Mannequin

This one was not in my Netflix queue. I was busy trying to figure out some software on my computer and decided to just put on a movie as background noise and I picked Mannequin.

This 80's cult classic from 1987 stars the quintessential "must be gay" Andrew McCarthy as Jonathan Switcher, who cannot hold a job until he gets a job working at a department store. He ends up setting up mannequin displays that catch the eye of the owner Claire Prince Timkin (Estelle Getty from the Golden Girls).

Suddenly, one of the mannequins comes to life and it's Emmy Hesire (Kim Cattrall - Sex in the City, Porky's, among others). Jonathan falls in love with Emmy, while Emmy helps him by creating exotic window displays that catch the eye of the public and help save the department store.

The problem is that whenever someone comes within eye-shot of her, she turns back to a mannequin. This makes for some humorous make-out scenes when Jonathan has some 'splainin' to do.

The movie spends the majority of time showing security guard Felix Maxwell (G. W. Bailey - Police Academy movies 1-234) trying to catch the elusive Emmy. "Must be gay" James Spader's character, Mr. Richards, also spends the remainder of the movie trying to convice Mrs. Timkin to fire Jonathan and trying to catch him doing something wrong. Despite several embarrassing situations (Jonathan waking up naked in a pile of fur coats), Mrs. Timkin sticks to him.

In the dramatic ending, a big chase ensues and Jonathan saves Emmy's life when she almost falls into a box shredding machine. This selfless act of love is the spark that's needed to bring Emmy to life permanently and they both express their love for each other and live happily ever after - or something like that.

This movie totally met my expectations - lousy acting, corny scenes throughout, and a weak and predictable plot. I'm amazed that Andrew McCarthy got as many roles as he did in the 1980's, though I wouldn't be surprised if he won an Oscar for those performances.

Mannequin is 88 minutes long, and is rated PG for some adult situations and suggestive humor. I give this movie 2 stars. The only reason you should watch this movie is for nostalgic reasons. The only thing that could be worse than this movie would be a sequel. What's that? There is a sequel? Holy crap - go see Mannequin 2: On the Move. You know that's going to be good!