"Perfume" is apparently supposed to be a behind the scenes look at the world of high fashion; designers, models, photographers, gurus, wanabees, divas, dilettantes, etc. all involved in their daily esoteric industry activities in NYC. In spite of an even temperament and a sense of earnestness, this project just proves again that a good cast a good film does not make. A lackluster flick which wanders from one stagey scene to another showing us stammering characters with little depth while leaving us feeling disconnected, "Perfume" is marginally entertaining at best. With no story per se, no one to care about, and no clear insights into the fashion biz, there's little reason to recommend this fragrance. (C)
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=G=1 December 2002
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claudio_carvalho18 March 2006I bought this VHS attracted and curious by the beautiful and unknown Estella Warren, highlighted in the cover of the Brazilian VHS, and the long list of famous actors and actresses, including Sonia Braga. However, this movie proves that quantity will never mean quality (only in "IMDb User Rating") "Perfume" is indeed a boring and shallow movie, with very artificial lines. This crap looks like a sequel of the awful Robert Altman's "Prêt-à-Porter". The characters are not well developed, most of them only appear to give their names to the credits and create expectation of a good movie; the storyline about the world fashion is terrible and ambitious; and the awkward actress Leslie Mann, who plays one of the lead roles, has unpleasant and terrible tone of voice and corporal posture. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Perfume" -
In the world of high fashion, it seems, no one can account for the smiling models' faces, staring at us from magazines. There is the bi-sexual fashion designer (Paul Sorvino) who learns that he has incurable cancer. Although he keeps this a secret, he is far from encouraging to his in-the-same-business son. A young fashion designer (Leslie Mann) has broken with her former mentor (Rita Wilson), much to the older woman's chagrin and rage. The young protégé is also sleeping with an potent businessman (Jeff Goldblum) but no one is certain if she likes him or his influence. Meanwhile, a fashion magazine publisher is receiving a visit from the daughter (Michelle Williams) she abandoned 12 years ago, only to start ladling on the suggestions for a change in clothes and hairstyle for her sweet offspring. No one appears to be happy in this world. Is this what is truly going on? This film was made before The Devil Wears Prada, which at least had a happy ending, but it has the same take on the fashion biz, that it is cutthroat and heartless. If this is what is that world is like, no one should venture into the field without a shrink in tow. Then, too, the movie is a pseudo-documentary that introduces new characters at random and leaves the viewer scrambling to understand what has and is going on. The performances are fine, as are the costumes and settings, and the script has some memorable lines. But, it is not enough to make the movie a winner and the depressing nature of the film makes it anything but a pleasure to watch. If you have a young daughter or son interested in becoming a model, do show this film to them as a precaution to the world they may be entering. Otherwise, unless you deliberately want to watch a film without any joy, you would do well to steer clear of Perfume.
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tedg7 July 2002I avidly pursue these small straight to video films because sometimes you hit gold. Last year, I was rewarded twice with 'Panic' and the delicious '10 Things...' That film resembles this in some ways. But then this resembles so many other projects, most closely Altman's 'Ready to Wear' but done in a 'Best in Show' technique where the actors devise the dialog. I'm very skeptical of that technique because actors just don't have the skills or interests to shape all the dimensions of a project. But they do well enough here to not embarrass and in one case: Sorvino and Gallagher as gentle lovers they do very, very well.
But overall -- except for one major exception -- nothing in the film rises beyond pleasant spacefiller. There are lots of elements that might have been exploited but were not: the design of the eponymous perfume bottle, the state of the adrift daughter, the intelligence of the street designer (indeed, mirroring of one designer's acceptance and ones rejection of damaged children), the entrée to the big time through a sexual initiation and rejection, the drive to style and influence.
The sad thing is the lack of style in the whole project: It lacked any, and this seemed strange: it was as if the whole thing were told through an urchin's eyes.
