Party Girl (1995 film)


Party Girl is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, starring Parker Posey, and notable for being the first feature film to premiere on the Internet.

Synopsis

Mary is a free-spirited party girl who spends her time dancing in clubs and throwing house parties. After she is arrested for illegally charging attendees at an underground rave, she calls upon her godmother, Judy Lindendorf, to bail her out. In order for Mary to repay the loan, Judy employs her as a clerk at the library where she works. Mary reluctantly begins her new job while striking up a romance with Lebanese street vendor and aspiring teacher, Mustafa. Though she initially has misgivings about her new line of work, she begins to learn how to deal with the Dewey Decimal System and her godmother's perception of her. Gradually, she becomes very good at her job but she gets fired after having sex with Mustafa in the library. With no money to pay the accumulating rent, she and her roommate Leo, a club DJ, face eviction from her apartment. Mary sells her clothes at a vintage shop in order to get money for the rent.
She also goes to make up with Mustafa, who she early had blown off for a date to work at the library. During one of her parties, though, Mary has a fight with Mustafa and takes drugs to forget. Her friend Nigel tries to take advantage of her, but she fights him off. The next day, she decides to get her life in order and become a librarian. Her fellow librarians help her sort out some of the areas in library sciences she could study. She invites Judy over to talk, but when they arrive Mary discovers to her horror that her friends have thrown her a surprise birthday party, complete with a male stripper. Mary tells a skeptical Judy that she has finally found her calling in life, and Mustafa and Leo tell Judy that Mary used her library science skills to help them with their careers. Impressed, Judy gives Mary her job back, and joins her god-daughter in dancing with her friends.

Cast

The film had a budget of $150,000 and was shot in 19 days. Much of the cast and crew were already mired in the queer downtown club scene long before the movie was made. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Posey recalls that in the early '90s she "would go out rollerblading at The Roxy on Sundays and to Love Machine, where I first saw RuPaul," and that, much like in Party Girl's club scenes, Posey "would dance with the queens, and they would just annihilate me on the dance floor with their moves."
According to the director Daisy von Scherler Meyer, "the fashion was really invented for the film. created an aesthetic for the character and for the movie and combined that with Parker Posey’s own fashion obsession." Posey says that they relied on favors to assemble the outfits: "“The wardrobe designer, Michael Clancy, and his assistant Vicky Farrell... pulled a lot of things from their friends" like designer Todd Oldham.

Internet debut

Party Girl premiered on the Internet on June 3, 1995, transmitted from Glenn Fleishman's Point of Presence Company. Appearing live in the POPCO offices, Posey welcomed Internet viewers and then introduced the film. Fleishman recalled the event:

Music

Much of the film takes place in clubs and at parties, and a supporting character is a DJ. There are many scenes directly discussing or playing music appropriate to the mid-1990s club scene, several local performers, and most music is diegetic, being clearly played in the scene.
TrackWritten ByPerformed ByScene in Film
"Mama Told Me Not to Come"Randy NewmanThe Wolfgang PressOpening party
"Beautiful"C. Frantz T. WeymouthTom Tom ClubMary, Leo, and Derrick getting ready to go to Rene's
"Les Ailes"Hadj Brahim KhaledKhaledMustafa's Falafel Stand
"Let's Go"Joseph LongoPal JoeyOutside Rene's with Mary, Leo, Nigel, and Derrick
"Aase Hechchagide "The AngelThe Angel featuring Cokni O'DireOutside Rene's with Mustafa and Nigel
"Puerto Rico"Frankie CutlassFrankie Cutlass ShowMary walking out of the library after she yells at the patron who put the book back incorrectly
"In The Dark We Live " Felix StallingsAphrohead, AKA Felix Da HousecatThe song just before Leo puts on Teddy Rogers
"To Be Loved"Heiner Zwahlen, Elisa BurchettBasscutWhen Leo flirts with Venus
"You Don't Love Me "Dawn PennDawn PennAfter Beautiful is done playing
"U Got Me Up"Cajmere, DajaeDajaeThe Natasha scene inside Rene's club
"Big Apple Boogaloo"Arthur Baker, Lati KronlundBrooklyn Funk EssentialsDerrick and Mary stealing clothes
"My Adidas / Peter Piper"Darryl McDaniels, Joseph SimmonsRun-DMCLeo and Mustafa
"Anyone Could Happen to Me"A Baker, A. Kroell, C. ReevesNation of AbelDuring Leo's first night working as a DJ at Rene's club
"If You Believe "Chantay Savage, Eric Miller, Michael DawsonChantay SavageLeo's first night working as a DJ at Rene's club, intercut with Mary's drunken adventure learning the Dewey Decimal System at the library
"Lick It! "Karen FinleyKaren FinleyThe song supposedly produced by the fictional Teddy Rogers, when Rene screams at Leo to turn it off
"Mustafa's Theme"Peter Daou, Vanessa DaouThe DaouUnknown
"House Of Love "Erick Morillo, Kenny LewisSmooth TouchMary's Arabic-style party
"Keep It Up!"Lutz Ludwig, Klaus JankuhnL.U.P.O.Final scene while the stripper is dancing
"Throw"Carl CraigCarl Craig Presents Paper Clip PeopleMary's Arabic-style party
'Music Selector Is the Soul Reflector"Dmitry BrillDeee-LiteMary's Drunken Dance
"Never Take Your Place"Larry HeardMr. FingersLeo and Derrick setting up Mary's party
"I'll Keep Coming Back"Charlene Munford, Al Mack, Terry JeffriesChanelleMary harassing Mustafa
"Hopefully Yours"Stina NordenstamStina NordenstamLeo and Mary in the shower
"Carnival '93 "G. Pizaro, R. MorilloClub UltimateMary's surprise party
"Party Girl "U. Nate, A. MackUltra NatéEnd Credits

Soundtrack album

The Party Girl soundtrack was released June 8, 1995 by Relativity Records.
  1. "Mama Told Me " – The Wolfgang Press
  2. "Beautiful" – Tom Tom Club
  3. "You Don't Love Me " – Dawn Penn
  4. "Les Ailes" – Khaled
  5. "I'll Keep Coming Back" – Chanelle
  6. "Big Apple Boogaloo" – Brooklyn Funk Essentials
  7. "Anyone Could Happen to Me" – Nation of Abel
  8. "Peter Piper" – Run–D.M.C.
  9. "To Be Loved" – Basscut
  10. "Never Take Your Place" – Mr. Fingers
  11. "Music Selector Is the Soul Reflector" – Deee-Lite
  12. "Party Girl " – Ultra Naté

    Reception

The film opened on June 9, 1995, and grossed $472,370 during its initial theatrical release, but has since become a cult classic. Posey says she often gets approached by librarians who are fans of the film: "Librarians and people who work in bookstores are like, “Oh my God, thank you so much. Party Girl made me want to become a librarian.” Von Scherler Meyer thinks Party Girl resonates with audiences because of the movie's authentic depiction of underrepresented communities: "When people say, 'Oh, the world is so diverse,' it’s like, 'No. That’s the world. You don’t represent the world in your stuff. Why is your world so segregated?' I think the world is messed up and Party Girl is normal." The movie has a 78% on RottenTomatoes.

Cultural influence

The film is often noted for its influence on fashion, particularly in the case of Mary's wardrobe.

Television spin-off

A television series based on the film was produced in 1996, starring Christine Taylor as Mary and Swoosie Kurtz as Judy. Although six episodes were filmed, only four were aired and the show was quickly cancelled.