movie review of clothes

• Biography Movies
• Documentary
• Drama Movies

The 15 Best Movies About Fashion and Designers, Ranked

If you buy something using our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Oh, the glamorous yet terrifying world of high-end fashion. Full of exacting designers, scary magazine editors, and rich businessmen—who wouldn't want to be part of that industry?

From chick flicks to documentaries to dramas, with some even featuring household names like Coco Chanel, here are our picks for the best movies ever made about the daunting world of fashion.

15. Mahogany (1975)

Directed by Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson, and Jack Wormser

Starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Perkins

Drama, Romance (1h 49m)

6.1 on IMDb — 30% on RT

Diana Ross is known for being the lead singer of The Supremes, Motown's best-selling girl group (and second best-selling girl group of all time right behind Spice Girls).

What you might not know is that Diana Ross was an actress, too! And in Mahogany , Ross stars as a fashion designer in Rome named Tracy Chambers, who has to start at the bottom of the ladder.

Tracy doesn't just design clothes; she models them. Standing out against all the other white models in her rainbow-colored gown, Tracy accidentally falls into a photoshoot that launches her to fame.

In Mahogany , we get an exploration of an age-old problem: relationship versus career, love versus success. After picking the latter, Tracy turns into a cruel and demanding diva stereotype who reminds us of many other characters on this list.

14. Greed (2019)

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Starring Caroline Flack, Steve Coogan, David Mitchell

Comedy, Drama (1h 44m)

5.8 on IMDb — 50% on RT

Sir Richard McCreadie is—as you might guess from the honorific—a successful businessman and millionaire. Scratch that: billionaire. And how did he make all that cash? Clothes. Or, more specifically, his questionable ethics around selling clothes.

The fashion mogul, played by Steve Coogan, is a satire of real-life retail chairman Philip Green. "Greedy" McCreadie uses sweat shops and asset stripping to bang a hefty buck, but his lavish lifestyle is brought to a halt by a public government inquiry.

Director Michael Winterbottom tells Greedy's story in non-chronological order, darting between his rise to fame and the build-up to his 60th birthday party on the island of Mykonos.

The chaotic, almost documentary-like approach to filming perfectly mirrors Greedy's bustling businessman life, which awkward journalist Nick (played by David Mitchell) attempts to compile into Greedy's memoir.

13. Coco Before Chanel (2009)

Directed by Anne Fontaine

Starring Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola

Biography, Drama (1h 45m)

6.7 on IMDb — 64% on RT

Coco Before Chanel is, quite literally, about Gabrielle Chanel's life before her brand Coco Chanel skyrocketed.

The famous French designer revolutionized the female fashion industry, stripping back the corsets and long skirts for trousers and practical (yet stylish) clothing.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was a fiercely independent woman during a pivotal century for feminism. Coco Before Chanel explores Gabrielle's determination to succeed without the help of a man, which translated into her physically-freeing style of women's clothing.

Audrey Tautou stars as the passionate businesswoman, directed by Anne Fontaine, in this chic biopic full of ambition and inspiration.

12. Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018)

Directed by Lorna Tucker

Starring Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren, Ben Westwood

Biography, Documentary, History (1h 23m)

6.2 on IMDb — 80% on RT

Dame Vivienne Westwood. You've probably heard the name before, but what did she actually do? Oh, not much... except change the mainstream fashion industry forever!

Back in the 1970s, the punk scene was a huge cultural movement—a rebellious, angsty, free-spirited, anti-establishment lifestyle that verged on anarchy. And the biggest punk band in history? The Sex Pistols, managed by Malcolm McLaren.

If punk was a coin, it would have two sides: music and fashion. No runway-style gowns here! It's all studs, spikes, chokers, rips, and profanity (which would later evolve and settle into the more nuanced grunge look of the 90s).

We mention all this because McLaren and Westwood teamed up to run a revolutionary punk boutique called SEX. From there, Westwood catapulted into law-defying fashion and activism, which Lorna Tucker explores in this electrifying documentary.

11. The Dressmaker (2015)

Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse

Starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth

Comedy, Drama, Western (1h 59m)

7.0 on IMDb — 59% on RT

This one might not be about chasing your dreams in the fashion industry, but it does feature a lot of fabric and sewing machines. Kate Winslet packs a punchy central performance as a vengeful dressmaker accused of murder.

At just 10 years old, Myrtle Dunnage is blamed for the death of a classmate in the Australian outback and sent away. She trains in the garment-making trade and returns to her old town 25 years later, only to find that her mother doesn't even remember her.

Myrtle—now called Tilly—makes extravagant dresses for the women of Dungatar, but competition soon emerges.

The poster might look like an airy-fairy period piece, but The Dressmaker is packed with dark twists and macabre themes. Jocelyn Moorhouse directs this comedy-drama.

10. In Vogue: The Editor's Eye (2012)

Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato

Starring Hamish Bowles, Grace Coddington, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele

Documentary (1h 30m)

7.3 on IMDb — N/A on RT

What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear "high fashion"? Vogue , of course! One of the most famous magazines in the world, Vogue is even used as an adjective nowadays.

The haute couture magazine began in 1892 and has since branched out into 26 international editions, including Vogue Italia and British Vogue. For its 120th anniversary, Fenton Fox Bailey and Randy Barbato gave us a peek behind the scenes.

People tend to focus on the beautiful models that splash Vogue's pages, but what about the editors who make those pages? In Vogue: The Editor's Eye exposes how hard this job actually is.

Photoshoots like these provide a context that speaks to "culture, Hollywood, and the world at large."

9. Cruella (2021)

Directed by Craig Gillespie

Starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry

Adventure, Comedy, Crime (2h 14m)

7.3 on IMDb — 75% on RT

Cruella de Vil is the infamous Disney villain who's desperate for a fur coat made of Dalmatian puppies. Originally the antagonist of Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians , Cruella de Vil is a feisty and monochrome fashionista splashed with pops of red.

She has been reinvented time and again, both as a cartoon (1961's One Hundred and One Dalmatians ) and live-action (1996's 101 Dalmatians ), and in 2021 was brought to the big screen again by Craig Gillespie in crime-comedy form.

Emma Stone brilliantly embodies the iconic villain, who begins life as a creative child named Estrella. After her mother dies, Estrella is left orphaned and drunkenly redecorating a window display in London.

Luckily, this lands her a job in the store and she puts her thieving days behind her. But will working under the callous haute couture designer Baroness von Hellman (played by Emma Thompson) be too much?

8. The September Issue (2009)

Directed by R. J. Cutler

Starring Anna Wintour, Thakoon Panichgul, André Leon Talley

7.0 on IMDb — 83% on RT

Vogue 's biggest publication (at least at the time of this documentary being made) was the 2007 September Issue, which clocked in at 840 pages and weighed nearly five pounds!

Filmmaker R. J. Cutler immortalized this fall issue in his fashion documentary, focusing on the editor-in-head Anna Wintour during the hectic creation of the hefty collection, with each page being held to the highest standard.

To lead something as big as Vogue , you need to be hard-edged, assertive, and aggressive. That's exactly what Wintour is—a fashion legend with an eye for detail, who no doubt inspired the character of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada .

Fun fact: Since the release of this film, Vogue has beaten its own record with their 916-page September Issue in 2012.

7. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

Directed by Anthony Fabian

Starring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson

Comedy, Drama (1h 55m)

7.1 on IMDb — 94% on RT

Working-class Britain in the 1950s couldn't be more different to the chic sophistication of the Parisian fashion scene. Ada Harris (played by Lesley Manville) lives as a window cleaner in London, worlds away from the runways that she dreams of.

While attending Dior's 10th-anniversary collection in France, Ada sticks out like a sore thumb with her common Cockney accent and drab gray suit. Luckily, she befriends some workers, and Dior will make any woman (with enough cash) a dress during hard times.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a heartwarming little British gem for when you need something light. Anthony Fabian's comedy-drama could've easily been made in the 50s, harboring that same charm found in many classic Audrey Hepburn films.

6. Fashion Reimagined (2022)

Directed by Becky Hutner

Starring Chloe Marks, Amy Powney

Documentary (1h 40m)

7.5 on IMDb — 91% on RT

If there's one word that describes modern society, it's "fast." We want fast Wi-Fi, fast food, fast movies, fast fashion—and like most things that are fast, fast fashion is damaging and unnatural.

We all know that there's no way a brand new dress could have a $2 price tag if it weren't made unethically. But it's so cheap and convenient that we can't help but buy it anyway.

On the flip side, you have overpriced luxury goods—such as a watch that costs as much as a full-blown family house, glinting in the eyes of the homeless as fashionistas stroll past.

Becky Hutner's Fashion Reimagined forces us to look at the truth, to face the facts rather than bask in the bliss of ignorance, to come to terms with that niggling sensation of guilt within us.

