Mannequin Synopsis: A young artist searching for his vocation makes a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it. Finding the mannequin in a store window, he gets a job there and his creation comes to life.
In Ancient Egypt, Emmy (Kim Cattrall) takes refuge in a pyramid, telling her mother she wants true love rather than an arranged marriage. The Gods respond, and she vanishes before her mother’s eyes.
In the present day, Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) is an artist creating the perfect mannequin at his most recent job. When he’s fired, he finds it challenging to keep a job, and his girlfriend, Roxie, eventually breaks up with him. At a low point, Jonathan comes across a window display outside of Prince & Company department store that includes the mannequin he created.
After saving the store owner from a falling sign, he is given a job at the store, where he discovers Emmy comes to life whenever they are alone. She becomes Jonathan’s muse for increasingly successful window displays. All the while, the company Roxie works for is attempting to sabotage Prince & Company in order to buy it out from under the owner, Claire Timkin (Estelle Getty).
Mannequin always seemed like one of those beloved ’80s comedies that garnered a cult following, so I was pretty confident that I would likely enjoy it. Unfortunately, this is one of those times I agree with the critics of that time – Mannequin was, quite frankly, not very good. I don’t mind the ridiculous premise because, hey, it’s a romantic comedy, and they’re not always grounded in reality! But the plot is still flimsy – is Jonathan’s artistic career really going to take off because he makes fun window displays? – and there are only so many times we can watch Jonathan get caught in a compromising situation with a mannequin by his co-workers before the amusement fades.
Cattrall is a picture of breathless naivety and joy. She’s gorgeous in this movie, but I found Emmy to be annoying, and while Cattrall and McCarthy are often praised for their chemistry, I wasn’t feeling it. Both are just fine in the roles, but there was not enough of a spark between them for me to care about the outcome.
Instead, I found the best part of this movie to be James Spader, as the smarmy Prince & Company store manager, Mr. Richards. He is being paid by the competition to help bring the store down, and Jonathan’s success constantly thwarts him. Spader reminded me of a mixture between Judge Doom and Stephen Merchant. His over-the-top performance fits in perfectly with the rest of the movie, except Spader is funny, while the rest of Mannequin is not. This is the same James Spader who played jerky, popular Steff in Pretty in Pink? I love it.
The rest of the supporting cast is nothing special. I do love Estelle Getty, but sadly, she is underused as Claire. Meshach Taylor, as Montrose, plays the flamboyantly gay co-worker of Jonathan’s. This is the 80s, so I won’t judge the gay BFF stereotype too much because he does have some rather humorous moments, but his character was superfluous. I don’t remember much about the others besides the bumbling night guard and Jonathan’s ex-girlfriend, Roxie.
I guess I expected a bit more from Mannequin and was let down. It’s a silly movie with no natural chemistry between its leads and very few laughs. But I’m giving it one and a half stars for James Spader and Estelle Getty and its theme song, which is a banger (do people still say that?).
Watched: 01/10/2024
Notable Song: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship
