If you’re an aspiring costume designer who hasn’t yet broke into the industry, don’t give up! Five top talented dressers recently spoke with Gold Derby about how they got started and when they knew they wanted to work in Hollywood: Rudy Mance (“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness”), Amy Andrews-Harrell (“The Good Lord Bird”), Rebecca Guzzi (“Ratched”), Hope Hanafin (“The Right Stuff”) and Phoenix Mellow (“Sylvie’s Love“). Click each name above to watch their individual interviews separate from our Meet the Btl Experts: TV Costume Designers group panel.
“I luckily had two artistic parents, so they were always very supportive of the arts,” Mellow reveals to the group. “I grew up wanting to be a fashion designer and I went to school in New York at Fit for that. It sort of dawned on me that I really didn’t care about what sold in stores next month...
“I luckily had two artistic parents, so they were always very supportive of the arts,” Mellow reveals to the group. “I grew up wanting to be a fashion designer and I went to school in New York at Fit for that. It sort of dawned on me that I really didn’t care about what sold in stores next month...
- 12/8/2020
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Prior to the start of production for Nat Geo’s “The Right Stuff” (currently streaming on Disney+), costume designer Hope Hanafin did more than her fair share of research. “I re-read [Tom Wolfe‘s] novel, which I’d read when it came out,” she explains, “and then I also read every single one of the astronauts’ biographies. It was a little bit like the gospels because the same events were all there, but told from different perspectives depending on who was doing the writing. So there was a very tall reading list.” Watch Gold Derby’s interview with Hanafin above, which aired as a part of our TV Costume Designers panel.
See‘The Right Stuff’ showrunner Mark Lafferty on why it’s so important to ‘tell this story now’
“The Right Stuff” tells the story of the American astronauts who trained to be the first humans to enter outer space.
See‘The Right Stuff’ showrunner Mark Lafferty on why it’s so important to ‘tell this story now’
“The Right Stuff” tells the story of the American astronauts who trained to be the first humans to enter outer space.
- 12/8/2020
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Five top TV costume designers will reveal the secrets behind their crafts when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Btl Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Emmy contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to be published on Tuesday, December 1, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Marcus Dixon and a group chat with Marcus and all of the designers together.
RSVP today by clicking here to book your reservations. We’ll send you a reminder a few before the start of the show so you won’t miss watching.
This “Meet the Btl Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Emmy contenders:
“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness” (TNT): Rudy Mance
Mance received an Emmy nomination for “The Alienist.” Other projects have included “The Politician,” “American Horror Story,” “Pose,” “The Knick” and “The Leftovers.
RSVP today by clicking here to book your reservations. We’ll send you a reminder a few before the start of the show so you won’t miss watching.
This “Meet the Btl Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Emmy contenders:
“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness” (TNT): Rudy Mance
Mance received an Emmy nomination for “The Alienist.” Other projects have included “The Politician,” “American Horror Story,” “Pose,” “The Knick” and “The Leftovers.
- 11/24/2020
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Who doesn't love indie queen Zooey Deschanel? Zooey's style is a refreshing change of pace from the provocative and homogenously "trendy" looks that dominate our culture. Zooey's quirky, vintage, sweetly feminine look is a source of inspiration for me and many other girls who don't want to walk around in Ugg boots and cutoff miniskirts.
To recreate Zooey's style, dress up a little. You're not going to catch Zooey out in sweats or a ratty tee shirt. Zooey's wardrobe choices enhance her natural beauty instead of showing off her body. However, opting for more conservative outfits doesn't mean you'll have any less fun with it. Choose pieces that are visually intriguing and accessorize with vintage jewelry and fun hairpieces. Zooey has an affinity for tights which can also add some pop to an otherwise simple ensemble. Here's something I put together that was partially inspired by Zooey's folk duo She...
