''Perfume'' is a 2001 American film directed by
Michael Rymer
Michael Rymer (born 1 March 1963 in Melbourne) is an Australian television and film director, best known for his work on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' TV series, for which he directed the pilot miniseries and several episodes of the ...
and featuring an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
, starring
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law.
Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...
,
Leslie Mann
Leslie Jean Mann (born March 26, 1972) is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including ''The Cable Guy'' (1996), ''George of the Jungle'' (1997), '' Big Daddy'' (1999), '' Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 17 Again'' (2009), '' Funn ...
,
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels.
...
,
Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hadley Hemingway (born November 22, 1961) is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in ''Lipstick'' (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in ...
,
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff; October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include ''Volunteers'' (1985), ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), '' Now and Then'' (1995), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ...
,
Jared Harris
Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the AMC television drama series ''Mad Men'', for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Serie ...
,
Joanne Baron
Joanne Baron (born February 3, 1953) is an American actress and Meisner technique acting coach. She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Classical and Pawtucket High Schools. She received early acceptance to the University of Conn ...
, and
Michelle Williams. All dialogue was improvised by the actors. The film premiered at the 2001
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
.
Plot
A week prior to a
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
,
various models, photographers, agents, reporters, publicists and designers, involved in the fashion industry, find themselves embroiled in conflicts.
Anthony is a fashion photographer who has to reinvent himself after his signature
heroin chic
Heroin chic is a style popularized in early-1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, emaciated features, androgyny and stringy hair—all traits associated with abuse of heroin or other drugs. American sup ...
style has become overused and obvious.
Janice Crawford, powerful chief editor of ''A Magazine'', offers Anthony the chance to prove himself with a cover shot. In the meantime, Janice's estranged daughter Halley resurfaces unexpectedly.
Camille is an up-and-coming fashion designer who's leaving the small atelier owned by Roberta Colaredo to join the large fashion house Fantasia, for which her current lover, Jamie, works as a talent scout.
When Camille takes a deal, Roberta finds her atelier is setback.
Lorenzo Mancini is a famous Italian fashion designer who learns that he's dying of cancer, but keeps the news from his former wife Irene and his boyfriend Guido while also trying to prevent his son Mario from changing their family business into a new line that panders to
hip hop culture. Lorenzo meets with some hip hop artists who help open his mind to Mario's idea to cater to new clientele. Guido contacts Lorenzo's Irene who tells their son and daughter about the cancer diagnosis, so they are able to say goodbye.
Cast
Production
The film was shot in 20 days in New York. All actors were required to improvise their own dialogue based on a detailed outline by Michael Rymer and L.M. Kit Carson.
Jeff Goldblum served as an executive producer.
Reception
Todd McCarthy of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote, "Another attempt to nail the fashion industry, ''Perfume'' is more coherent and serious-minded than
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
's mess
''Ready to Wear'', but remains a less alluring creation."
McCarthy noted the characters felt thinly developed and lamented how the film’s "lack of interest in exposition, basic information about the relationships of many of the characters — whom they work for and why they’re behaving the way they are — remains vague for a considerable time."
Buzz McClain of ''
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
'' was more critical, writing, "In the end, you learn nothing about the fashion industry, you glean no insight into the characters, and you feel as if you've watched an acting class of self-conscious performers. If anything, ''Perfume'' only serves to point out how good Altman is."
Accolades
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
* Nominated—Producers Award: Nadia Leonelli
References
External links
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{{Michael Rymer
2001 films
2001 drama films
2001 independent films
Films about fashion
Films about fashion designers
Films about fashion photographers
Works about fashion magazine publishing
Films directed by Michael Rymer
2001 in fashion
American drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films