Film Challenge Week 15: A film from the 90s
Film: Party Girl (1995)
Genre: Comedy
Watched on: Kanopy
When Parker Posey, with her Southern drawl, made a weekly appearance on our screens as part of our White Lotus season 3 viewing, her 1995 film, Party Girl, started popping up on my social media feeds. There was a Parker Posey renaissance as her performance as Victoria Ratlfif rattled some, but endeared many.
Naturally, I had to give it a watch after seeing so many rave reviews.
Party Girl follows Mary, a vivacious 23-year-old living her big city dreams in New York. We are introduced to her being arrested for throwing an underground rave – she's an entrepreneur! Her godmother, Judy, bails her out, which ultimately lands Mary a job as a clerk at the public library that Judy manages as a way of repaying her debt.
Phone calls from the slammer don't inspire fiscal confidence.
Despite a steep learning curve, Mary eventually finds her groove, where she learns the Dewey Decimal System and even helps her roommate catalog his records for his DJ set using the system.
Throughout her time at the library, she strikes up a romance with Mustafa, a Lebanese street vendor with aspirations of becoming a teacher in the US. There was an outfit montage of her ordering falafel with hot sauce, a side order of Baba Ghanoush, and a seltzer that rivals Andy Sachs' of The Devil Wears Prada. It is peak '90s fashion, full of character and life. Every outfit played with colors and textures that I wish we saw more of in 2025.
As Mary gets better at her job, everything comes crumbling down when she is fired for having sex with Mustafa in the library and leaving a window open during a rainstorm. The rain caused irreversible damage to the limited-edition books, which warrants a firing. With no money to pay rent, Mary is forced to sell her beloved collection of vintage couture.
Mary is lost, which is so relatable in your early 20s. She returns to the party life by throwing a Middle Eastern-themed party (the appropriation is expected in the 90s, but uncomfortable to witness), ultimately deciding that she wants to be a librarian instead. With her newfound research skills, she deep dives into getting a graduate degree in library science, even helping Mustafa with tangible steps to become a teacher.
During her surprise birthday party, she convinces Judy that she is serious about her new calling, with testimonials from her roommate and Mustafa on how Mary helped them with her library science skills. In a happy ending fashion, Judy gives Mary her job back, and they party into the night.
There are many reasons to love this film. The outfit combinations that Parker Posey absolutely kills in. The book/library propaganda illustrates how beneficial they are to community members. Parker Posey as a 20-something figuring out her life in the big city.
It speaks to the book and fashion passions that fire up my core as central tenets of my being.
Don't get me wrong, there are definitely problematic aspects of this film, which is to be expected for the time it was shot in. From the appropriation of Middle Eastern culture to the use of slurs, it had its moments. That is why I firmly believe that Party Girl would be a great film to remake, especially during a time when libraries are being defunded.
Judy Lindendorf: When I see you, a smart, powerful woman, and see you acting like the town idiot, it makes me sick! When most women are struggling to demonstrate their intelligence, their complexity, here you are trying to prove just how stupid you can be!
Mary: Judy, please...
Judy Lindendorf: Look! Here is a card from an early card catalogue. See that handwriting? Look at the flowery script. That's what young ladylike librarians were taught, penmanship.
Mary: I am sorry!
Judy Lindendorf: Melville Dewey hired women as librarians because he believed the job didn't require any intelligence! It was a woman's job!
Mary: That's not my fault...
Judy Lindendorf: That means it's under paid and under valued! This country has more illiteracy than some of the most underdeveloped nations! Even Americans who can read don't! They watch movies, they watch television, they watch movies on the television!
Judy made some points. We need to bring back literacy and critical thinking skills.
As AI is rapidly transforming industries and lowering critical thinking skills, we need to channel our energy into preserving libraries as a public resource and third space that is free and accessible for all. Librarians need master's degrees because they undergo rigorous training in information services that facilitate deep research into a variety of services, ranging from public archives to law firms.
I don't think people realize how extensive the resources offered in public libraries can be. Aside from books, libraries often offer job-hunting services, language lessons, community events, and creative tools for a small fee. I'm grateful that my local library has a creative arts center that offers adult art classes and even fun community events, such as an introduction to role-playing games and cooking lessons.
Back to the remake, I would love to see Parker Posey as Judy, with my preference for Mary ranked as below:
- Rachel Sennott
- Yara Shahidi
- Chase Sui Wonders
- Brittany O'Grady
The tone of the remake would have the vibe of Bottoms, Unpregnant, and It's What's Inside. Wild, chaotic fun. I gave Party Girl 4 stars.
