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Perfume

  • 20012001
  • RR
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
3.6/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Jeff Goldblum, Mariel Hemingway, Carmen Electra, Peter Gallagher, Omar Epps, and Estella Warren in Perfume (2001)
A week in the lives of a group of models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and other characters during a wild modeling show in New York City.
Play trailer1:36
1 Video
20 Photos
  • Drama
A week in the lives of a group of models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and other characters during a wild modeling show in New York City.A week in the lives of a group of models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and other characters during a wild modeling show in New York City.A week in the lives of a group of models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and other characters during a wild modeling show in New York City.
IMDb RATING
3.6/10
1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael Rymer
  • Writers
    • Michael Rymer
    • L.M. Kit Carson
  • Stars
    • Lysa Apostle
    • Joanne Baron
    • Morena Baccarin
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Rymer
  • Writers
    • Michael Rymer
    • L.M. Kit Carson
  • Stars
    • Lysa Apostle
    • Joanne Baron
    • Morena Baccarin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:36
    Trailer

    Photos20

    Estella Warren in Perfume (2001)
    Perfume (2001)
    Sônia Braga and Peter Gallagher in Perfume (2001)
    Estella Warren and Jared Harris in Perfume (2001)
    Estella Warren and Jared Harris in Perfume (2001)
    Michelle Forbes and D.W. Brown in Perfume (2001)
    Estella Warren in Perfume (2001)
    Jeff Goldblum and Harris Yulin in Perfume (2001)
    Paul Sorvino and Peter Gallagher in Perfume (2001)
    Jeff Goldblum and Leslie Mann in Perfume (2001)
    Michelle Williams in Perfume (2001)
    Paul Sorvino in Perfume (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lysa Apostle
    • Melissa
    Joanne Baron
    Joanne Baron
    • Janice Crawford
    Morena Baccarin
    Morena Baccarin
    • Monica
    Kylie Bax
    Kylie Bax
    • Maitre D'
    Angela Bettis
    Angela Bettis
    • Wilemina
    Heather J. Braden
    Heather J. Braden
    • Model
    Sônia Braga
    Sônia Braga
    • Irene Mancini
    • (as Sonia Braga)
    D.W. Brown
    D.W. Brown
    • Morton
    Chemin-Martinez Carroll
    • Posse Member 13
    Hunter Carson
    Hunter Carson
    • Peter McMichaels
    Murielle Arden
    • Heidi
    • (as Murielle Cohen)
    Carol Commissiong
    • Vendela
    Sara Conca
    • Model #2
    Eve Cook
    • Model
    Coolio
    Coolio
    • T
    Veronica De Laurentiis
    Veronica De Laurentiis
    • Lorenzo's Relative #2
    • (as Veronica DeLaurentis)
    Paul Diomede
    • Harmon
    Carmen Ejogo
    Carmen Ejogo
    • Chloe
    • Director
      • Michael Rymer
    • Writers
      • Michael Rymer
      • L.M. Kit Carson
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All the dialog was created by the actors.
    • Quotes

      Guido: Were do you keep the batteries, if you don't mind me asking?

    • Connections
      References The Mighty Mouse Playhouse (1955)
    • Soundtracks
      Cheruben
      Written by Adam Plack

      Performed by Lush

      Published by Yalumba Music (ASCAP)

      Courtesy of Australian Music Int'l

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    Hems and Hums
    I avidly pursue these small straight to video films because sometimes you hit gold. Last year, I was rewarded twice with 'Panic' and the delicious '10 Things...' That film resembles this in some ways. But then this resembles so many other projects, most closely Altman's 'Ready to Wear' but done in a 'Best in Show' technique where the actors devise the dialog. I'm very skeptical of that technique because actors just don't have the skills or interests to shape all the dimensions of a project. But they do well enough here to not embarrass and in one case: Sorvino and Gallagher as gentle lovers they do very, very well.

    But overall -- except for one major exception -- nothing in the film rises beyond pleasant spacefiller. There are lots of elements that might have been exploited but were not: the design of the eponymous perfume bottle, the state of the adrift daughter, the intelligence of the street designer (indeed, mirroring of one designer's acceptance and ones rejection of damaged children), the entrée to the big time through a sexual initiation and rejection, the drive to style and influence.

    The sad thing is the lack of style in the whole project: It lacked any, and this seemed strange: it was as if the whole thing were told through an urchin's eyes.

    There is one thing, one sequence, that makes this project worthwhile. As with most modern scripts, there is a self-referential bit. Here, the filmmaker is represented by a photographer who is presented with a promising subject. But she comes attached with 'dialog' that they both feel uncomfortable with. So they forcefully eject those that force these constraints and just ad lib the session. Naturally, that's what Rymer is doing with the film, so this scene is underscored. (The photographer is later rewarded for his intuition.) The importance of these scene is further emphasized by framing the whole film by two other sessions of this photographer -- the first is of him photographing nude women (obviously a nod to the expected exposure of the raw personalities of fashion to come). This is a glam heroin shot that emphasizes the wan 'pain' of the girls. Estella shows up and refuses to participate.

    Then at the end, we have the same photographer, on the street, shooting a healthy-looking Estella while the drugaddled daughter walks by in the background. So that scene in the middle where the photographer/filmmaker takes things into his own hands is the soul of the movie. And it is a worthy sequence.

    First of all, it features Mariel Hemingway, someone whose mere presence is impressive. The implicit pun on hemming is not beneath the level of allusion here. More powerful is the association with her famous grandfather (who killed himself) and her sister (who also killed herself). That sister made a big splash by endorsing perfume. Mariel is an enormously compelling screen presence, here at 40, and hypnotizingly lovely.

    The dialog in this section is wonderful -- that stuff they say when the actual shoot is underway. In the story, that relationship between seer and seen, between designer and human art forms the armature for the whole evening: It is only a couple minutes -- he with his Mighty Mouse, she with her Moody Blues.
    helpful•8
    1
    • tedg
    • Jul 7, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 26, 2001 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dress to Kill
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • MainPix
      • Manifesto Vision
      • Moonstar Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Jeff Goldblum, Mariel Hemingway, Carmen Electra, Peter Gallagher, Omar Epps, and Estella Warren in Perfume (2001)
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