Reviews

Wow. Just wow. I really have no words that emphasize enough the brilliance of this documentary.

I am a complete fashion illiterate. I mean, the only things i wear are sports clothes, jeans and t-shirts. So i've never heard before of Bill Cunningham. He's a fashion photographer for the New York Times, and a damn fine one, it seems.

This is his story, and what a story! Like a modern-day Thoreau, he lives alone in his tiny apartment, filled only with art books and filers full with negatives of his work of this last 60 years. He still uses an old analog camera and rides his bike everywhere, only replacing it when it gets stolen.

But, what's really special in this little marvel, at least for me (because of the fact that i don't do for living something that i really care about... if i think about it, i don't really know what could that be...) is the chance to watch someone who is completely and utterly in love with what he does. He exudes happiness and content, because he is right where he wants to be, doing what he really wants to do, with all his heart. He's 80 years old, and still kicking it like the best, when most people would be wasting away, retired after 30 or so years of unfulfilling work.

His elation transpires into his personality and daily interactions with his colleagues and acquaintances, he's always smiling and good-humored. He's fiercely independent, and seems to be in a never-ending search for beauty in all its forms.

I believe that the world is a candid place with people like Bill Cunningham in it. Now it's up to the rest of us to find that which we can be passionate about.

Let's set one thing straight: this movie does not seek to redefine the genre, it's not Dr. Strangelove o Young Frankenstein. It's a silly flick, with three great female leads (can't remember any other comedy with similar characteristics), Rachel Dracht and Amy Poehler from SNL and indie queen Parker Posey, charming as ever. The story is basic: the three gals were "losers" in college, and are still after wards it. Poehler is a dog trainer (who can't even get a date with a blind guy), Posey is an assistant for a senator (who "hasn't been touched by a man since Clinton was in office"... i catched that one several minutes later... i'm a little slow, OK!), and Dracht has a gay fiancée (Seth Meyers from SNL, funny). They have to prevent the "uncool" daughter of the senator (the always cute Amber Tamblyn from the TV series "Joan of Arcadia") to embarrass her during spring break. So of course they have to go to watch over her, and some hilarity ensues. All in all, a light, simple comedy, quite short, and quite enjoyable