Name: Retro Film Review: Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter, 1994)
Item: Prêt-à-Porter
Rating: 50
Author: @drax

(source: tmdb.org)

For the author of this review clothing is primarily the invention that protects human body from the natural elements. In some occasions clothes can be the source of aesthetic pleasure, but such instances are too rare to justify the phenomenon of modern fashion industry. Teen models that promote anorexia, bulimia, self-mutilation and heroin use; outfits that can be worn only by masochists, exhibitionists and other sexual perverts; instant stardom for people who create clothes that average person can't afford; and billions of dollars that could be spent for things like sheltering cyclone victims in Bangladesh – all that can be seen as a symptom of decline of Western civilisation and, in light of it, people might even have some understanding for Bin Laden and his ilk. So when Robert Altman made satirical attempt on fashion industry in 1994 film Ready to Wear a.k.a. *Prêt-à-Porter *, the author of this review greeted that effort with enthusiasm.

Like in most of the best known Altman's films, there isn't anything resembling clear plot. Just like in Nashville or Short Cuts, there is a series of loosely connected subplots dealing with large number of characters that happen to be one place at a particular time. In this case, the place is Paris, where crème de la crème of fashion industry – models, designers and media - gather for one of two annual fashion shows. This is an opportunity for Altman to show us whole variety of unusual characters and present hypocrisy, depravity and pointlessness that rule supreme in that world.

For many people, including the author of this review, Ready to Wear was a disappointment. Script by Altman and Barbara Schulgasser is at times really mean towards fashion industry, but the edge, that used to be so effective against Hollywood in The Player, is missing. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Altman and Schulgasser had less knowledge of fashion industry than of Hollywood. Loose structure of this film works against it - some subplots and characters are effective, and some aren't and only makes this film longer than it should be. Some characters (including celebrities playing themselves in cameo roles) appear for no apparent reason. The stories are often interrupted with quasi-documentary footage of fashion shows and, consequently, film loses its pace. The thing that saves Ready to Wear are the actors who seem to have great deal of fun playing outrageous and often pathetic characters (especially Richard E. Grant and Forest Whitaker as two gay designers or Marcello Mastroianni and Sofia Loren as old lovers). The other thing is ironic, not so subtle but nevertheless very effective ending that would undoubtedly please some male members of the audience. In any case, Ready to Wear, despite being a disappointment, still presents us with an interesting look towards one of the most visible phenomena of modern culture.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on October 15th 2001)