There is one thing, one sequence, that makes this project worthwhile. As with most modern scripts, there is a self-referential bit. Here, the filmmaker is represented by a photographer who is presented with a promising subject. But she comes attached with 'dialog' that they both feel uncomfortable with. So they forcefully eject those that force these constraints and just ad lib the session. Naturally, that's what Rymer is doing with the film, so this scene is underscored. (The photographer is later rewarded for his intuition.) The importance of these scene is further emphasized by framing the whole film by two other sessions of this photographer -- the first is of him photographing nude women (obviously a nod to the expected exposure of the raw personalities of fashion to come). This is a glam heroin shot that emphasizes the wan 'pain' of the girls. Estella shows up and refuses to participate.
Then at the end, we have the same photographer, on the street, shooting a healthy-looking Estella while the drugaddled daughter walks by in the background. So that scene in the middle where the photographer/filmmaker takes things into his own hands is the soul of the movie. And it is a worthy sequence.
First of all, it features Mariel Hemingway, someone whose mere presence is impressive. The implicit pun on hemming is not beneath the level of allusion here. More powerful is the association with her famous grandfather (who killed himself) and her sister (who also killed herself). That sister made a big splash by endorsing perfume. Mariel is an enormously compelling screen presence, here at 40, and hypnotizingly lovely.
The dialog in this section is wonderful -- that stuff they say when the actual shoot is underway. In the story, that relationship between seer and seen, between designer and human art forms the armature for the whole evening: It is only a couple minutes -- he with his Mighty Mouse, she with her Moody Blues. -
Maybe you have to be in the know of the fashion industry to like this movie? As a mainstream movie fan, or someone who is a fan of any of the actors in this movie, this is a boring and uneventful film. The plot was very confusing, and I had to stop the movie about half way through to re-read the story line on the back of the box to half figure out what was going on. Estella Warren is in the foreground of the picture on the box, but she is a very minor character in the film. Carmen Electra is the girlfriend of Omar Epps, but it was a completely useless character who was barely in the film. Omar Epps is a great actor, but with so many characters and story lines going on at once, he is hardly in the film as well. I did like Jeff Goldblum in this film, but his girlfriend (if she was even his girlfriend) was too whiny to care much about. Overall, I would say skip this movie unless you have been in the fashion industry personally, then maybe you can figure out what is going on I guess.
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MarieGabrielle22 April 2006Taking on the fashion world- not a difficult thing to portray as far as shallowness and alienation. The only actor who is well used is Michelle Williams, as the disaffected daughter of a vain self-centered NY fashion magazine (or ragazine) editor. Think Helen Gurley Brown, or read the NY Times review of Ms. Brown's take on younger generations (in her case this means at least five) and the selfishness as they don't offer her a seat on a NYC crosstown bus. Good for a few laughs. However, I digress.
Jeff Goldblum is usually very good, but comes off as a whiny unsympathetic player; Harris Yulin is wasted as a fashion maven, who recruits young talent. Paul Sorvino portrays a Versace-like designer, whose partner is Peter Gallagher; unintentionally comical. Sonia Braga is also wasted, as she is not used for more than twenty minutes of the film.
The worst segment by far is the sequence with Mariel Hemingway- ..."you know pashminas are so out now, don't you"?"... some gofer for the fash mag tells her; the tone is affected and the camera angles disturbing.
Narcissism really isn't funny anymore. Now that we have it 24/7 with reality TV and other trash cranked out regularly for the public, the only way to make a film with this subject matter, is something along the lines of "Pret a Porter" (ready to wear) which was utterly stupid, but at least made fun of itself without a futile attempt at cleverness. -
kkornyh31 July 2003I picked up the movie 'cos it seemed interesting, but first impressions aren't always right..
Perfume was a movie that was really hard to watch from the beginning to the end, the story (if there actually is one!) is bad and the acting is even worse. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the movie is horrible. -
louis_phb5 August 2002It was a Sunday night and i'm single, and my roomate was out of town, so all i could think of was renting a few movies. I picked this one up because the box seemed to have an interesting cast (Goldblum got me to pick this up) and the synopsis on the back sounded promising. Honestly, the only reason I watched this is because my PS2 DVD player wouldn't play my first pick, Lost and Delirious. I nevertheless put the movie in, and I right away didn't enjoy it. It was chock-full of poor acting, and I never felt anything for the characters, who were all just so bland. I also didn't like the fact that the cover boasted such names as Carmen Electra (who was featured for all of five minutes) when they didn't even play a reasonably important role. Overall, i gave it a 2 just out of pity, because the only 1 I have ever given was for Backyard Dogs, and I intend on doing so. As i said, unless you are fascinated about the fashion world, and by that i mean, well, obsessed, do yourself a HUGE favor and ask your video store manager to send this movie back to the distribution company.
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ctodd100025 November 2002If you've ever been around "the fashion world," or grown up reading "fashion magazines," you will understand EXACTLY what this film portrays: "Life, Exactly As They Know It!" The "choppiness" and "vagueness" objected to by other reviewers is EXACTLY why this is such a great film, why this is such a "Real" film: anyone who has ever been around "these people" will see exactly how the dialogue mirrors "real life" in the fashion / magazine biz. The "one real scene" between Hemmingway and the photographer (as described by another reviewer) is precisely showing how rare and difficult a "real" moment is to find. In fact, they are ALL "real scenes," wherein lies their power. The scene where the daughter, (not "drug addled," by the way, as described by another reviewer) who is the antithesis of "fashion," describes how reading magazines "makes her feel bad about herself" and her mother's instant rejection and leaving of the restaurant, is telling precisely the truth. And then any woman who rejects "fashion standards" is left alone at the table. The emptiness of the life and the constant ebb and flow of current, changing tides, makes any real or lasting connection impossible. This is even alluded to with Paul Sorvino in one discussion about going to the hip-hop look: something to the effect of "in Europe, classic can last... in America, you have to keep moving!" Then the hip hop boys point out that the baggy-pants hip hop look was born from poverty and "10 brothers and sisters, but the suburban kids will follow" even at an unaffordable $150.00 a pop! But that's the game!" Until I saw this film, I never understood why I was not accepted - could never connect with anyone in the "Fashion Crowd" when I lived in Paris and New York. Now I know why. What was there to connect to? People who "didn't want to be nothing" People who made their living preying on others creativity and beauty, at the cost of making everyone else feel like "less?" An industry that feeds on people's insecurities and wanting to "fit in?" I liked the daughter the best. She stood alone, sad and lost, but stayed true to herself in the end and went on home, wherever that might be. There are so many profound statements in the dialogue of this film that it would be worth printing every one of them here. Perhaps some film buff / college student might write a dissertation on this film alone. Who sang the beautiful music with hip hop and opera combined? I would love to have a music CD of the film, and am buying the DVD just so I can "listen to the film" again and again. Hope to see more. Thank you all! Great job!
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aimless-4613 February 2006Wow, I never expected to find myself in the position of defending a film like "Perfume" which I only watched because Angela Bettis had a small role. But having recently viewed similar fashion industry/magazine films, "Fashionably LA" and "The Intern", I am unexpectedly well versed in this narrow sub-genre. Coming from that perspective "Perfume" is a lyrical masterpiece, both more ambitious and more successful than those two disasters. But since everything is relative this comparison may not translate into anything very useful for the prospective viewer.
First on the agenda is a cautionary statement about the trailer, the DVD cover, and the general promotional campaign. The cast is grossly misrepresented. Carmen Electra is given first billing but appears in only one short scene, a wide shot of her talking to Paul Sorvino. Supermodel Estella Warren is highlighted on the promotional poster but is just window dressing in two scenes. The five biggest parts are played by Rita Wilson, Leslie Munn, Joanne Baron, Jared Harris, and Sorvino, none of whom are even mentioned in the promotional materials.
But promotional misrepresentation, even to this extreme, has no relationship to the quality of the film. What "Perfume" has going for it (like Robert Altman's "Pret a Porter") is success working on two levels, as a glimpse inside the fashion industry and as a metaphorical extension (of what it reveals) to our day-to-day struggle in the competitive world. Whether we are artists, artisans, robots, or drones; each day is one of struggle with external competitors and internal demons.
How well the film works for individual viewers will be determined by the identification process, which will naturally be easier for those familiar with the world of high fashion or with other environments where creativity is exploited for profit.
Although "Perfume" was a scripted film there is considerable improvisation in the performances, with mixed results. For example, Harris and Mariel Hemingway do a photographer/model photo shoot where his improv is excellent and hers is somewhat lame. Although this initially seems like poor directing, on reflection it is more authentic than giving Hemingway carefully scripted lines and a smooth delivery.
