As the credits rolled on our screening of Party Girl, Rebecca – in a leopard-print jacket worthy of main character Mary herself – turned to Zoe and declared, "That is the most Ensemble film of all time!"
We've long dreamed of bringing the 1995 cult classic to the big screen. Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and starring Parker Posey as Mary, a hard-partying downtown New Yorker turned reluctant public librarian, Party Girl had its moment on Thursday night at the Hollywood. The theatre was packed with 100+ guests (including paid subscribers who received free tickets; perks!) who laughed and cheered their way through the film, including whoops at a literary-tinged sex scene.
READ MORE: What Party Girl gets right about your messy 20s
With its iconic fashion (patterned tights, leopard coats, layered tees, tiny bags, gloves, sequins, hot pants, fun), 90s soundtrack and sly humour, Party Girl is whimsy with an undercurrent of intelligence. Silly, campy, vibrant and quietly radical, it touches on everything from city gentrification (falafel served with toothpicks from a shiny new street vendor) to the politics of literacy and underpaid cultural labour. Plus, there's a scene about menopausal flushes where 'the change' is described as an "upgrade", and a Dewey Decimal System dance montage.
Mary's godmother Judy also delivers a monologue that's as relevant in 2025 as it was 30 years ago: "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!" Just swap TV for TikTok.
Outside, the rain poured; inside, our crowd brought the colour, many showing up in their own take on 90s party girl style with plenty of leopard print coats, funky tights and even someone doing their own, perfect, take on Mary's Comme des Garçons multi-layer top. Others apologised for 'not dressing up' but it was all part of the film's irreverent vibe: you do you. At the film's close, when Mary emerged in an all-black ensemble hoping to be taken seriously, friend Derrick said it best: "Put on something more festive". Consider this your reminder!
Listen to our Party Girl playlist:
