I would never pretend to be an expert in the field of romantic comedies, especially when there are critics like my friend Rachel out there, discussing and dissecting the genre with knowledge that definitely surpasses my own. That being said, there’s an old saying (attributed to Orson Welles, among other people) that states “I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.” I suppose that statement applies as much to romantic comedies as anything, and while I may not be as well-versed in the genre as other movie-lovers, I can definitively say that certain subgenres of romcoms appeal to me more often than others. Supernatural romcoms are definitely among that group of personal favorites!
What’s a supernatural romcom? Well, friend, it can be defined as simply as this: it’s a romcom in which one member of the romantic couple is some kind of paranormal or otherwise strange being: a witch, a superhero, a time traveler, etc., etc., etc.
This genre typically flourishes best in the fertile soil of network TV, including beloved favorites like I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched as well as quirky obscurities like My Living Doll. However, one could easily make the argument that the best-crafted supernatural romcoms were those that were crafted for the big screen. From Golden-Age-Of-Hollywood goodies like I Married A Witch (1942) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958) to next-gen romcoms like Splash (1984) and Just Like Heaven (2005), the supernatural romcom has been a big part of romantic comedy practically since the dawn of modern filmmaking.
Writer-director Michael Gottlieb’s excursion into the subgenre began with a simple optical illusion: while passing a Bergdorf Goodman window display, he thought he saw one of the mannequins move. He knew he had experienced a simple trick of the eye, but the everyday occurrance planted an idea in his mind: what if a mannequin really did come to life, and what if a window dresser fell in love with it? Gottlieb began writing the script-possibly loosely inspired by One Touch of Venus, a 1948 film with a similar concept-to explore the idea.
The Mannequin script then fell into the hands of Joseph Farrell, one of the most influential people in Hollywood history even though he’s nowhere close to being a household name. You see, Farrell is the man who brought market research to Tinseltown. Through his company, the National Research Group (NRG), he introduced concepts like four-quadrant movies, box office forecasting, strategic release dates, focus-group screenings and audience polls. Francis Ford Coppola credits Farrell and NRG with making Apocalypse Now a commercial success; Farrell was the one who convinced Adrian Lyne to rework Fatal Attraction‘s ending into something more commercially viable, and, as one of the producers of Mannequin, he was determined to control every aspect of the film.
Were Farrell’s suggestions fruitful? By financial standards, they most defnitely were: the film grossed $42.7 million dollars against a $7.9 million dollar budget, turning a healthy profit for Twentieth Century-Fox and Cannon Film Group. When it comes to the suggestions’ artistic impact…well, that’s where the results get a little dicey. We’ll get to that, but first, on to the trailer!
Upon meething Jonathan Switcher (Andrew McCarthy), it quickly becomes obvious that he’s your typical, run-of-the-mill starving artist. After being fired from his mannequin-manufacturing job for being overly passionate about his work, he takes on a string of unfulfilling, bill-paying menial jobs, only to be released from each when his bosses fail to appreciate his artistic tendencies. As if that weren’t enough, he’s stuck in a loveless relationship with Roxie (Carole Davis), a ladder-climbing employee at the sleek, heartless department store Illustra.
One night, while exploring the streets of Philadelphia alone, Jonathan stops outside the front window of Prince & Co. department store, prominently featuring the very mannequin he poured his heart and soul into not so long ago! Desperate to be around his work of art, he gets a job working at Prince & Co., much to the delight of store owner Claire Timkin (Estelle Getty) and window dresser Hollywood (Meshach Taylor), and much to the chagrin of store VP Mr. Richards (James Spader) and screw-loose night watchman Felix Maxwell (G.W. Bailey).
One night, while working late, Jonathan is greeted by Emmy (Kim Cattrall), an ancient Egyptian princess-turned-time traveler who also happens to be Jonathan’s mannequin! The two team up-along, later, with the help of Hollywood- to create some truly impressive window displays, giving Prince & Co.’s flagging sales a much-needed boost. This infuriates Mr. Richards, who’s been trying to push a sale of the Prince & Co. property to Illustra. Together with Felix the mad security guard, Mr. Richards takes it upon himself to discover Jonathan & Emmy’s secret…
(Before we get to the gritty details, let’s address the two elephants in the room: the fact that Kim Cattrall-while beautiful-looks nothing at all like an ancient Egyptian, and, even more glaring, the construction of Hollywood’s character consisting of nothing but flagrant gay stereotypes. Neither of these things would fly today-and rightly so-and if these elements turn you off of giving the film a chance, I don’t blame you. Personally, though, I can’t bring myself to hate the movie for these elements, largely because I also see the movie trying to be progressive. There are lines in Mannequin that make it obvious that the filmmakers are on the side of gay rights. Sure, ’80s era progressivism can seem a little cringe-worthy in our times, but I do believe that, in this case, good intentions make this bitter pill a little easier to swallow.)