To recreate Zooey's style, dress up a little. You're not going to catch Zooey out in sweats or a ratty tee shirt. Zooey's wardrobe choices enhance her natural beauty instead of showing off her body. However, opting for more conservative outfits doesn't mean you'll have any less fun with it. Choose pieces that are visually intriguing and accessorize with vintage jewelry and fun hairpieces. Zooey has an affinity for tights which can also add some pop to an otherwise simple ensemble. Here's something I put together that was partially inspired by Zooey's folk duo She...
- 5/6/2010
- by noreply@blogger.com (Ashley)
- Reelartsy
also: worst & weirdest moments | fashion review
all Oscar 2009/10 season posts here
Time to wrap up Oscar coverage! I may or may not do a short fashion bit and we may or may not do a podcast ... running on fumes! Thanks for your abundant engaged comments in the worst/weirdest rundown and acting posts. Comments are like premium fuel... especially when the meter is on empty. But never fear. More fun daily movie stuff coming up. Don't go away just because the Oscars are over, y'hear?
13 Best Things About the 09/10 Oscars
13 Stanley Tucci's Eye Rolling. He looked totally embarrassed by his clip from The Lovely Bones which made us love him even more.
12 Contemporary Costume Design Shout-Out. Sure, sure, the world's most brilliant costumer designer Sandy Powell (more on her in a future post) came off like a huge diva with her slow saunter up to the stage and her...
all Oscar 2009/10 season posts here
Time to wrap up Oscar coverage! I may or may not do a short fashion bit and we may or may not do a podcast ... running on fumes! Thanks for your abundant engaged comments in the worst/weirdest rundown and acting posts. Comments are like premium fuel... especially when the meter is on empty. But never fear. More fun daily movie stuff coming up. Don't go away just because the Oscars are over, y'hear?
13 Best Things About the 09/10 Oscars
13 Stanley Tucci's Eye Rolling. He looked totally embarrassed by his clip from The Lovely Bones which made us love him even more.
12 Contemporary Costume Design Shout-Out. Sure, sure, the world's most brilliant costumer designer Sandy Powell (more on her in a future post) came off like a huge diva with her slow saunter up to the stage and her...
- 3/12/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
We would like to invite our faithful readers and local Baltimorons to an advance screening of Our Family Wedding, a new film starring America Ferrera and Lance Gross. The promo screening will be on Thursday, March 11 at 7:30pm at a local Baltimore theater.
Synopsis of the film:
“Our marriage, their wedding.” It’s lesson number one for any newly engaged couple, and Lucia (America Ferrera) and Marcus (Lance Gross) are no exception. In Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Our Family Wedding, they learn the hard way that the path to saying “I do” can be rife with familial strife. When they return from college and too suddenly announce their marriage plans, they soon discover that their fathers – two highly competitive over-the-top egos – can wreak a major amount of havoc on their special day.
With insults flying and tempers running high, it’s anyone’s guess if the alpha dads (Forest Whitaker...
Synopsis of the film:
“Our marriage, their wedding.” It’s lesson number one for any newly engaged couple, and Lucia (America Ferrera) and Marcus (Lance Gross) are no exception. In Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Our Family Wedding, they learn the hard way that the path to saying “I do” can be rife with familial strife. When they return from college and too suddenly announce their marriage plans, they soon discover that their fathers – two highly competitive over-the-top egos – can wreak a major amount of havoc on their special day.
With insults flying and tempers running high, it’s anyone’s guess if the alpha dads (Forest Whitaker...
