Mannequin (1987)

Absolutely the worst movie.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Andrew McCarthy in this film got an opportunity to create and bring to life the girl of his dream. He's got an artist's temperament and has to express himself wherever he works. But sadly he works for employers who value speed and quantity so he can't hold a job. Working in a department store he fashions a Mannequin that is the girl of his dreams. And when he gives her a kiss, Kim Cattrall springs to life, but only for him. Saving the life of department store magnate Estelle Getty gets him a job at her store and he shows genius in creating truly great display windows. But he works at night and it's Cattrall who keeps inspiring McCarthy.Sad to say that there are any number of people who have differing agendas who are looking to put Getty's department store out of business, some of them working for her like James Spader, Carole Davis, Steve Vinovich and Christopher Maher.Part of Mannequin's appeal for me is this incredible cast of supporting players all of whom seem to be trying to top themselves with overacting. The best two are Meshach Taylor as the very flamboyant designer Hollywood who becomes McCarthy's best friend and G.W. Bailey the store security guard who if he wasn't ready for the rubber room trying to catch McCarthy doing something wrong will put him there. Seeing McCarthy in a compromising position with a store Mannequin makes him sure we can get him on a moral's clause.McCarthy and Cattrall through all this scenery chewing are a pair of appealing leads. Mannequin got one Oscar nomination for Best Song for the hit Nothing's Going To Stop Us Now.The film is 30 years old and it is still fresh and appealing as its leads. And very funny indeed.

What a flashback to the Hollywood days of old. Where sexual harassment is accepted, homophobia sometimes okay and miracles with almost zero explanation can be dismissed in seconds.It's hard to criticize a movie like Mannequin. Sure, it's crazy, goof- ball and would never happen back then or now, but it was a light- hearted, fantasy of love across…the ages? At least it wasn't as dark as other mannequin stories like I Know Who Killed Me and 2012's Maniac. Basically, the ALWAYS lovely Kim Cattrall wishes for something more in Ancient Egypt and the gods fast forward her a few times over the millennia to finally land with Andrew "Jonathan" McCarthy. Only, she's trapped in a mannequin's form so no one but Jonathan can see her. Oh, and he falls in love with her and because others see her as a stiff, pure antics ensue.It's cute, it's harmless – well, except for said un-PC themes mentioned above and best of all, it gave the world one of the best movie songs of all time: 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship.Sorry, lest I forget, it also provided the outrageously fabulous Hollywood character in which Jonathan was the straight man of the duo. Um, no pun…? Definitely worth a watch if you loved it back then or for the first time today. It still holds up, if you just remember one simple rule: this was made in and is 100% pure 80s. ***Final thoughts: I mentioned homophobia above, and some of the characters are, though one might be closeted, himself. But, it was refreshing to see how Jonathan and Meshach "Hollywood" Taylor took to each other very nicely. Plus, Jonathan, who barely knew Hollywood early on and most certainly not as good friends with him until later, completely defends gays while making a statement against bigots. That was nice to see a stand in a 80s movie that could've very well taken the stance: "Well, that's just the world we live in."Additionally, I wonder if True Blood's Nelsan Ellis got even a little bit of inspiration for his Lafayette Reynolds character from Hollywood. Hmmm

I think to like this film you really have to be an apologist for the decade that taste forgot, the 80's. I actually wanted to like this film, I mean I love fantasy films but when I'm pushed to offer the most obvious insult about it, that the actual mannequins in the department store act better than any of the humans, then I guess I'm in a pretty bad way. Might I have thought differently if I was 13 years old at the time of the original release...well no, I hope not.This really is just an awful rom-com feature, trying, I don't know, to capitalise on the success of other films where ordinary guy meets other-worldly girl and finds true love after a series of madcap adventures..."Splash" anyone?I also have to say it, there is something weird about watching Andrew McCarthy's character smooch a blow-up doll and carry it around with him everywhere. His romance with Kim Cattrell's Roxie character, who conveniently time-travels to mid-80's Philadelphia from ancient Egypt and helps him in his job as a window-designer at a big store, takes in various attempts at slapstick, particularly with an over-zealous store detective, his dog and the conniving store executive he reports to.The comedy is non-comedic, the story is paper-thin, the characters even less so. I don't know who I hated most, besides those already mentioned, but there's also the camp black stylist McCarthy pals up with, the big bad department store-owner rival who takes his girl and the little-old-lady heart-of-gold shop owner who takes his part.With an inane soundtrack, forced situations and awful dialogue, I watched this film to the end, just to get to the end. Sorry I just thought it was terrible and nothing's gonna stop that thought.

Evidently, the IMDb Users are not familiar with the farce as a theatrical form - a comic dramatic work that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. Farces are often highly incomprehensible plot-wise (due to the large number of plot twists and random events that occur), but viewers are encouraged not to try to follow the plot in order to avoid becoming confused and overwhelmed. Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, broadly stylized performances (buffoonery and horseplay) and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.Here a great cast of character actors and a supernatural plot, adds up to a farce. A form where great character actors Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Estelle Getty, James Spader, G.W. Bailey and Mesach Taylor can ham it up and overact for the laughs. Even the minor players Carole Davis, Steve Vinovich and Christopher Maher continue the broadly played comedic characters with an excess of ham and absurdity. It's just fun and a guilty pleasure.It you didn't get either, you must have checked your sense of humor at the opening credits or you've become too sophisticated for I Love Lucy or the Three Stooges and that is sad.