Party Girl (1995)

Party girl Mary gets bailed out of jail by her librarian godmother. She starts working at the library, slowly fills her empty brain.

Director:

Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Writers:

Harry Birckmayer (story), Daisy von Scherler Mayer (story)

Stars:

Parker Posey, Omar Townsend, The Lady Bunny

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
The Lady Bunny	...	The 'Lady' Bunny (as The 'Lady' Bunny)
Lum Chang Pang	...	Policeman
Parker Posey	...	Mary
Anthony DeSando	...	Derrick (as Anthony De Sando)
Liev Schreiber	...	Nigel
Guillermo Díaz	...	Leo (as Guillermo Diaz)
Omar Townsend	...	Mustafa
Elizabeth Beer	...	Hi-Tech Falafel Vendor
Sasha von Scherler	...	Judy Lindendorf
Richard Topol	...	Hannah Arendt Buff
C. Francis Blackchild	...	Wanda
John Ventimiglia	...	Tough Guy (as Johnny Ventimiglia)
Donna Mitchell	...	Rene
Dwight Ewell	...	He-He-Hello Trio
Wendell Daughtery	...	He-He-Hello Trio

Storyline

Mary is a free-spirited young woman with a run-down New York apartment and a high fashion wardrobe. She calls her godmother, a librarian, for bail money after being arrested for throwing an illegal party. To repay the loan, she begins working as a library clerk. At first she hates it, but when challenged decides to master the Dewey Decimal System and become a great library clerk, while romancing a falafel vendor and helping her roommate in his goal to become a professional DJ.

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Plot Keywords:

irresponsibility | disc jockey | street food vendor | male stripper | lebanese man | 

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Taglines:

Sassy, savvy and definitely clued-in!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber starred in Scream 3 (2000) together, although they didn't share any scenes.

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Quotes

Mary: I may have made a mistake but that is no reason to patronize me. It is dismaying that your expectations are based on the performance of a lesser primate, and also revelatory of a managerial style which is sadly lacking. Is it any wonder then that I've chosen not to learn the intricacies of an antiquated and idiotic system
[grunt]
Mary: i think not!
Judy Lindendorf: Re-code it!
Mary: Fuck you!
Judy Lindendorf: Re-code it!
Mary: If you had really loved my mother, you wouldn't treat me like this.

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Crazy Credits

Mary's singing can be heard again at the very end of the credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #1.1 (2001)

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Soundtracks

Big Apple Boogaloo
Written by Arthur Baker, Lati Kronlund
Performed by Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Courtesy of Dorado Records / Black Plastic Magic
Used by Permission of Shakin' Baker Music BMG Music Publishing (BMI)

User Reviews

I Wish Parker Posey Would Get More Star Vehicles Like This

Parker Posey flashes her 1,000-kilowatt smile frequently in this film, and your enjoyment of the movie will rely primarily on how smitten you are by Posey's quirky charm.

Count me as a follower. I think Posey is a hoot in everything she's in, incapable of giving an ordinary performance. I have a feeling that in "Party Girl" she plays a variation of herself, but that's just fine with me. She appears in virtually every frame of the film, but the movie isn't much of anything without her, so I welcomed the overdose of Posey.

The script for "Party Girl" feels half-assed, though I did appreciate the existential crisis faced by Posey's character and the shelter she seeks in the Dewey Decimal System as a way of bringing order to her chaotic existence. I wish the screenwriters had taken clever hooks like that further. And the ending had a conventional, all-loose-ends-tied-up quality that would better suit a television sitcom than an out-there indie film.

But none of these faults take anything away from Posey herself, so really, how serious can they be?

Grade: B

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

9 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Party Girl

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,237, 11 June 1995

Gross USA:

$472,370

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$472,370

Company Credits

Production Co:

Party Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1