- 3/5/2010
- by Matthew
- Atomic Popcorn
Nominees and Winners
For The 12th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards
(Winners were announced at the February 25, 2010 at the Awards Gala Event)
Excellence in Contemporary Film:
"(500) Days of Summer" . Hope Hanafin
"Brüno" . Jason Alper
"Crazy Heart" . Doug Hall *
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" . Marina Draghici
"Up in the Air" . Danny Glicker
Excellence in Period Film:
"Coco Before Chanel" . Catherine Leterrier
"Julie & Julia" . Ann Roth
"Nine" . Colleen Atwood
"Sherlock Holmes" . Jenny Beavan
"The Young Victoria" . Sandy Powell*
Excellence in Fantasy Film:
"Avatar" . Mayes C. Rubeo & Deborah L. Scott
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" . Monique Prudhomme *
"Star Trek" . Michael Kaplan
Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries:
"Georgia O'Keeffe" . Michael Dennison
"Grey Gardens" . Catherine Marie Thomas *
"Little Dorrit" . Barbara Kidd
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series:
"Big Love" . Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko
"Glee" . Lou Eyrich *
"Dancing with the Stars" . Randall Christensen
"No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" . Jo Katsaras
"Ugly Betty" . Patricia Field
Outstanding Period...
For The 12th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards
(Winners were announced at the February 25, 2010 at the Awards Gala Event)
Excellence in Contemporary Film:
"(500) Days of Summer" . Hope Hanafin
"Brüno" . Jason Alper
"Crazy Heart" . Doug Hall *
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" . Marina Draghici
"Up in the Air" . Danny Glicker
Excellence in Period Film:
"Coco Before Chanel" . Catherine Leterrier
"Julie & Julia" . Ann Roth
"Nine" . Colleen Atwood
"Sherlock Holmes" . Jenny Beavan
"The Young Victoria" . Sandy Powell*
Excellence in Fantasy Film:
"Avatar" . Mayes C. Rubeo & Deborah L. Scott
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" . Monique Prudhomme *
"Star Trek" . Michael Kaplan
Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries:
"Georgia O'Keeffe" . Michael Dennison
"Grey Gardens" . Catherine Marie Thomas *
"Little Dorrit" . Barbara Kidd
Outstanding Contemporary Television Series:
"Big Love" . Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko
"Glee" . Lou Eyrich *
"Dancing with the Stars" . Randall Christensen
"No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" . Jo Katsaras
"Ugly Betty" . Patricia Field
Outstanding Period...
- 3/1/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The Costume Designers Guild (Cdg) weighed in with their winners last night awarding The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell) the award for Excellence in Period Film, Crazy Heart (Doug Hall) the award for Excellence in Contemporary Film and Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme) the award for Excellence in Fantasy Film.
Of the three winners, Young Victoria and Parnassus are also nominated for the Oscar in Best Costume Design along with Janet Patterson's work in Bright Star, Catherine Leterrier for Coco Before Chanel and Colleen Atwood for Nine. It should be mentioned that Coco Before Chanel and Nine were also nominated in the Cdg's Period Film category along with Young Victoria.
My current prediction to take home the Oscar is Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria whose work is prominently featured on the film's official site, which is where the sketch of Emily Blunt's costume...
Of the three winners, Young Victoria and Parnassus are also nominated for the Oscar in Best Costume Design along with Janet Patterson's work in Bright Star, Catherine Leterrier for Coco Before Chanel and Colleen Atwood for Nine. It should be mentioned that Coco Before Chanel and Nine were also nominated in the Cdg's Period Film category along with Young Victoria.
My current prediction to take home the Oscar is Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria whose work is prominently featured on the film's official site, which is where the sketch of Emily Blunt's costume...
- 2/27/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Jose here bringing you some more award news.
The Costume Designers Guild announced their nominees for 2009.
In what's becoming a ridiculous set of snubs, Jane Campion's Bright Star was once again ignored for much less remarkable achievements (odd considering how much the costumes are actual part of the movie's plot). After the egregious snub by the Cinematographers Guild it's been clear how much people have decided to just pretend the movie doesn't exist.
You didn't have to like the film to see how great the cinematography and costumes were, right?
Now on to the nominees,
Fantasy
Avatar (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme) Star Trek (Michael Kaplan)The fact the CGI loincloths from Avatar were nominated in this category is a reminder of how much people are dying to reward this film.
Contemporary
(500) Days of Summer (Hope Hanafin) Bruno (Jason Alper) Crazy Heart...
The Costume Designers Guild announced their nominees for 2009.
In what's becoming a ridiculous set of snubs, Jane Campion's Bright Star was once again ignored for much less remarkable achievements (odd considering how much the costumes are actual part of the movie's plot). After the egregious snub by the Cinematographers Guild it's been clear how much people have decided to just pretend the movie doesn't exist.
You didn't have to like the film to see how great the cinematography and costumes were, right?
Now on to the nominees,
Fantasy
Avatar (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme) Star Trek (Michael Kaplan)The fact the CGI loincloths from Avatar were nominated in this category is a reminder of how much people are dying to reward this film.
Contemporary
(500) Days of Summer (Hope Hanafin) Bruno (Jason Alper) Crazy Heart...
- 1/26/2010
- by Jose
- FilmExperience
Is "Glee" star Lea Michele's youthful-geriatric look as Rachel Berry worthy of an award?
The Costume Designers Guild thinks it might be. The guild announced their nominees for their 12th annual awards, and "Glee" was among the nominated TV shows.
Other shows nominated for their contemporary costuming include "Big Love," "Dancing With the Stars," "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and "Ugly Betty."
The awards -- which honor contemporary, period and fantasy costume design in films, TV and commercials -- will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Beverly Hilton.
The full list of nominees:
Excellence in Contemporary Film:
"(500) Days of Summer" - Hope Hanafin
"Bruno" - Jason Alper
"Crazy Heart" - Doug Hall
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" - Marina Draghici
"Up in the Air" - Danny Glicker
Excellence in Period Film:
"Coco Before Chanel" - Catherine Leterrier
"Julie & Julia" - Ann Roth
"Nine" -...
The Costume Designers Guild thinks it might be. The guild announced their nominees for their 12th annual awards, and "Glee" was among the nominated TV shows.
Other shows nominated for their contemporary costuming include "Big Love," "Dancing With the Stars," "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and "Ugly Betty."
The awards -- which honor contemporary, period and fantasy costume design in films, TV and commercials -- will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Beverly Hilton.
The full list of nominees:
Excellence in Contemporary Film:
"(500) Days of Summer" - Hope Hanafin
"Bruno" - Jason Alper
"Crazy Heart" - Doug Hall
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" - Marina Draghici
"Up in the Air" - Danny Glicker
Excellence in Period Film:
"Coco Before Chanel" - Catherine Leterrier
"Julie & Julia" - Ann Roth
"Nine" -...
- 1/26/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Sacha Baron Cohen in Bruno (Universal) The Costume Designers Guild has announced its list of nominees in three categories. Omissions are even more interesting than many of the included films. Left out were Bright Star, Broken Embraces, It’s Complicated, Inglourious Basterds, Red Cliff, The White Ribbon, and A Single Man. The last film, a period drama set in 1960s Los Angeles, was directed by Tom Ford, who is himself a fashion designer. Considering the inclusion of Crazy Heart and Precious, no one can accuse the Cdg of being enamored of glitz and glamour. But The Hurt Locker is missing in action. The Cdg’s full list of motion picture nominees: Contemporary (500) Days of Summer, Hope Hanafin [...]...
- 1/26/2010
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Thanks to N8 Fantasy Avatar (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme) Star Trek (Michael Kaplan) Contemporary (500) Days of Summer (Hope Hanafin) Bruno (Jason Alper...
- 1/26/2010
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Originally posted on the Washington Times. Generation X may have found its own Annie Hall in Zooey Deschanel's portrayal of Summer Fin in the season's offbeat hit "(500) Days of Summer." "Like Annie Hall, Summer does not market herself to men. She is independent, yet slightly quirky, and she proves that she can be the object of a man's obsession," says Hope Hanafin, the film's costume designer, referring to the title character of the Woody Allen classic, brought to life by Diane Keaton. Summer Fin is a 20-something from Michigan who finds herself in Los Angeles working as an assistant for a greeting-card company. Although the film's narrator classifies her as "average height and weight," she wins plenty of admirers in the office, chief among them Tom Hanson, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a smart but lovesick dreamer who falls hard for the free-spirited...