Sustainable, organic, traceable. Quality over quantity. Nobody was harmed in the making of this product. That's what creative director Amy Powney strives for with her brand Mother of Pearl, which is at the center of this fashion documentary.

5. House of Gucci (2021)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino

Biography, Crime, Drama (2h 38m)

6.6 on IMDb — 62% on RT

The ensemble cast for Ridley Scott's biopic is enough to entice us in alone. Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Jared Leto? Yes, please!

Lady Gaga is the star of the show, of course, holding the screen with sass, strength, and style. As a pop star known for her wild fashion choices, Gaga is a perfect fit for any film about fashion and clothes.

House of Gucci recounts the evolution of the Gucci brand after humble Italian outsider Patrizia Reggiani (played by Lady Gaga) marries the grandson of Guccio Gucci, the founder of the label. But there's more than just designing suits to this wealthy family.

Strained relationships, disinheritance, and tax evasion make it a bumpy ride for all members. Scott's crime drama is everything you could want from a Hollywood movie: glitz, glamour, melodrama, A-list actors, police investigations, and glossy cinematography.

4. Last Night in Soho (2021)

Directed by Edgar Wright

Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith

Drama, Horror, Mystery (1h 56m)

7.0 on IMDb — 76% on RT

Last Night in Soho doesn't fit into any single genre—that would be far too simple for renowned director Edgar Wright.

It's crime, drama, horror, supernatural, slasher, coming-of-age... all with a bizarre plot that blurs lines between past and present, real and hallucinatory, our world and the dream world.

Way back in the Swingin' Sixties, the life of wannabe singer Sandie (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) is ruined by a seductive pimp named Jack (played by Matt Smith).

Fast-forward fifty years and young Ellie Turner (played by Thomasin McKenzie)—inspired by the 60s aesthetic—dreams of becoming a fashionista. She hops a train to the London College of Fashion, but the student life isn't all it's hyped up to be.

Instead, Ellie spends her time living in the past... literally. Every night, Ellie dreams that she's in the body of the beautiful and confident Sandie back in the 1960s, but Jack's dominance starts to get messy. Soon, all of Ellie's worlds begin to mesh in a horrifying revelation.

3. Funny Face (1957)

Directed by Stanley Donen

Starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson

Comedy, Musical, Romance (1h 43m)

7.0 on IMDb — 88% on RT

If you liked the sound of the aforementioned Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , how about the real Audrey Hepburn in a fashion film?

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn wasn't just seen as a great actress but a full-blown style icon.

Before donning silk gloves and pearls in Breakfast at Tiffany's or getting a makeover in My Fair Lady , Hepburn was swearing off the fashion industry in Funny Face .

Directed by Stanley Donen, Funny Face depicts Hepburn as a philosopher who yearns to visit Paris—not for the Dior dresses, of course, but a lecture on empathicalism.

Jo's natural beauty and intellect make the perfect combo for Quality magazine, who are looking for new fashion models to match upcoming trends. But beneath all this modeling, there's also a bonus love story and musical numbers!

2. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Directed by David Frankel

Starring Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier

Comedy, Drama (1h 49m)

6.9 on IMDb — 75% on RT

Chick flicks get a bad rap in the movie world, but any film buff will tell you that the writing, structure, and character development in The Devil Wears Prada is actually incredible. Hence why it's so popular!

Meryl Streep plays the iconic Miranda Priestly, who's not only the editor-in-chief for esteemed fashion magazine Runway , but also completely impossible to please.

While the whole office is scared of her, ignorant newbie Andy (played by Anne Hathaway) doesn't realize her power.

Andy is a wannabe journalist desperate for a job, who's hired by Miranda precisely for her ignorance (past experience showing that fashionable young assistants are incompetent). Perhaps someone who knows nothing about the fashion world will prove better?

Though they initially clash, Andy learns the ways of the Runway world and becomes educated in all things beauty, fashion, and business.

1. Phantom Thread (2017)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville

Drama, Romance (2h 10m)

7.4 on IMDb — 91% on RT

Director Paul Thomas Anderson and esteemed actor Daniel Day-Lewis make an awesome pair, and if There Will Be Blood wasn't enough, Phantom Thread is glowing proof.

Far removed from the fast-paced city lifestyle of the high-fashion industry in The Devil Wears Prada , Phantom Thread takes us into the old-school world of 1950s dressmaking.

Set in London, Reynolds Woodcock (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) makes beautiful lavish dresses for celebrities and royalty alike, but he's meticulous, cold, and unimpressed by everyone around him.

