| The SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review |
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| Science-Fiction |
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| Horror |
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| Fantasy |
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MANNEQUIN
Rating: 
USA. 1987.
Director – Michael Gottlieb, Screenplay – Michael Gottlieb & Edward Rugoff, Producer – Art Levinson, Photography – Tim Suhrstedt, Music – Sylvester Levay, Special Effects – Phil Cory, Production Design – Josan F. Russo. Production Company – Gladden Entertainment.
Cast:
Andrew McCarthy (Jonathan Switcher), Kim Cattrall (Emmy), Mesach Taylor (Hollywood), G.W. Bailey (Felix), Estelle Getty (Claire Timkin), James Spader (Richards), Carole Davis (Roxie), Stephen Vinovich (B.J. Wert), Christopher Maher (Armando)
Plot: In Ancient Egypt the beautiful Emmy pleads with the gods to deliver her from an arranged marriage to a camel dung dealer. Her prayers are answered and she suddenly vanishes. In present-day Philadelphia window dresser Jonathan Switcher is having difficulty keeping jobs due to his impractical artistic ambitions. When he saves the life of department store owner Claire Timkin, he asks for a job, much to the displeasure of her autocratic and double-dealing store manager. While dressing the window, a mannequin he created comes to life as Emmy, although she is only able to reveal herself to him. True love ensues between the two, but what is an apparent affair between he and a mannequin causes quite a few raised eyebrows.
This one of the most vapid of all 1980s light fantasy films. It’s a far more stupid and vacant film than synopsis could adequately demonstrate. It’s really hard to believe a film with a lame concept like this ever managed to get greenlighted. It is utterly inane – slapstick sequences involving a waiter’s wig in a restaurant, people swinging around on neon signs and car and foot chases involving everybody becoming entangled in the lingerie department, all overlaid with double entendres delivered with much frenetic eye-rolling. Mesach Taylor plumbs depths as a flamboyantly campy gay window-dresser. G.W. Bailey gives an embarrassing performance and James Spader gives what must surely be the worst of his career. Scenes with Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall running about the store in various costumes, as rockers, gangsters and opera divas, have an emptiness that is like an MTV clip waiting for the music to happen. One can’t help but interpret this as the ultimate yuppie wet dream – unsuccessful guy falls in love with a woman who has no substance except as a fashion accessory, is then able to succeed in his job. There’s a really insipid 80s score.
Mannequin on the Move (1991) was, hard to believe a sequel, and is actually a slightly better film. Director Michael Gottlieb went onto such other undistinguished light comedy fare as Boyfriend from Hell (1990), Mr Nanny (1993) and A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995).
Copyright Richard Scheib 2003
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