- 8/7/2009
- by Stephanie Green
- Huffington Post
"Because of Winn-Dixie", based on the popular young people's novel by Kate DiCamillo, can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up.
It starts off as a gently amusing girl-and-her-dog story before awkwardly shifting gears into a more maudlin portrait of a town and its sorrows, then keeps attempting to backpedal into cute animal mode whenever the prolonged downbeat elements threaten to send kids screaming for their Game Boy Advance SPs.
Despite director Wayne Wang's flair for vehicles about characters seeking to fill a void in their lives ("The Joy Luck Club", "Smoke"), he never achieves the right balance here, struggling throughout with an episodic script by first-time screenwriter and former Warner Bros. executive Joan Singleton.
Given the film's tendency toward sermonizing, it's understandable that 20 Century Fox is playing up the lovable-pooch angle in its advertising. In print ads, they've even cut the young female protagonist off above her sneakers so as not to discourage the potential boy-and-his-dog demo.
Even so, the picture will prove to be a tough theatrical proposition, but those complaining that they don't make family movies with good old-fashioned values anymore could give it a boost when it arrives on home video.
Set in fictional, sleepy Naomi, Fla. (played by Napoleonville, La.), the redemptive story is narrated by India Opal Buloni (newcomer Annasophia Robb), a lonely 10-year-old who was abandoned by her mother at age 3.
As the new kid in town whose emotionally closed-off preacher dad (Jeff Daniels) has set up a church in an empty convenience store, India is finding it difficult making friends.
But she finds a kindred spirit in a big, dirty abandoned dog she names Winn-Dixie, after the supermarket in which the wayward mutt was generating mass chaos.
Little by little, and glory be, India and her faithful companion manage to shake the town out of a deep, melancholic funk.
There's always room in the movie market for an emotionally uplifting family story, but "Winn-Dixie"'s book of redemption is short a few green stamps.
Aside from navigating the wildly uneven tonal shifts, the inhabitants of Naomi have been reduced to the most cardboard of stock characters -- the spinster librarian Eva Marie Saint), the eccentric town outcast (Cicely Tyson), the mysterious drifter (singer Dave Matthews) -- and the actors playing them are wasted by those one-dimensional limitations.
Behind the scenes, establishing the comfortably worn-in look of the production are cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub, production designer Donald Graham Burt and costume designer Hope Hanafin, while Rachel Portman, who has scored several of Wang's films, contributes another subtly orchestrated composition.
Because of Winn-Dixie
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Walden Media present a Wayne Wang film
Credits:
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: Joan Singleton
Based on the novel by: Kate DiCamillo
Producers: Trevor Albert, Joan Singleton
Executive producer: Ralph Singleton
Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Production designer: Donald Graham Burt
Editor: Deirdre Slevin
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Rachel Portman
Cast:
Preacher: Jeff Daniels
Gloria Dump: Cicely Tyson
Otis: Dave Matthews
Miss Franny: Eva Marie Saint
India Opal Buloni: AnnaSophia Robb
Sweetie Pie Thomas: Elle Fanning
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 109 minutes...
It starts off as a gently amusing girl-and-her-dog story before awkwardly shifting gears into a more maudlin portrait of a town and its sorrows, then keeps attempting to backpedal into cute animal mode whenever the prolonged downbeat elements threaten to send kids screaming for their Game Boy Advance SPs.
Despite director Wayne Wang's flair for vehicles about characters seeking to fill a void in their lives ("The Joy Luck Club", "Smoke"), he never achieves the right balance here, struggling throughout with an episodic script by first-time screenwriter and former Warner Bros. executive Joan Singleton.