His strictly organized lifestyle is held together by his sister Cyril (played by Lesley Manville), but it's all turned upside-down when a new muse enters the scene.

Woodcock ends up having an affair with the much-younger Alma (played by Vicky Krieps), who serves as his greatest muse when designing clothes. However, his true colors eventually show through—and Alma finds his finicky, domineering personality too much.

Phantom Thread is a stunningly shot slow-burner, draped in a vintage sort of charm that's at once elegant and melancholy.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

The Most Iconic Fashion Films of All Time

By Liam Hess and Gia Yetikyel

Few creative mediums go together quite like fashion and film. Whether it’s a director’s knack for capturing the dramatic movement of a gown on screen or the contributions to the movie world made by fashion designers over the decades, this symbiotic relationship has created some of the most memorable onscreen moments of all time. 

So whether to satisfy your curiosity about an industry so often wrapped up in mystery, to provide the backstory to some of the most important moments in fashion history, or simply to indulge in a little sartorial escapism, here, find all the most iconic films about fashion you can watch now. 

Funny Face (1957)

As far as fashion films go, they don’t get much more joyous than Funny Face. Audrey Hepburn stars as Jo Stockton, a shy New York City bookshop assistant who dreams of studying philosophy in Paris. Her aspirations are realized through the unlikeliest of means after she becomes a muse to the celebrated fashion photographer Dick Avery, played by Fred Astaire. Packed with gorgeous Parisian set pieces, delightful tunes by George and Ira Gershwin, and exquisite dresses crafted both by legendary costumier Edith Head and regular Hepburn collaborator Hubert de Givenchy , it’s a perfect ode to the joys of haute couture. —Liam Hess

Blow-Up (1966) 

One of the more sinister entries on the list, this darkly glamorous thriller directed by Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni is set within the heady heights of Swinging Sixties London. It weaves an unlikely tale of intrigue centered around David Hemmings’s lusty fashion photographer Thomas, who believes he has accidentally photographed a murder taking place. With hindsight, the complicated protagonist’s attitude to his female subjects is very much a product of its time—but the film’s menacing thrills are leavened by a number of fabulous cameos, from Veruschka to Jane Birkin. Blow-Up today serves as a fascinating document of a pivotal moment in fashion history. —L.H.

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? may have been released in the same year as Blow-Up , but its vision of the Swinging Sixties is altogether more surrealist and willfully satirical. Directed by the American photographer and filmmaker William Klein, the film pokes fun at the excesses and frivolities of the fashion industry in a way that manages to be both glamorous and grotesque. Come for the costumes—which offer a brilliantly realized time capsule of 1960s style and have since inspired Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs—and stay for the brilliant performance by Grayson Hall as Miss Maxwell, an imperious, Diana Vreeland-esque fashion editor whose pithy remarks can make or break a career. —L.H.

By Elise Taylor

By Jenny Berg

By Marley Marius

Mahogany (1975)

As far as portrayals of fashion designers on-screen go, they don’t get more decadent than Diana Ross’s turn as the American design student Tracy Chambers, whose clothes become an unlikely hit in the salons of high society 1970s Rome. Directed by Motown Records’ Berry Gordy, the film’s celebration of fashion at its most flamboyant and excessive also features a political message that remains relevant to this day, as Tracy is torn between her love for a Black activist fighting gentrification in her hometown of Chicago, and the glamorous but ultimately empty promises of her modeling career in Europe. Also featuring a soundtrack for the ages, Mahogany is a campy—and surprisingly conscientious—fashion fantasy. —L.H.

Prêt-à-Porter (1994)

In Robert Altman’s sprawling, starry, and very much satirical ode to the fashion industry, nothing is quite as it seems. Employing the filmmaker’s signature mockumentary style, there are celebrity cameos from the likes of Julia Roberts, Sophia Loren, and Lauren Bacall, all playing various fashionistas descending on Paris Fashion Week in the wake of the death of Olivier de la Fontaine, the head of the city’s fashion council. While the film was both a critical and commercial bomb, the initially bemused response of the fashion industry has softened over the years into affection. As a document of the thrilling heights of the 1990s runway show, there’s no better film to watch. —L.H.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

As far as bringing the rarefied, secretive world of fashion media into the spotlight goes, few films have been as successful as The Devil Wears Prada. Starring Meryl Streep in a thrillingly vicious, Oscar-nominated turn as Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, we follow the journey of Anne Hathaway’s initially style-illiterate Andy Sachs as she enters this cutthroat world as Miranda’s assistant. An endlessly quotable and uproariously funny insight into the obsessive nature of those who work in fashion, the film also benefits from brilliant supporting performances by Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. But could the real villain of the film in fact be Andy’s boyfriend? It only takes a quick scroll through Twitter to see that debate roaring to this day. —L.H.

