This fascinating film has it all. It’s a documentary directed by Andrew Rossi showing how one of the most opulent celebrity fashion shows presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is put together. It also shows how the museum exhibition is put together that inspires the fashions. There is a different theme each year leading up to a magnificent Red Carpet gala.
It s filled with celebrities wearing outrageous ensembles carrying through the theme of the exhibition. And this film shows the machinations behind-the-scenes which are decisively helmed by Vogue Magazine editor in chief and fashion icon, Anna Wintour.
The museum gets enormous attention the for the eye candy on the Red Carpet opening night. It’s also a huge fundraiser. You’ll see everyone from Rihanna, JLo, Miley Cyrus, Adele, Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron, Justin Bieber, George and Amal Clooney to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West as they appeared all dressed to the max in 2015. Seeing them big as life on the big screen is breathtaking.
But before that big show, you get to sit in on meetings showing Wintour telling her staff exactly how she wants every detail, including who sits at what table, with who and why, or why not! Many have said she inspired the Meryl Streep character in “The Devil Wears Prada.” You’ll be able to judge that analogy for yourself when you see the film. Wintour is incredible to watch as she breathes fear into the hearts of her staff. But you also get to see how she lives giving an insight into who she is and and how she got there. She is smart and has created a presence that is to be respected, no matter what. This fashionista knows what she wants and how to get it.
The film starts by presenting background with a profile of the Museum’s curator Andrew Bolton, how he got his dream job and how the museum picked and executed the theme for the 2015 exhibition that inspired the fashion at last year’s Gala. It was “China: Through the Looking Glass” with room after room featuring 150 garments from 40 designers, ancient through modern. That, in itself, is a fascinating story. It’s like getting a private tour, but unfortunately, that exhibition is now gone. You probably get more seeing it through this film, than seeing it in person.
This year’s exhibition is “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” focusing on the impact of technology on fashion. Apple is sponsoring the exhibition. But we digress.
Is this worth your bucks? Absolutely! This film shows what is now considered the fifth largest fashion event in the world and how it is put together. It builds to an exciting climax with a colorful Red Carpet display of celebrities in amazing getups, some tastefully in tune with the exhibition and some totally outrageously off the mark and garish.
But this documentary not only shows the history of one of our country’s most prized museums, but also of the people who run it. We see an event that makes a huge impact on the fashion industry as well as the public who are then given the opportunity to see a special exhibit. At the very least, you’ll be able to gawk, third wall, at tons of stars in unbelievable fashions in an incredible setting. Be prepared to oooh and ahhh.
Magnolia Pictures 130 minutes PG-13 Reviewed May 6, 2016
