by Rob Nixon
Party Girl
Brief Synopsis
Coming-of-age comedy about a downtown party girl who takes a job as a library clerk to prove to her librarian godmother that she can be a responsible adult. Along the way she falls in love with a Lebanese falafel vendor who yearns to be a teacher.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Director
Parker Posey
Mary
Omar Townsend
Mustafa
Sasha Von Scherler
Mrs Lindendorf
Guillermo Diaz
Leo
Anthony De Sando
Derrick
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Romantic Comedy
Release Date
1994
Production Company
Overseas Filmgroup; Technicolor
Distribution Company
FIRST LOOK/FIRST LOOK PICTURES; First Look Pictures; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 34m
Synopsis
Coming-of-age comedy about a downtown party girl who takes a job as a library clerk to prove to her librarian godmother that she can be a responsible adult. Along the way she falls in love with a Lebanese falafel vendor who yearns to be a teacher.
Director
Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Director
Cast
Parker Posey
Mary
Omar Townsend
Mustafa
Sasha Von Scherler
Mrs Lindendorf
Guillermo Diaz
Leo
Anthony De Sando
Derrick
Donna Mitchell
Rene
Liev Schreiber
Nigel
Nicole Bobbitt
Venus
Crew
Antonio L Arroyo
Sound
Jennifer Baime
Set Decorator
Jane Barrer
Location Manager
Harry Birckmayer
Producer
Harry Birckmayer
Screenwriter
Harry Birckmayer
From Story
Michael Clancy
Costume Designer
Bill Coleman
Music Supervisor
Sheila Gaffney
From Story
Judy Gorjanc
Assistant Director
Georgia Kacandes
Line Producer
Stephanie Koules
Producer
Caitlin Maloney
Production Coordinator
Laura Rosenthal
Casting Consultant
Anton Sanko
Music
Cara Silverman
Editor
Caroline Sinclair
Casting Director
Michael Slovis
Director Of Photography
Kevin Thompson
Production Designer
Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
From Story
Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Screenwriter
Alexandra White
Production Manager
Videos
Movie Clip
Hosted Intro
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Romantic Comedy
Release Date
1994
Production Company
Overseas Filmgroup; Technicolor
Distribution Company
FIRST LOOK/FIRST LOOK PICTURES; First Look Pictures; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 34m
Articles
Party Girl (1995)
After appearances in such off-beat films as Dazed and Confused (1993) and The Doom Generation (1995), Parker Posey cemented her reputation as the essential 1990s indie film star with her leading role in Daisy von Scherler Mayer's comedy-drama. Posey is a free-spirited New Yorker whose life is a mad whirl of dance clubs and house parties, until she's busted and forced to work for her disapproving godmother Judy, a librarian played by the director's real-life mother, Sasha von Scherler. Not a huge hit on its release, the film has since become a cult favorite for its perfectly realized snapshot of a certain type of 20-something living the urban life in the mid-90s, not least because of how right Posey was for the part. In a 2020 Vogue interview, von Scherler Mayer said that although the actress wasn't a household name, "she was well-known among casting directors because she was that crazy girl who would come in dressed in the most amazing outfits--a lot like Mary, really." When she was called in for an audition, Posey said, "I have 80 pairs of shoes, I have to play this part!" Adding to the period flair and the lead character's trendy fashion sense, designer Michael Clancy's costumes were based on the outfits worn by people he knew from his own club days. Daisy von Scherler Mayer, nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, also brought her own experiences to bear on the story, according to the Vogue piece: "It definitely wasn't people from Hollywood going in to make a movie about that scene, then doing a really bastardized version of it. Our tentacles were deep in the actual world we were depicting." Perhaps Party Girl's most notable achievement in cinema history was being the first feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet. The cast also includes a few other actors who went on to bigger careers, among them Liev Schreiber (TV's Ray Donovan, 2013-2020) and Guillermo Díaz (the HBO series Weeds, 2007-2012), as well as an uncredited cameo by New York drag performer Lady Bunny. According to the director, Eric Stoltz was in the opening party scene, but his footage was cut from the release print, and Debbie Harry was unable to appear as planned. The film inspired a short-lived television sitcom the following year.
by Rob Nixon
by Rob Nixon
Party Girl (1995)
After appearances in such off-beat films as Dazed and Confused (1993) and The Doom Generation (1995), Parker Posey cemented her reputation as the essential 1990s indie film star with her leading role in Daisy von Scherler Mayer's comedy-drama. Posey is a free-spirited New Yorker whose life is a mad whirl of dance clubs and house parties, until she's busted and forced to work for her disapproving godmother Judy, a librarian played by the director's real-life mother, Sasha von Scherler. Not a huge hit on its release, the film has since become a cult favorite for its perfectly realized snapshot of a certain type of 20-something living the urban life in the mid-90s, not least because of how right Posey was for the part. In a 2020 Vogue interview, von Scherler Mayer said that although the actress wasn't a household name, "she was well-known among casting directors because she was that crazy girl who would come in dressed in the most amazing outfits--a lot like Mary, really." When she was called in for an audition, Posey said, "I have 80 pairs of shoes, I have to play this part!" Adding to the period flair and the lead character's trendy fashion sense, designer Michael Clancy's costumes were based on the outfits worn by people he knew from his own club days. Daisy von Scherler Mayer, nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, also brought her own experiences to bear on the story, according to the Vogue piece: "It definitely wasn't people from Hollywood going in to make a movie about that scene, then doing a really bastardized version of it. Our tentacles were deep in the actual world we were depicting." Perhaps Party Girl's most notable achievement in cinema history was being the first feature film shown in its entirety on the Internet. The cast also includes a few other actors who went on to bigger careers, among them Liev Schreiber (TV's Ray Donovan, 2013-2020) and Guillermo Díaz (the HBO series Weeds, 2007-2012), as well as an uncredited cameo by New York drag performer Lady Bunny. According to the director, Eric Stoltz was in the opening party scene, but his footage was cut from the release print, and Debbie Harry was unable to appear as planned. The film inspired a short-lived television sitcom the following year.
by Rob Nixon
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Expanded Release in United States July 14, 1995
Expanded Release in United States July 7, 1995
Expanded Release in United States June 16, 1995
Released in United States 1995
Released in United States January 1995
Released in United States March 8, 1994
Released in United States on Video March 5, 1996
Released in United States Summer June 9, 1995
Shown at "First Look" film series in New York City (Tribeca Film Center) March 8, 1994.
Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Los Angeles February 23 - March 3, 1995.
Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 1995.
Shown at Sundance Film Festival (in competition) in Park City, Utah January 19-29, 1995.
Broadcast in USA over Sundance Channel as part of program "She Said Cinema" May 1-31, 1999.
Began shooting October 22, 1993.
Completed shooting November 16, 1993.
Transmitted over the Internet June 3, 1995.
Released in United States 1995 (Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Los Angeles February 23 - March 3, 1995.)
Released in United States 1995 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 1995.)
Released in United States January 1995 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (in competition) in Park City, Utah January 19-29, 1995.)
Released in United States on Video March 5, 1996
Released in United States March 8, 1994 (Shown at "First Look" film series in New York City (Tribeca Film Center) March 8, 1994.)
Released in United States Summer June 9, 1995
Expanded Release in United States June 16, 1995
Expanded Release in United States July 7, 1995
Expanded Release in United States July 14, 1995
