Marathon of Shops: Mannequin (1987)

This month, the theme of my movie marathon is movies that are set in a mall or a store.  I chose that theme because people do a lot of shopping this time of year.  Most of us need to buy gifts for the holidays.  We spend a lot more time in the stores and malls this time of year than we do during the rest. That leads us into the first movie of the marathon, Mannequin.

Mannequin is a 1987 comedy starring Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, and James Spader.  Andrew McCarthy’s character built a mannequin and discovers it in a store one night.  He manages to get a job at the store and discovers that his mannequin can come to life.  Antics ensue.

Boy...James Spader really looked like Paul Dano in this movie.  Or should I say, Paul Dano looks like the James Spader I saw in Mannequin.  It hit me early in the movie as to their similar looks, and took me out of the movie whenever I saw Spader throughout.  This isn’t a knock on the movie, since this movie couldn’t have anticipated that in any way, whatsoever.  If I had seen this before I saw Paul Dano in anything, I would probably be distracted throughout Dano’s filmography instead.  I’m sorry for that paragraph, but it needed to be said.  Onto my thoughts about the movie...

You cannot tell me that this wouldn't be Paul Dano if made today.

Mannequin is one of the better romantic comedies that I have seen.  Yes, I consider it a romantic comedy.  What else could I call it?  There’s a lightheartedness to it that you don’t see too often anymore.  People seem to feel that nowadays, things need to be realistic.  They want trouble in the relationship itself, rather than forces that are causing hiccups in the relationship.  Sometimes that is interesting, but sometimes you want to watch two people who are in love that are having some outside force keeping them apart.  In the case of Mannequin, the love interest to the main character is that she’s a mannequin that only comes to life when she is alone with the main character.  The dark emotional turn of the relationship does not exist.  It’s lighthearted fluff.  It’s fun.

There are quite a lot of great comedic moments in Mannequin.  Most of the comedy stems from a bumbling security guard in the store, which culminates into a large chase scene with many bumbling security guards.  There’s romantic humor, physical humor, and dialogue humor.  No matter what kind of humor you are looking for, you can find some in this movie.  I sure found enough to laugh along with in this movie.

Meet Rambo, the toughest security dog.

 

Did I mention that Kim Cattrall looks good in this movie?  She does.  Mind you, the eighties fashion doesn’t help her all that much.  That doesn’t matter.  I was able to look beyond the fashion and notice that she looked damn good.  I kind of wish she had stayed looking like that forever.  Her looks aren’t the only thing.  She fills her role with a joyful, childish wonderment that felt real.  Thought the story of Mannequin was unrealistic in many ways, her portrayal of her character felt grounded and realistic.  She was a major force in making an unbelievable story believable.  She helped you to invest in the characters.  She was good looking and a good actress.

As for the rest of the cast, they filled their roles well.  The crucial parts were the two leads, however, and the right people were chosen for the roles.

Getting a tan under the fluorescent lights of the store.

I don’t have too much more to talk about, so I’m going to end the substance of this with the following.  Mannequin is a movie that I can see myself going back to time and time again for something that I can throw on and enjoy.  It might get relegated to a background movie, but so be it.  I wouldn’t want a bad movie to be a background movie.  Only movies worthy of multiple rewatches, and without the need of full concentration get that honor.  Mannequin is perfect for that.  If you haven’t seen it, check it out.

For the next movie, I’m thinking of watching the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead.  It’s a shift in genres that I think is good for any of the marathons.  That way I’m not getting bogged down in the same sort of thing time and time again.  And that’s all I have to say about that.

Now get out of here, hosers.  Hollywood says so.