MANNEQUIN. Directed by Michael Gottlieb; written by Edward Rugoff and Micheal Gottlieb; produced by Art Levinson for Twentieth Century Fox. Starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. Rated PG (some pretty risque innuendoes and humor; language).
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Mannequin' s basic story is the classic Pygmalion idea. You know, where the sculptor falls in love with his perfect female statue and she eventually comes to life.
This lightweight little flick is hardly in the same class as some earlier renditions of the tale (such as My Fair Lady ). But it has an attractive pair of lovers in the leads, some really funny supparting characters and, above all, a basically amiable tone that largely overcomes its faults—or at least makes them easier to take.
The lovesick artist here is Jonathan (McCarthy), who makes a lovely mannequin just before losing his job at the factory for working too slowly. Several jobs later, he finds himself working at a department store. And in one of the windows is—you guessed it—the mannequin, of course.
A silly little story about a girl (Cattrall) from ancient Egypt, who mysteriously disappears, supposedly explains how this mannequin manages to come to life. The twist is that only Jonathan can see her alive. If anyone else is around, she's inert.
Ridiculous froth, true, but possessed of its own kind of logic. And it's taken quite seriously by McCarthy and Cattrall, who are sweet and charming enough to pull it off.
McCarthy's dramatic (and even comic) acting range may be pretty limited. But he has casual charm and sex appeal to spare. As long as he keeps playing roles like Jonathan (or the preppy suitor in Pretty in Pink), he'll do all right. He might even become a "big name."
Cattrall likewise threatens no Barrymores here. But she's pretty, fresh and exhuberant, and makes a good heroine for this type of movie.
The real delights of Mannequin' s cast, however, are found in the minor roles. James Spader is good as the slimy, obnoxious store manager. And Christopher Maher has a funny small part as guy perpetually on the make, who has a less-than-perfect command of the English language.
But Meshach Taylor takes top honors as an unbelieveably gay window-dresser. His mannerisms, dress and voice are so outlandish that they can't possibly offend. But he's not just outrageous, he's hilarious. He turns Mannequin' s laugh meter up from a few chuckles to a respectable level of side-splitting.
These three characters, and the rest of the supporting cast as well, are much more like caricatures than people. But the actors are so funny—especially Taylor, I repeat—that we don't mind.
Don't go to Mannequin expecting great comedic art, or even great screwball comedy. But it's an amusing and entertaining way to spend an hour and a half or so.
March 4, 1987