Given the film's tendency toward sermonizing, it's understandable that 20 Century Fox is playing up the lovable-pooch angle in its advertising. In print ads, they've even cut the young female protagonist off above her sneakers so as not to discourage the potential boy-and-his-dog demo.
Even so, the picture will prove to be a tough theatrical proposition, but those complaining that they don't make family movies with good old-fashioned values anymore could give it a boost when it arrives on home video.
Set in fictional, sleepy Naomi, Fla. (played by Napoleonville, La.), the redemptive story is narrated by India Opal Buloni (newcomer Annasophia Robb), a lonely 10-year-old who was abandoned by her mother at age 3.
As the new kid in town whose emotionally closed-off preacher dad (Jeff Daniels) has set up a church in an empty convenience store, India is finding it difficult making friends.
But she finds a kindred spirit in a big, dirty abandoned dog she names Winn-Dixie, after the supermarket in which the wayward mutt was generating mass chaos.
Little by little, and glory be, India and her faithful companion manage to shake the town out of a deep, melancholic funk.
There's always room in the movie market for an emotionally uplifting family story, but "Winn-Dixie"'s book of redemption is short a few green stamps.
Aside from navigating the wildly uneven tonal shifts, the inhabitants of Naomi have been reduced to the most cardboard of stock characters -- the spinster librarian Eva Marie Saint), the eccentric town outcast (Cicely Tyson), the mysterious drifter (singer Dave Matthews) -- and the actors playing them are wasted by those one-dimensional limitations.
Behind the scenes, establishing the comfortably worn-in look of the production are cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub, production designer Donald Graham Burt and costume designer Hope Hanafin, while Rachel Portman, who has scored several of Wang's films, contributes another subtly orchestrated composition.
Because of Winn-Dixie
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Walden Media present a Wayne Wang film
Credits:
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: Joan Singleton
Based on the novel by: Kate DiCamillo
Producers: Trevor Albert, Joan Singleton
Executive producer: Ralph Singleton
Director of photography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Production designer: Donald Graham Burt
Editor: Deirdre Slevin
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Rachel Portman
Cast:
Preacher: Jeff Daniels
Gloria Dump: Cicely Tyson
Otis: Dave Matthews
Miss Franny: Eva Marie Saint
India Opal Buloni: AnnaSophia Robb
Sweetie Pie Thomas: Elle Fanning
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 109 minutes...
Having already conquered half the moviegoing world, "Bean" is finally ready to take on fickle American audiences.
Given the gales of laughter that rocked a recent preview screening, expect an immediate and unprecedented surrender.
Simply put, "Bean" is the hands-down funniest picture in recent years -- an all-ages blast that will keep Gramercy bean counters beaming for weeks to come.
That probably won't be news to those who have already been Beaned by Rowan Atkinson's side-splitting series of small-screen adventures, but even so, the transition to features could have been a tricky one. Fortunately, with "Mr. Bean" co-creator Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and fellow series writer Robin Driscoll on board along with director Mel Curtis ("The Tall Guy"), the move couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Of course, Atkinson deserves most of the credit. His Mr. Bean is an irresistible combination of wide-eyed troublemaker and eternal naif. He's a man of few words and fewer social graces whose every movement has young and old alike screaming with giddy laughter.
Not that he really needs one, but the plot concerns itself with London's National Art Gallery sending "Whistler's Mother" to the Los Angeles gallery that has just purchased it. Accompanying the masterpiece is none other than the British gallery's shiftless employee, Mr. Bean, who the board members, eager to be rid of him, pass off as an esteemed art expert.
The charade doesn't exactly go without a hitch. Initially flattered to have the newly dubbed Dr. Bean staying at his home, Grierson Gallery curator David Langley (Peter MacNicol) ultimately loses his family and a good chunk of his mind when his guest's antics culminate in the devastating (and hilarious) destruction of one of the most recognizable works in American art history.