"Perfume" is recommended for those who might identify with its setting or its themes. The production design, the editing, and the soundtrack are first class. But if you are annoyed rather than challenged by films with an elliptical storytelling technique and many characters you would do well to give this one a wide berth.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. -
emiperkins9 April 2004I really enjoyed this movie, and was surprised that a movie with such an all-star cast got such little recognition. Life is about relationships, and I felt that this movie showed a wonderful variety of family relationships without delving too deeply into cliches of "family life". Jared Harris gave a fantastic, understated performance, and Mariel Hemingway was phenomenal. I'm a big Jeff Goldblum fan, and was typically transfixed by his performance here. Joanne Baron played a caricature that was actually human. As for the soundtrack, I have to agree with the others who commented on the music. It was a beautiful blend of hip-hop and opera (most likely commenting on the budding relationship between Lorenzo Mancini and J.B.) that reminded me strongly of the diva's performance in 'The 5th Element.'
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sassycotb30 January 2006I don't think this was meant to be appealing or entertaining as a mainstream film. I think that as an offering to the mainstream as glimpse into the fashion industry, it hit it's mark. You were invited into that culture for a little while, listen, trail behind and watch, and left to draw your own conclusions about some of it. It had enough of a documentary-reality media feel to it to be very compelling, if you wished to participate.
I hung out on the fringes of the fashion media industry for about 10 years when I lived in New York, and I can tell you that I had or heard some of those very same conversations - I could just about finish so many of their sentences. There really are the Janices who leave their families behind, etc., etc.
I appreciate a film or a book that doesn't spoon-feed me information, or tell me how I need to feel. I like to be able to bring something of myself to it; that to me is intelligent interaction, and what art at every level is all about. -
jouhaan13 February 2002The mood and contents of the film seems to have something in common with Abel Ferrara´s style. People in the movie doesn´t really have anything to believe in. Life seems to be very meaningless. Tragic and comedy at the same time. But Perfume is a little bit lime. The idea of the movie is truly sweet. Actors having an excellent character history, and having them improvise all the scenes. Also strong Materialism depictions are great. The result is a little bit lime anyway. I truly recommend Michael Rymer´s fantastic work Angel Baby. That is truly a strong movie, even though a little bit underlined. Perfume is not underlined and that is the originality of Perfume.
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jppettinato23 May 2002This was my kind of flick, from someone who loves films but rarely finds one to rave about, simply stated, "it suspended my disbelief." Don't believe the other user comments, Perfume takes you on a ride not only through the fashion world but also through life's obstacles in careers, love, and most importantly family.
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This is a must see film.Its not about naked girls or glamourous people or even a definitive inside look at the fashion industry.If you can't identify or sympathize with most of the characters;thats the point.If you think their interactions are shallow;thats the point.If you are constantly disapointed with the caliber of american cinema;support this film because the makers went out on a limb,took big risks and created a film that shows modern business and personal relationships from many subtle perspectives and with artistic integrity that seldom bypasses the corporate maise of mainstream film....think of it as a great foriegn film,in english,made by americans,in your own back yard.
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matkasouza29 January 2006Just watched this film with my husband and we found it to be very interesting. Yes, there are lots of characters, and many of them have small parts. We found the movie to have a good plot line, that kept us involved with the story line through to the end. We have no experience with the fashion world, but had no trouble keeping up with all the business deals going on. Jeff Goldblum's character was well played as the "talent scout" who gets wounded in the end, and the mother daughter storyline was also well done. The attempted introduction of an "urban" clothing line to a prominent traditional menswear design house was a good twist. I like to see known actors in smaller roles. I would recommend it to others.
