Prêt-à-Porter [Ready to Wear] ** (1994, Anouk Aimée, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Stephen Rea, Lauren Bacall, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, Sally Kellerman) – Classic Movie Review 9403

Robert Altman follows his masterworks The Player and Short Cuts with a much lesser movie in the same style, the 1994 satirical comedy-drama  Prêt-à-Porter [Ready to Wear], as models, designers and journalists gather for Paris Fashion Week.

The ensemble cast includes Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Kim Basinger, Chiara Mastroianni, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimée, Rupert Everett, Rossy de Palma, Tara Leon, Georgianna Robertson, Lili Taylor, Ute Lemper, Forest Whitaker, Tom Novembre, Richard E. Grant, Anne Canovas, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Lauren Bacall, Lyle Lovett, Tracey Ullman, Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, Teri Garr, Danny Aiello, Jean Rochefort, and Michel Blanc.

It was shot on location during Paris Fashion Week, which gives is a lively ‘you are there’ atmosphere and an impression that it has its finger on the fashion pulse. It is gossipy and soapy, which suits the subject, though the fashion business is hard to satirise as it often seems like a self parody.

Prêt-à-Porter is sometimes amusing and appealing, and the all-star cast spotting and fashion atmosphere are enjoyable. But it is blunt as a satire, and often slack and chaotic, failing to carve out a coherent narrative line through its series of unconnected stories, and must count as an Altman disappointment.

However, it was Golden Globe nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Supporting Actress (Sophia Loren). Indeed Sophia Loren does make a smart impression as Isabella de la Fontaine, the wife of Fashion Council head Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel), who chokes to death on a sandwich, leaving behind also a mistress and a Russian companion.

Miramax released the film in the US as Ready to Wear as it thought American audiences would not understand the French title, but it flopped anyway. It grossed $11,300,653 in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9403

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