Mannequin is a movie playing with time-tested supernatural romcom story beats and ideas, with actors who seem to be carefully chosen for their roles. However, it doesn’t quite reach the level of light, bubbly chemistry that power the best romcoms. It would be easy to blame poor casting or a bland visual style, and yet these elements seem to be fairly well calibrated.
Nobody would ever accuse Andrew McCarthy of being an actor to challenge Olivier, but he doesn’t have to be in order to play Jonathan Switcher. He does a decent job of playing a likable, love-struck artist, well enough so that I’m considering finally taking a dive into Weekend at Bernie’s just to see more McCarthy. I’m a big fan of Kim Cattrall-she has a natural, relaxed acting style that fits each of her roles like a comfortable old shoe-and she’s great as the friendly, artistic, lovestruck Emmy (even if she doesn’t look Egyptian). Meshach Taylor makes Hollywood a likable-if rather dated-character, James Spader adds yet another strong villainous performance to his repertoire (it’s all he did in the 1980s, after all!), and G.W. Bailey adds some scenery-chewing fun to the mix as the psychotic night watchman, essentially filling the same kind of role he perfected as the ornery Captain in the Police Academy movies.
The film even looks pretty good, especially in terms of location selection and production design. Both Prince & Co. and Illustra were shot in existing stores, and each is visually interesting in their own right. Prince & Co. is one of those stately old department stores that, thanks to its architecture, makes you feel like you’re shopping in a palace; these kind of stores always give me a warm, homey feeling, probably due to their prominence in Christmas movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Elf. It looks beautiful, and so does Illustra, albeit in an entirely different way; the villainous store is dressed in a neon-drenched, mirror-ceilinged, tile-walled ’80s outfit, meant to stand in stark contrast to Prince’s classic style. As I said, though, I think Illustra looks just as great as Prince & Co., even if it is in a more plastic, kitschy sort of way!
If the casting is decent and the film looks good, what keeps Mannequin from greatness? Personally, I think it goes back to Joseph Farrell and his treatment of the film. Every step of the way, Farrell treated Mannequin not as a story to be told, but as a product to be marketed. Each cast member was chosen based on their popularity in the sort of role they were offered, which explains why each actor is portraying an archetype they had already mastered. Knowing tie-in songs were popular, Farrell hired Starship to write and perform “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” for the movie. When the producer’s primary focus is on creating a marketable product, it’s natural for that attitude to spill onto the whole crew. In this case, the result is a movie that’s less than the sum of its parts, something that feels more like a museum piece than a living, breathing story.
And yet…despite its flaws, I still like Mannequin, and more than one might think after having read the rest of this review. Why? Well, you see, while I moonlight as a film critic, by day, I’m one of those nameless retail workers who you encounter each time you venture out to buy your essentials-or whatever you’re buying. I like my job; I’m lucky to work with a collection of great people and for a company that treats its employees fairly well. However, there’s no denying that retail is an unglamorous job, and there are definitely difficult moments that might make one reconsider one’s life choices. Funny as it may sound, movies like Mannequin help make my job a little easier during those tough moments.
In a way, Mannequin is sort of a retail worker’s fantasy. That’s not to say that every employee dreams of marrying a walking, talking mannequin; that’s just ridiculous. (However, it is possible to find love among the shelves; just ask two of my co-workers, who met while working together and got married a week ago!) However, every retail worker-at least the ones I associate with-dream of having a job where they can be creative and express themselves through their work, and window dressing/merchandising is the best way to do so in a retail setting. It’s also nice to watch a movie in which a nameless employee and his girlfriend save the store through ingenuity and some creative planning. Such a tale can provide much-needed encouragement, especially when one works a job that can leave one feeling anonymous and unappreciated. In that sense, Mannequin can be good for the soul. It certainly was in my case!
In other words, Mannequin is a flawed movie that still manages to charm and inspire with its kitschiness and sense that things can go right in the world. In my book, a little hope and humor is more than enough to make up for some mistakes, especially during these difficult times. If you haven’t seen this one yet, I’d defnitely suggest checking it out!
The Vintage Vestibule 