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Ten minutes pass into the movie, and I think, okay, not every movie has to have a plot or anything at the beginning. Ten minutes later I understood: we've got a major piece of garbage on our hands. Rarely have I seen a duller or more pointless film - ever. But it really cannot be any different since it tackles the world of fashion - and in a serious manner, without any satire or irony! Does the "auteur" Michael Rymer really believe that there is real substance and depth in a fashion designer or his empty-headed bimbo cat-walkers? There are endless dialogues, 95% of which are mind-numbingly boring and utterly pointless. Watching this fantastic collection of human vomit is like being surrounded by a murmur in a busy New York market: nothing is understood, nothing is relevant, and the tendency quickly arises to stick ear-plugs into your ears to avoid the senseless buzzing that encircles you. Only a certifiable moron or a pretentious and somewhat bird-brained man could concoct this forgettable mess. Rymer uses the Altman cross-dialogue style, but to no avail; Rymer is like a 5 year-old who just got a camera from Dad and tries to re-enact "Star Wars" with his pre-school buddies. There was only one moment of interest - or shock, rather - in this entire hopeless venture: when I read in the end-credits words that made everything clear: "All dialogue was improvised by the actors." Tuh-duh! Well, I thought, this certainly explains why nothing interesting whatsoever was said in the entire movie: Rymer, the self-assured "artiste", felt secure enough in his own infinite artistry to get a collection of actors who'll do the whole thing for him. And the best thing is that two people (among them the auteur) are credited for the "writing". What writing? Rymer seems to have forgotten (or probably doesn't realize) that 99% of actors are whores and morons, and that without text to learn like parrots (I apologize herewith for insulting any parrots) they are only empty shells, totally useless, clueless and lost. This sense of being lost is evident in every scene of the movie: total, utter cluelessness. It also baffles me how anyone who quite obviously thinks that he is an "artiste" could actually consider the fashion world worthy of his (artistic) time?! I cannot think of any part of the business or economic or whichever other world less worth doing a movie about than a bunch of six-foot flat-chested cocaine-sniffing retards and their bisexual limp-wristed face-lifted designers - except to poke fun at. (The amazing thing is that no one has yet made a truly remorseless satire or parody about this pathetic world, even though the targets are more than easy to ridicule.) The cast is "blah": Paul Sorvino comes off as a clown with his phony-sounding Italian accent and big-teddy-bear attitude; Jared Harris is almost the first actor we see and that is a blow in itself; one of the Hemingway sisters quite pretentiously (and badly) plays herself, etc, etc. Goldblum is also in this; the tall doofus co-produced this crap, which says everything about him. Sorvino plays an embarrassing scene in which he discusses the possibilities of a business venture with a rapper; Easy Jay Ziggy D'N Da House Yo-Bro the rapper proceeds to talk (rap) about how the clothes he wears are such because the blacks all have ten brothers and sisters and no money, la-di-da-di-da. Plain awful. (And this was probably the only watchable scene in the movie!) And has there ever been a more unfascinating, uninteresting, and more hopeless scene than when the two giants of cinema, children of nepotism, and uniquely ugly cinematic individuals, Mariel Hemingway and Jarred Harris, have a long improvised scene together in which they exchange experiences from childhood? I think not, and so does anyone with an iota of a brain cell. I have spoken.
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martinpersson9715 September 2023This film, by a great director, is definitely a worthwhile experience - and a true, somewhat hidden, gem of the year.
The realities of the situation it conveys are handled incredibly well, perhaps in a somewhat controversial light, and it doesn't shy away from the horrors or dramas - all conveyed to exception by the incredible actors, who all do an incredible and career defining job.
The cinematography, cutting and editing is great, very unique and very interesting. Very beautifully put together overall.
It is somewhat of a shame that the score is rather low, and I do believe the somewhat controversial and unconventional style may contribute to that.
I would however recommend that you give this drama a chance! -
jklenk6 February 2003The movie was okay. It had weak moments and it had great moments. The cinematography was superb. Perfume was filmed without a script, and the actors did a fine job in ad-libbing. The best part of the film, is the soundtrack. I have been looking everywhere for the film composer and soundtrack. Where can I get this music??? If anyone knows... please post.
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anonymous also20 April 2002I don't know what this movie was supposed to be about. Certainly the notes on the back of the box are, well, not very helpful. Something about the cutthroat fashion industry, I guess. It had potential and it was well acted, if only there was a plot. What a shame and a waste of talent. A great cast, half uncredited on the video box, stuck in a scattered, incohesive mess. Save yourself.