or Neon or even A24 but most of their films are aiming for high drama, elevated horror, and/or both. And that's fine too. But sometimes all I really want is a simple, breezy 90 minutes of awkward gags and quotable lines ("He-he-hello!")....and thirty years later, this one still holds up as one of my favorites. 😉

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And that ends another TRIBAL, SLEAZE, & DISCO review!