Mannequin is a 1987 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Michael Gottlieb, who made his directorial debut with this movie. It was written by Edward Rugoff and Gottlieb. The film features actors Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Estelle Getty, James Spader, Meshach Taylor, and G. W. Bailey. The music for the film was composed by Sylvester Levay. The story follows Jonathan Switcher, an artist who is very passionate about his work but often struggles to find steady employment. He gets a job as a window dresser at a department store, where he creates a mannequin that is later inhabited by the spirit of Emmy Hesire, a woman from Ancient Egypt. However, the mannequin only comes to life when Jonathan is near.
The film’s main title song, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Early and later reviews of the film were mostly negative, with critics pointing out the unrealistic story and overly silly and emotional tone. However, audiences generally had more positive reactions. Over time, the film has gained a following among fans. In 1991, a sequel titled Mannequin Two: On the Move was released, but only Meshach Taylor from the original cast returned.
Plot
In Ancient Egypt, a girl named Ema, also called Emmy, Hesire hides inside a pyramid. She asks the gods to help her find true love instead of marrying someone who sells manure. Before her mother can see her, Emmy disappears.
In 1987 Philadelphia, Jonathan Switcher is a sculptor who works at a warehouse where mannequins are made. He creates one mannequin that he believes is a masterpiece. His boss fires him because he spends too much time trying to make his work look artistic. Jonathan takes other jobs but is fired each time for working too slowly. His girlfriend, Roxie Shield, who works at a store called Illustra, ends their relationship, calling him unreliable.
After his motorcycle breaks down in the rain, Jonathan passes a store called Prince & Company. He sees his mannequin displayed in the window and says it is the first piece of art that made him feel like a real artist. The next day, he helps the store owner, Claire Timkin, avoid being hurt by a falling sign. Claire asks the store manager, Mr. Richards, to give Jonathan a job. Jonathan works with Hollywood Montrose, a colorful window dresser, but is watched closely by the security guard, Captain Felix Maxwell.
While arranging a window display, the mannequin Jonathan made comes to life because Emmy’s spirit is inside it. She explains that she has lived for many centuries as a muse, sometimes entering the works of artists she admires. She has never found true love. Emmy says the gods let her live when she and Jonathan are not being watched.
With Emmy’s help, Jonathan’s window display becomes very popular. He is now in charge of arranging displays and asks Emmy to continue helping. Over time, they create many successful displays that attract more customers and grow their relationship. Illustra’s top manager, B.J. Wert, sends Roxie to try to convince Jonathan to leave Prince & Company, but he refuses. Claire fires Mr. Richards and Captain Felix because of their poor behavior and makes Jonathan the store’s vice president.
One night, Jonathan takes Emmy on a motorcycle ride through the city, surprising many people. They are chased by Richards and Felix. Jonathan and Emmy escape and later share a romantic moment on a dock. Jonathan tells Emmy that he believes people need art and that they could create it together. He tells her he loves her, and she says the same before returning to the mannequin.
Richards and Felix steal the mannequins from Prince & Company. The next day, Jonathan confronts Wert about the theft, who offers him another job. Roxie is upset that Jonathan cares so much about the mannequin and leaves. Jonathan follows her as a security guard, and Felix chases them. Roxie puts the stolen mannequins into a trash compactor but is knocked out by falling objects. Hollywood stops Richards and Felix with a fire hose, and Jonathan jumps onto the compactor’s conveyor belt to save Emmy. Because Jonathan has shown his love for her, Emmy stays alive forever.
Richards and Felix are caught by the police, and Claire shows video proof that they broke into the store. Wert is arrested, and Roxie is fired. Jonathan worries that the video might show him being romantic with a mannequin, but Claire says he should not be concerned. Later, Jonathan and Emmy are married in the window of Prince & Company, with Claire as the maid of honor and Hollywood as the best man. People outside the store cheer for their wedding.
Production
The idea for the film came when director Michael Gottlieb was walking down Fifth Avenue and thought he saw a mannequin move in the window of Bergdorf Goodman. Some people notice that the film's story is similar to the 1948 movie One Touch of Venus. The film was created using marketing ideas from Joseph Farrell, a well-known Hollywood researcher who worked as an executive producer. The film was made to attract specific groups of people. Although Andrew McCarthy was not a famous actor, he was chosen because tests showed his films were popular with girls, the main audience.
