Party Girl

R

Released Jun 9, 1995

1 hr. 34 min.

Drama

List

82%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Although Mary (Parker Posey) has little income, she still finds ways to spend her nights at clubs. After being arrested for throwing an illegal rave, she asks her aunt Judy (Sasha von Scherler) for bail money. Judy then finds Mary a job at her library so that Mary can repay her. Initially, Mary finds the job as a clerk boring and stifling, and prefers to get to know a street food vendor (Omar Townsend) whom she likes. However, Mary must refocus her life once she loses her job and apartment.

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Steve D

Poesy makes it a lot of fun.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

Full Review

Matthew D

Parker Posey astonishes with her hilariously quirky humor and lovable personality. Director Daisy von Scherler Mayer's romantic screwball comedy Party Girl (1995) is a bizarre time capsule of the 90's with erratic characters, offbeat humor, funny references, and a unique style all its own. I adored Parker Posey as the down on her luck heroine Mary. Party Girl feels like a riff on Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's meets a Cary Grant screwball comedy. I can see Party Girl having an influence on later comedies like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Legally Blonde, or Uptown Girls. Party Girl is playful with a 90's charm and chaos from the killer dance music soundtrack to the mesmerizing mismatched clothes that are to die for on Parker Posey. Writers Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Harry Birckmayer, and Sheila Gaffney write a cute romantic comedy relationship, dumb girl proves she's a smart and capable young lady narrative, and tons of fun side stories for the supporting cast. Party Girl should be seen for Parker Posey, but she's also delivering these crazy written lines that are clever, hip, and refreshingly manic. They both praise the efficiency and mock the sexist intentions and simplicity of the Dewey Decimal System. I like how they use it as an organizational tool, comedy gag, and a metric for how disorganized Mary's life is in the beginning to how she matures currently in the end. Casting director Caroline Sinclair did a great job getting Parker Posey as Party Girl's lovable lead actress and finding playful guys in the supporting cast. I appreciate how diverse the cast is too with white, black, hispanic, and arabic actors and actresses throughout Party Girl. Parker Posey is a scream as the broke socialite as aspiring fashion designer Mary, forced to be a librarian for cash, until she realizes that's what she wants. She feels earnest in her quest for a serious and satisfying career, while also seeking passionate love and understanding. Parker is so strange, but I really love her bubbly personality, weird line delivery, and sweet sincerity. She delivers hilarious sarcastic comments, crazy singing, playful dancing, flirty one liners. Posey is one of my all time favorite actresses. Parker Posey and Reese Witherspoon are the funniest actresses of the 1990's, so it's a sheer delight to see her be a funny lead heroine in her own screwball romantic comedy. Parker is simply drop dead gorgeous, adorably cute, fashionable, and hysterical in Party Girl. Anthony DeSando is hilarious as Mary's sarcastic gay clothes designer friend Derrick. Guillermo Díaz is a riot as the sympathetic DJ Leo. His crazed searching for vinyl and desperately seeking a club gig is fun like his flirting with Nicole Bobbitt's pretty dancer Venus. Donna Mitchell's alcoholic club owner and Motorhead fan Rene is a real scene stealer. Liev Schreiber is excellent as the pathetic English loser Nigel, who is both a bartender and bouncer for Rene's happening club. He's such a creep. Omar Townsend is super endearing as the sincere romantic hero Mustafa. His falafel vendor and aspiring teacher make for an unusual and original romantic comedy partner for Parker Posey's quirky Mary. Sasha von Scherler is great as the mean and judgmental librarian Judy Lindendorf. Her dismissive godmother to Mary is a neat foil for Parker to bounce Mary's frustrations out on in Party Girl. Becky Mode is another fun foil as Ann. I liked Simon Verhoeven's appearance as Kurt too. All the other dancers are fun to watch in the clubs with their spirited dancing. Editor Cara Silverman does a great job with providing a brisk pace and tight cut for Party Girl's slick 94 minutes. She does not waste a moment getting to the next oddball joke or cute romantic encounter. She'll slickly splice together dance montages, furious asides for Mary's frustrations, playful flirting, to Mary's fervent book sorting in the library. Cinematographer Michael Slovis gets really creative with his spinning and panning shots. His close-ups on Parker are lovely and captivating, but I kept getting surprised by his inventive camera perspectives and movements throughout Party Girl. It's quite well shot. Production designer Kevin Thompson's spacious apartments, square library, and dingey nightclubs make New York come alive with a 90's flair. Set decorator Jennifer Baime's colorful set decoration leaves records, philosophy books, and designer clothes everywhere. Composer Anton Sanko's music is perky with lively music for each scene. I really was pleased with the eclectic 90s dance soundtrack. It's such an accurate time capsule for the mid 90's popular songs you'd actually hear in a dance club then. I screamed with joy when Deee-Lite started playing during Leo's DJ set! Costume designer Michael Clancy's outrageous outfits for Parker Posey are practically a character in Party Girl. Every shot of Parker sees her in a new colorful, mismatched ensemble of designer shirts and dresses. Parker's long brunette bangs and straight black hair looks amazing. She makes for a chic librarian by the end. In all, Party Girl is a vivacious comedy and sweet romance story led by a bubbly Parker Posey in a magnetic heroine performance!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/23

Full Review

Karl O

Unwatchable performances. After watching a lot of flapping around I quit after 10 minutes. Charmless and terribly dated.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This might be one of those films that still gets added to my collection even though it lacks a good story, interesting themes, etc. but because it is still fairly likable and brimming with the atmosphere of a niche underground and probably bygone culture. Parker Posey is obviously the film's main highlight.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

My.hero.academia

LOVE LOVE LOVE. my favorite movie she's started in and so underrated!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

C.C. R

Parker Posey is perfect in this role. The soundtrack is great too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/22

Full Review

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Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Director

Parker Posey

Mary

Anthony DeSando

Derrick

Guillermo Díaz

Leo

Donna Mitchell

Rene

Liev Schreiber

Nigel

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Mary is a spiritual descendant of Holly Golightly, and there's an echo, as well, of Edie Sedgwick, the late Andy Warhol superstar who moved the American-princess-on-a-bender mythology into the drug-rock era.

Rated: B+

May 27, 2008

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Party Girl aspires to be cinematic champagne but comes out tasting more like sparkling cider.

May 27, 2008

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

This exudes trendiness at regular intervals, and otherwise manages to be reasonably charming about Manhattan's melting pot culture, but my general response was still 'Wake me when it's over.'

May 27, 2008

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Truly a movie for cool people who are also nerds.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Jason Shawhan

Nashville Scene

As a portrait of early-mid-’90s New York City (and I was there), the film endures because it doesn’t insist on its own legacy.

Nov 22, 2023

Full Review

Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

Almost three decades later, the humor, designer fashion and music hold up, and the film tackles quarter-life challenges such as high rent and a lack of living-wage job opportunities without feeling pedantic or like an after-school special.

Aug 16, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Although Mary (Parker Posey) has little income, she still finds ways to spend her nights at clubs. After being arrested for throwing an illegal rave, she asks her aunt Judy (Sasha von Scherler) for bail money. Judy then finds Mary a job at her library so that Mary can repay her. Initially, Mary finds the job as a clerk boring and stifling, and prefers to get to know a street food vendor (Omar Townsend) whom she likes. However, Mary must refocus her life once she loses her job and apartment.

Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Screenwriter: Harry Birckmayer, Sheila Gaffney, Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Distributor: Overseas FilmGroup, First Look
Production Co: Party Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.2K
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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