Party Girl (1995)

77% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(5,876 ratings)

The debut feature from director Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Party Girl pretty much cemented Parker Posey's status as the indie-film "it girl" of the 1990s. Posey stars as Mary, a fun-loving and irresponsible twentysomething New Yorker who prefers throwing bashes at her loft to pay the rent over… More The debut feature from director Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Party Girl pretty much cemented Parker Posey's status as the indie-film "it girl" of the 1990s. Posey stars as Mary, a fun-loving and irresponsible twentysomething New Yorker who prefers throwing bashes at her loft to pay the rent over getting a real job. But when one of her shindigs gets broken up by the cops, Mary lands in the slammer and is forced to enlist the help of her librarian godmother, Judy (Sasha von Scherler, the director's mother). In order to prove that she's not the layabout she seems to be, Mary begins working at the library with Judy. Party Girl was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and was later turned into a short-lived Fox sitcom. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Genres: Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 9, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Dec 10, 2002
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Mary is a spiritual descendant of Holly Golightly, and there's an echo, as well, of Edie Sedgwick, the late Andy Warhol superstar who moved the American-princess-on-a-bender mythology into the drug-rock era.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Party Girl aspires to be cinematic champagne but comes out tasting more like sparkling cider.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This exudes trendiness at regular intervals, and otherwise manages to be reasonably charming about Manhattan's melting pot culture, but my general response was still 'Wake me when it's over.'
Stephen Holden, New York Times
The screenplay, by Ms. Mayer and Harry Birckmayer, has its occasionally funny lines, but not nearly enough to certify the film as a hip urban comedy in tune with the cutting edge of downtown New York.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
If bad behaviour and smugness were truly charming, Party Girl might be as much fun as it imagines it is. And Madonna might even have a decent movie career.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
What makes it delicious fun is Posey, a party girl for the ages.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The cast is uniformly excellent -- particularly the relentlessly effervescent Posey and the imperious Sasha von Scherler, the director's mother -- and the modern take on old-fashioned romantic comedy is surprisingly effective.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Party Girl wouldn't be as beloved without Parker Posey, the jewel in this indie crown.
Neil Cohen, Echo Magazine
It's great to see where Parker Posey established her indie cred in this too-cool comedy.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The part played by Parker Posey may be considered a modern version of Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly. By day, she works as a library clerk, by night she's queen of the club scenes, a camp diva blessed with cool deadpan and funkiness.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Posey is so likably weird.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
To be perfectly honest, Party Girl follows a fairly predictable narrative; the quality lies almost exclusively in the details.
Jesse Hassenger, PopMatters
Independent films tend to favor low-key realism in their lead performances, but Party Girl has a real movie star turn at its center.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Spunky and sassy drama about a young woman who tries to create herself anew using discipline and devotion.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

I didn't care for this movie, maybe because I'm not a party girl myself? Now that I think of it, this movie is the 90s version of Breakfast at Tiffany's. The story is boring for the most part, and entirely predictable. I did not like it.
Mark H

Quirky romantic comedy about a flighty, free spirited hedonist. Parker Posey is likable as spunky and sassy Mary, a Holly Golightly for the 90s. We follow her as she learns the intricacies of the Dewey Decimal system, flirts with a falafel vendor and dances the night away at the… More
Quirky romantic comedy about a flighty, free spirited hedonist. Parker Posey is likable as spunky and sassy Mary, a Holly Golightly for the 90s. We follow her as she learns the intricacies of the Dewey Decimal system, flirts with a falafel vendor and dances the night away at the many house parties she throws. Manhattan's trendy loft and club scene is nicely captured in this Gen X comedy drama from the mid 90s, but stylistically has more in common with 80s films like <I>Desperately Seeking Susan</I> and <I>Something Wild</I>. Also of note is actress Sasha von Scherler, the director's real life mother, who grounds the film as the no-nonsense librarian godmother who hires her.
Robert C

A bit disapointing overall, but not HORRIBLE. I always have exceedingly high expectations for Ms. Posey and she seldom disappoints. Enjoyable, but not as good as it could have (should have?) been.
Keysha H

Library and Raves finally meet in this awesome take on early 90's life. Parker is hilarious and this is a must see.
Dean L

This movie misses the mark by a mile. I love Parker Posey, but I could not get past the incredibly trite dialogue or the horribly clichéd efforts at portraying a Gen-X woman struggling to break out of her rut. The movie was actually a labor to get through and not a labor of love. Just… More
This movie misses the mark by a mile. I love Parker Posey, but I could not get past the incredibly trite dialogue or the horribly clichéd efforts at portraying a Gen-X woman struggling to break out of her rut. The movie was actually a labor to get through and not a labor of love. Just go to a rave and a library if you and skip this movie... It isn't worth your time
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=magenta]"Party Girl" is about Mary(Parker Posey), a self-absorbed woman on the cusp of turning 24. She gets arrested on numerous charges for running a house party from her apartment.(Never quite resolved, by the way.) She calls her not-so-fairy… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=magenta]"Party Girl" is about Mary(Parker Posey), a self-absorbed woman on the cusp of turning 24. She gets arrested on numerous charges for running a house party from her apartment.(Never quite resolved, by the way.) She calls her not-so-fairy godmother to bail her out. She puts Mary to work in the New York public library. "Party Girl" tries to be a wacky commentary on the downtown party scene but at best it only comes off as silly. Of the numerous storylines, the best one involves a Lebanese immigrant with dreams of being a teacher in his adopted homeland. Maybe this is because he is by far the most real of any of the movie's characters. Coming in second place, is Liev Schrieber in a nice turn as an English bouncer.[/color][/font]
Quinto W

The story doesn't stand out very much but Parker Posey is nothing short of fantastic.
Donna D

Wacky comedy with plenty of humor. I love Parker Posey and her zany antics in this movie. Music is great also with an cool soundtrack.
Sunil J

I relate to parts of this quite a bit. "He's not a dick. He's a patron!"
Leo L

Hilarious! Great!