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Friday, September 25, 2020

Thoughts on Party Girl

I rewatched Party Girl in June. I adore this movie. I love that it’s a snapshot of mid-90s house dance culture, especially with Guillermo Diaz’ sweet performance as a shy DJ, and Parker Posey’s bright outfits pieced together from thrift store finds. I like that it’s about a young woman who becomes a library clerk and wants to prove to people that she’s not stupid or flighty, and wants to be a serious librarian to have more of a purpose in life beyond just being a charming party presence.

It’s especially cool to see a depiction of a budding librarian who doesn’t have the typical nerd look, as I and many other librarians/archivists just happen to fall into that appearance naturally. She’s trying to defy assumptions and fighting the patronizing attitude of the head librarian, and I really respected that about her character, like memorizing the Dewey Decimal System or organizing her friend’s record collection. Posey just owned this whole movie, and I love that this was her breakout starring role that made her a major indie movie star of the 1990s.

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