I can't quite say that the director Robert Altman can do no wrong; although "Nashville" remains one of my favourite films, I was never particularly fond of his filmed plays of the 80's and he has had the occasional near-miss since. However "Pret-a-Porter" is not one of them despite the consensus of the critics to the contrary. Coming off the critical acclaim of "The Player" and "Short Cuts" -- his two previous movies -- I think they felt it was time to take him down a peg and this film received horrible reviews.
There is no one like Altman for handling ensemble casts and multiple story lines; obviously with intercut stories some are going to be more successful than others, but the occasional lesser tale need not detract from the whole. This film is set during Paris fashion week and mixes real designers with make-believe designers and fashionistas and although many of them are grotesques, I think there is a certain underlying affection for the whole silly scene. The only bit that I felt was beneath him was the running gag of stepping into dog doodoo. Needless to say some critics made this a metaphor for the film as a whole, but that is really an unbalanced cheap gibe. There are actually many delights to be found.
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