Coco Before Chanel (2009)

If you’re looking for a dose of fashion history, you can’t go wrong with Audrey Tautou’s sublime performance as Coco Chanel in her early years as a seamstress, before she would go on to found her eponymous fashion house that would redefine the modern woman’s wardrobe. With the help of elegant cinematography and art direction—and perhaps most memorably, stunning style moments courtesy of the French costume designer Catherine Leterrier, whose work on the film earned her a César Award—it’s the rare fashion biopic that goes deep below the surface, offering a moving insight into the inner world of the designer it profiles. —L.H.

The Neon Demon (2016)

You may need a strong stomach to sit through some of the more grisly moments of Nicolas Winding Refn’s psychological horror The Neon Demon , but you’ll get your reward through plenty of eye-popping fashion, too. Elle Fanning's young modeling ingenue soon gets swept up in the scene’s darker underbelly, resulting in demonic possessions, serial killer photographers, and a particularly horrifying final sequence involving an exorcism, necrophilia, and a lot ( a lot) of blood. While its sideways swipes at the darker corners of the fashion industry may be a little heavy-handed, The Neon Demon makes for a bracing and gloriously gory guilty pleasure. —L.H.

Phantom Thread (2017)

Few films capture the obsessive, exacting nature of haute couture as deftly as Paul Thomas Anderson’s claustrophobic and brilliantly eerie Phantom Thread , which charts the relationship between the high society designer Reginald Woodcock—loosely based on Charles James—and a young woman he meets at a seaside café who becomes his muse. Daniel Day-Lewis's Oscar-nominated performance is more than matched by his co-stars Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville, bringing this dark fairy tale to vivid, believable life. Phantom Thread ’s window into the world of post-war fashion is an intoxicating, beautifully woven fairy tale—but one that ultimately feels closer to a nightmare. —L.H.

Cruella (2021)

While Disney’s fantastical take on the world of fashion may be a little far-fetched, it gets more right than it does wrong. It tells the origin story of 101 Dalmatians' infamously stylish villain Cruella DeVil, here played in her youth by Emma Stone. Her beginnings as a renegade fashion designer—when she pushes back against the florals and frivolity of 1960s London style and introduces something darker and more dangerous to the mix—has plenty of parallels with real-world figures such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano. The costumes may be ahistorical (albeit intentionally so), but the tale of egos and excess in fashion is undoubtedly timeless. —L.H.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Audrey Hepburn plays the eccentric and naive Holly Golightly, with ever-growing ideas on how to marry rich while living in New York City. In the midst of Holly’s bustling daily activities, Paul Varjak (George Peppard) moves into her apartment building as he attempts to get his writing published after years of struggle. There are broken hearts, grief-stricken messes, and even a night in jail as Holly and Paul attempt to navigate what love looks like in their zany yet romantic world. While some will recognize the famous tune of “Moon River” featured in the film, nearly everyone will immediately recognize Holly's black ensemble donned with jewels and a cigarette. —Gia Yetikyel

The Dressmaker (2015)

Myrtle Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to her rural hometown in Australia after having been blamed for her classmate's death decades prior. Myrtle now goes by Tilly, and has rebranded herself as a couture designer and seamstress who catches many eyes upon her arrival. The comedy-drama shows Tilly teaching the locals that a dress can be far more than a simple garment. But as she styles the women of her town with glamorous threads, Tilly also seeks revenge on those who wronged her all those years ago. Tilly’s fiery home and final kick of red fabric engulfed in flames rolling down a hill into the town make for a memorable finale. —G.Y.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

The most dangerous place in the world to have a shopping addiction might just be New York City, and Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is constantly testing her limits (and credit cards) there. As Rebecca attempts to steer her journalism career toward the fashion world, her constant battle with having to buy a new scarf, coat, or even 20 hot dogs gets in her own way. Her bright clothes and statement accessories are seemingly perfect for the environment of the fashion magazine Rebecca desperately wants to work for, but things get a little tricky when her bills add up and she has to attend Shopaholics Anonymous. And while her style is a little campy, Rebecca’s fashion overconsumption might feel a little too real. —G.Y.