The producers looked for an elegant city department store in several states across America. They visited stores nationwide before choosing the main Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia. For the film, the store was called Prince & Company. Filming inside Wanamaker's took about three weeks, with most shooting happening from around 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day.
Other scenes were filmed in the formal gardens behind The Hotel Hershey. Scenes set in the imaginary department store Illustra were shot at Boscov's department store, located in the former Camp Hill Mall (now Camp Hill Shopping Center) near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia mayor Wilson Goode said the film brought about $3 million into the city.
Before filming began, Kim Cattrall spent six weeks posing for Santa Monica sculptor Tanya Wolf Ragir, who made six mannequins with different expressions. Cattrall said, "There's no way to play a mannequin except if you want to sit there as a dummy […] I did a lot of body-building because I wanted to be as streamlined as possible. I wanted to match the mannequins as closely as I could." She also said the experience made her feel "grown up."
The song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," featured in the film, was written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren and recorded by the American rock band Starship in 1986. It is a duet performed by Starship vocalists Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1987, and topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks the following month, becoming the UK's second-biggest-selling single of 1987.
Mannequin Soundtrack (by Sylvester Levay)
00. Twentieth Century Fox (00:13):
Reception
The film opened at number three in the United States box office, behind Platoon and Outrageous Fortune. It earned $6 million during the four-day President's Day weekend, beating the other new movie, Over the Top, which stars Sylvester Stallone. So far, the film has made $42.7 million in the United States and Canada combined.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 40 reviews, with an average score of 3.9 out of 10. The site’s summary says: "Mannequin is a real failure, with a silly idea and a boring script that never becomes interesting, even though Kim Cattrall tries very hard to make it better." On Metacritic, the film scored 21 out of 100 based on 13 critic reviews, which means most critics did not like it. Audience ratings from CinemaScore gave the film a B+ grade on a scale from A to F.
Leonard Maltin strongly criticized the film, calling it "the worst movie ever made, disappointing for anyone who knows what good comedy should be." Roger Ebert gave the film a half-star rating and wrote, "Many bad movies are exciting, but Mannequin is lifeless. Watching it feels like sitting through a long, boring event."
Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said the film was "made by, for, and about people who don’t understand movies." Janet Maslin of The New York Times blamed the writer and director, saying the film "shows basic skills but lacks creativity." Dan McQuade of Philadelphia Magazine criticized the film for its portrayal of Philadelphia, writing, "The film claims 1980s Philadelphia was the best time and place in history, which is surprising and not very uplifting."
David Cornelius of DVD Talk said, "Mannequin is one of the worst movies ever made, but it’s so bad that it’s strangely fascinating. The actor John Travolta gives a wild performance that makes the film worth watching, even though it’s terrible." He called it a "must-watch for fans of bad movies" but warned that it might be too unpleasant for some viewers.
Although the film was not well received at first, it later became a cult classic, with many fans praising its costumes, set designs, supporting actors, and the chemistry between the main actors. The film is often linked to the 1980s "Brat Pack" era, which included actors like John Travolta, Kim Cattrall, and others who starred in similar movies. Later reviews also praised the film’s portrayal of a character named Hollywood Montrose, played by Meshach Taylor, who was shown as a kind and heroic gay man.
Home media
The movie Mannequin was first released on VHS, Betamax, and digital stereo LaserDisc in September 1987 by Cannon Films through Media Home Entertainment. The film was made available on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment on October 7, 2004, in a widescreen format for Region 1. It was later released again on DVD on January 16, 2008, as part of a special edition that includes two movies, with Mannequin Two: On the Move as the second disc. Mannequin was released on Blu-ray for the first time on November 3, 2015, by Olive Films, which had permission from MGM to produce the release.
Sequels and legacy
In 1991, a sequel titled Mannequin Two: On the Move was released. It was directed by Stewart Raffill. The film was not as successful as the first one, making less than $4 million. It was called "one of the worst follow-ups ever made." In 2010, Gladden Entertainment officials were in the early planning stages of a remake. They planned a story where a man is interested in a "laser display hologram" instead of a mannequin. However, no more information about the remake was shared. In 2019, an original mannequin prop was found by the Philadelphia brand South Fellini. It is now displayed in the company's boutique. The film was also mocked by James Corden and Victoria Beckham in 2017 on The Late Late Show with James Corden as part of a segment leading to a Carpool Karaoke performance.