While the film itself dips a little in the middle, Atkinson's brilliant, seemingly effortless brand of physical comedy sustains the buoyant pace. And although the concept of supporting performances would appear to be superfluous here, MacNicol more than holds his own as Bean's quietly flappable host, as does Pamela Reed as MacNicol's no-nonsense wife.
Also fun in a smaller part is Burt Reynolds as the gung-ho Gen. Newton, a man who admits to knowing nothing about art but realizes the patriotic value of reclaiming American property from "the Frenchies."
BEAN
Gramercy Pictures
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
presents A Working Title production
in association with Tiger Aspect Films
A film by Mel Smith
Director: Mel Smith
Producers: Peter Bennett-Jones,
Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriters: Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll
Executive producer: Richard Curtis
Director of photography: Francis Kenny
Production designer: Peter Larkin
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Howard Goodall
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Bean: Rowan Atkinson
David Langley: Peter MacNicol
Alison Langley: Pamela Reed
George Grierson: Harris Yulin
Stingo: Johnny Galecki
Kevin Langley: Andrew J. Lawrence
Jennifer Langley: Tricia Vessey
Gen. Newton: Burt Reynolds
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Given the gales of laughter that rocked a recent preview screening, expect an immediate and unprecedented surrender.
Simply put, "Bean" is the hands-down funniest picture in recent years -- an all-ages blast that will keep Gramercy bean counters beaming for weeks to come.
That probably won't be news to those who have already been Beaned by Rowan Atkinson's side-splitting series of small-screen adventures, but even so, the transition to features could have been a tricky one. Fortunately, with "Mr. Bean" co-creator Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") and fellow series writer Robin Driscoll on board along with director Mel Curtis ("The Tall Guy"), the move couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Of course, Atkinson deserves most of the credit. His Mr. Bean is an irresistible combination of wide-eyed troublemaker and eternal naif. He's a man of few words and fewer social graces whose every movement has young and old alike screaming with giddy laughter.
Not that he really needs one, but the plot concerns itself with London's National Art Gallery sending "Whistler's Mother" to the Los Angeles gallery that has just purchased it. Accompanying the masterpiece is none other than the British gallery's shiftless employee, Mr. Bean, who the board members, eager to be rid of him, pass off as an esteemed art expert.
The charade doesn't exactly go without a hitch. Initially flattered to have the newly dubbed Dr. Bean staying at his home, Grierson Gallery curator David Langley (Peter MacNicol) ultimately loses his family and a good chunk of his mind when his guest's antics culminate in the devastating (and hilarious) destruction of one of the most recognizable works in American art history.
While the film itself dips a little in the middle, Atkinson's brilliant, seemingly effortless brand of physical comedy sustains the buoyant pace. And although the concept of supporting performances would appear to be superfluous here, MacNicol more than holds his own as Bean's quietly flappable host, as does Pamela Reed as MacNicol's no-nonsense wife.
Also fun in a smaller part is Burt Reynolds as the gung-ho Gen. Newton, a man who admits to knowing nothing about art but realizes the patriotic value of reclaiming American property from "the Frenchies."
BEAN
Gramercy Pictures
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
presents A Working Title production
in association with Tiger Aspect Films
A film by Mel Smith
Director: Mel Smith
Producers: Peter Bennett-Jones,
Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriters: Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll
Executive producer: Richard Curtis
Director of photography: Francis Kenny
Production designer: Peter Larkin
Editor: Christopher Blunden
Costume designer: Hope Hanafin
Music: Howard Goodall
Casting: Ronnie Yeskel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Bean: Rowan Atkinson
David Langley: Peter MacNicol
Alison Langley: Pamela Reed
George Grierson: Harris Yulin
Stingo: Johnny Galecki
Kevin Langley: Andrew J. Lawrence
Jennifer Langley: Tricia Vessey
Gen. Newton: Burt Reynolds
Running time -- 87 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 11/5/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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