House of Gucci (2021)

Based on a true story, House of Gucci follows Patrizia Reggiani as she marries into the Gucci family; her ambition starts a chain reaction of betrayal, vengeance, and murder. The film is full of dazzling outfits and family drama, not to mention the iconic line, “Father, Son, House of Gucci.” Plus, the dramatic retelling of the Italian fashion empire's tale features stars like Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and even Al Pacino. —G.Y.

More Great Fashion Stories from Vogue

Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Put Their Mismatched Couples Style on Display

Sydney Sweeney Just Found A Genuinely Novel Way Not To Wear Clothes On The Red Carpet

Jennifer Lawrence Gives Transparent Dressing The Ladylike Treatment

Here's the Only Denim Trend You Need to Know About in 2024

Zendaya And Florence Pugh Do Polar Opposite Dressing

This Highly Controversial Shoe Just Got the Kim Kardashian Stamp of Approval

Sign up for Vogue’s shopping newsletter The Get to receive the insider’s guide to what to shop and how to wear it

Listen to The Run-Through with Vogue , a weekly podcast featuring the most exciting stories and hot takes from the worlds of culture, politics, sports and–of course–fashion

Never miss a Vogue moment and get unlimited digital access for just $2 $1 per month.

Vogue Shopping

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Architectural Digest.. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The 25 Most Fashionable Films of All Time

From The Devil Wears Prada to House of Gucci

If you’re feeling the same, look no further, as below is a list of the 25 best fashion films to watch right now. Barbie is finally available on demand, and cult hits like Josie and the Pussycats or Showgirls are practically begging to be re-watched for the millionth time. Whether it’s drag queens on a cross-country road trip, pop stars ascending to diva-hood, or a young fashion intern at war with her tyrannical boss, why not spend the night with the best clothes ever captured on film?

A Single Man

A Single Man is devastating and gorgeous, a combination over which director Tom Ford has total mastery. (Yes, the Tom Ford.) George is a man mourning the loss of his boyfriend, and in the midst of his grief, he has a series of encounters with various friends and cohorts that will leave the first-time viewer huddled up on the floor. Besides, Ford is at the reins, with help from costume designer Arianne Phillips, making A Single Man a must-see classic.

Thanks to Black fashion scholars and critics, B.A.P.S has seen a recent critical reevaluation. Rappers, pop stars, drag queens, and others have referenced its singular costume design on more than one occasion, and its visual impact on the culture cannot be understated. Besides, it’s an all-around fun romp, and Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle shine as Nisi and Mickey, respectively, aspiring soul food slash hair salon entrepreneurs who fly to L.A. for a video girl competition.

It was obvious from the promotional cycle that Barbie ’s fashions—pulled from the Chanel archives and Mattel’s storied closets—were going to leave us breathless. Thankfully, Greta Gerwig and costume designer Jacqueline Durran delivered … and then some! It’s the can’t-miss movie event of the year for a reason, and instantly went down as one of the most stylish films in Hollywood history.

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians was an international success for good reason. In this update of the classic rags-to-riches story Hollywood loves so much, Constance Wu is positively delectable as Rachel, the fish-out-of-water girlfriend of Singapore’s most eligible bachelor, who finds that the lifestyles of the rich and famous come with lots and lots and lots of clothes.

Down With Love

Putting aside professionalism for one moment: Down With Love is one of my favorite films of all time, as a critic and self-styled rom-com aficionado. It’s hilarious, sharply written, and stuffed with so many phenomenal actors and costuming choices, there’s hardly a second to catch your breath! In a outlandishly satirical take on 1960s news media, Renée Zellweger plays Barbara Novak, a best-selling feminist author with a killer wardrobe who finds herself hopelessly entangled with suave ladies’ man and writer Catcher Block, played by Ewan McGregor. It’s got everything, everyone, and so much more.

Personal Shopper

A spookier film than most others on this list, Personal Shopper tells the tale of a personal shopper to a supermodel. Things quickly go south, but to reveal anything else about this Kristen Stewart vehicle would spoil the surprise!

Oft confused with Barbra Streisand’s hit musical Funny Girl , Funny Face actually stars Audrey Hepburn as Jo, a bookish shop assistant pursued across New York and Europe by esteemed fashion photographer Dick (played by Fred Astaire). Its musical number “Think Pink” is one of the most infectious tunes ever recorded on film—not to mention the great gowns, beautiful gowns.

Another personal favorite of just about everyone’s, Funny Girl introduced the moviegoing world to Barbra Streisand and her singularly iconic wardrobe as Fanny Brice. As the titular funny girl, she dazzles and shines in an assortment of enviable ensembles, from small-time showgirl to internationally renowned comedic legend. As an added bonus, she sings “My Man” in the Platonic ideal of little black dresses.

House of Gucci

Lady Gaga has the Midas touch when it comes to marketing the costume work for her recent film projects. From House of Gucci to the upcoming Joker sequel , there’s a veritable cottage industry around the paparazzi pics of her life on set. While it received mixed reviews, House of Gucci is a treasure trove of vintage designs, and worth it for Gaga’s delivery of the line “Father, son, and House of Gucci.”

Josie and the Pussycats

Josie and the Pussycats was already a cult classic amongst camp enthusiasts like myself, but the satirical film about a rock group who become unwitting pawns in a capitalist brainwashing scheme has seen a second wind on social media. Its enduring popularity comes courtesy of the fabulous costumes by costume designer Leesa Evans. Beyond its mouthwatering wardrobe, however, it’s a film that has basically everything we want: cutting cultural commentary, Parker Posey, musical numbers, and gorgeous visuals.

Before there was Barbie , there was Life-Size . Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan star in a coming-of-age comedy about a doll that comes to life—and yes, she brings all of her outfits with her. Poignant, funny, and nostalgic, this one likely holds a special place in the hearts of future fashion obsessives everywhere.

There are almost too many costumes to look at in Mahogany , Diana Ross’s camp classic from 1975 about an aspiring fashion designer who becomes an international superstar. Do I love the purple get-up or the rainbow chiffon more? Or was it the embroidered peach gown that I dream of most? The film’s tagline says it best: “Mahogany: the woman every woman wants to be, and every man wants to have.” Ross had already earned her legendary diva status before the film’s release, but it certainly cemented a legacy that would continue to endure for over 40 years.

Marie Antoinette

Were you even on Tumblr if you didn’t reblog stills from Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette at least once? Cleverly costumed and gorgeously designed, the film has endured as a favorite of fashion obsessives—no small feat. Costume designer Milena Canonero won the 2007 Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design thanks to her work on the film, and would go on to design for equally stylish films like The Grand Budapest Hotel (which she also won an Oscar for) and Asteroid City .

Phantom Thread

Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama about a tortured dressmaker and his muse-turned-wife is thrilling, sexy, and gorgeous to look at. Daniel Day-Lewis loses himself in the role as Reynolds Woodcock, and besides the enviable dresses he sends out to clients, he and costar Vicky Krieps have chemistry thick enough to cut with a knife.

Ready to Wear

Julia Roberts, Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger—1994’s Ready to Wear was the preeminent fashion film before there was The Devil Wears Prada . A murder mystery against the backdrop of Fashion Week, it features two reporters going undercover to solve the most glamorous crime of the 20th century. Chic, funny, sharply written, and directed by Robert Altman, Ready to Wear (original title: Prêt-à-Porter ) will transport you back to one of the most enviable and memorable decades in fashion history.

Sex and the City

The Sex and the City movie was divisive when first released, but has since become regarded as a cult favorite, especially with the release of And Just Like That… ’s equally divisive first two seasons. There’s a lot to love about the film—most obviously the iconic Vivienne Westwood wedding dress, which sits as the crown jewel above all the rest of Sarah Jessica Parker’s onscreen ensembles as fashion savant Carrie Bradshaw.

It doesn’t matter where you are, who you are, what you’re doing, or where you’re going: If you haven’t seen Showgirls yet, drop what you’re doing and run to the nearest television. If you have already, probably do the same, as it’s a film that demands (at the very least) a semiannual rewatch. Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 epic tells the tale of an aspiring Vegas dancer wrapped up in forces much larger than even her ambitions. Erotic, thrilling, and with an enviable wardrobe to boot, Showgirls has earned its reputation as a controversial masterpiece.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Before there was Wong Foo , there was Priscilla . A favorite among drag queens, the Australian comedy lovingly depicts a trio of fashion icons who set out on a cross-country journey in the titular bus. It has some of the most often-referenced costumes in recent cultural memory, and is a visually jaw-dropping love letter to the LGBTQ+ community at a time when the world at large was still waking up to the reality of those suffering through the AIDS crisis.

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

Another cult classic on Tumblr and the online fashion boards of yesteryear, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s West German romantic drama unfolds in the sprawling bedroom of narcissistic fashion designer Petra von Kant, and explores themes of beauty, isolation, and emotional codependency.

The Devil Wears Prada

Did you expect this entry’s synopsis to start with a joke about blue sweaters—even though it was 2002, I believe, when Oscar de la Renta did a collection of blue sweater jokes? Besides, there’s more to love about this film than blue sweaters and Chanel thigh-highs. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep’s chemistry as Andy and Miranda is downright electric, and it endures as one of the most memorable windows into the cutthroat worlds of fashion and publishing ever put to film.

Film, TV & Theatre

See Lady Gaga in the “Joker: Folie à Deux” Trailer

The 48 Best Shows on Hulu

Why Pop Culture Keeps Falling for the “Gay Liar”

How “Mary & George” Makes Jacobean Fashion Sexy

Logan Lerman Doesn’t Really Think About Fame

What We Know About A Complete Unkown

Chloë Sevigny on Being a Generational Muse

Everything to Know About Beetlejuice 2

The 20 Best Easter Movies for the Whole Family

Julio Torres & Tilda Swinton: The Duo We Deserve

75 Essential Feminist Movies You Need to See

The 17 Best Fashion Movies to Watch

By Kara K. Nesvig

Need a break from your humdrum routine? Want to escape into a beautiful, glittering land of glitz and glamour? Hey, we feel you on that one. When we’re longing for a little escapism made of duchesse satin and chiffon with a hand-beaded train, we turn on one of these fashion-centric films — and we're not just talking about the wardrobe department, either. For those of us who get a thrill every time we see a gorgeous dress or the perfect shoe, fashion movies are our addiction, and offer the opportunity to take us into the sacred ateliers of our favorite designers, onto the runway, and let us sit at the editor’s desk. Whether you want to brush up on some history with Yves Saint Laurent , watch as Anne Hathaway 's Andy tries to impress her infamous boss Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada , or have some laughs with Zoolander , there are plenty of fashion movies to add to your queue. Whether it’s a documentary or a delicious little slice of fiction, these movies transport us to another world where no one wears pajamas to the airport.

Isaac Mizrahi is an outsize personality, so it’s only right that he’s the star of this ‘90s documentary about, well, himself. Isaac was BFFs with the hottest supermodels of the time, including a baby Kate Moss, and they all make appearances in the movie. Watch it on a #TBT to experience the golden age of Naomi, Cindy, and Linda Evangelista.

The star of this documentary, designer Raf Simons, recently left the house of Dior, where he reigned as head designer for almost four years. Though Simons conceived of every collection the house presented, there’s a team of insanely talented designers at the Dior atelier who help bring those visions to life so beautifully it might make you feel a little emotional when you see them float down the runway.

Coco Avant Chanel

*Amelie * star Audrey Tautou plays the young designer Gabrielle Chanel in this biopic about Chanel’s early years as a young seamstress. Did you know her boyish silhouettes that went on to revolutionize women’s fashion in the 1920s were inspired by her boyfriend’s clothes?

The Gospel According To André

The life and career of fashion icon André Leon Talley are the focus of this new documentary. He has served at Vogue as the editor-at-large, spent time at Andy Warhol's Factory, and was even a guest judge on America's Next Top Model for a few years. This film also explores how the luminary put a spotlight on more African-American designers and models in the fashion industry.

By Donya Momenian

By Liv McConnell

By Angie Jaime

The Devil Wears Prada

What kind of fashion movie roundup would this be if we didn’t include The Devil Wears Prada ? It’s become a cult classic for good reason: it’s hilarious, smart and total eye candy for any fashion fan. Andy’s Chanel looks and Miranda Priestly’s collection of crazy coats and bags still inspire us even ten years after its release.

The September Issue

Want to know what goes on at our big sister *Vogue * when they’re creating the gigantic fashion bible we call the September Issue? This documentary takes you through the doors of the offices and gives you full access to Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, and those glorious, glorious clothes.

Bill Cunningham New York

We’re still bummed about the passing of famous street photographer Bill Cunningham, who basically invented street style as we know it. Bill had very strict ideas about the fashion world in general, and this documentary shows just how influential he was in that world. Getting dressed won’t be quite as fun without the possibility of Bill snapping your look on the street.

We’re throwing it back to 1957 with this Audrey Hepburn musical, a must-see for any fashion fan. Audrey plays a bookshop clerk named Jo who is discovered by photographer Dick Avery (played by Fred Astaire and based on famous fashion photog Richard Avedon) and becomes a modeling sensation for Quality magazine. Despite her misgivings about the fashion world, Jo flies to Paris with Dick and finds both herself and a true love. It’s absolutely breathtaking to watch Audrey flit about Paris in stunning costumes by Givenchy, but we also love her iconic bookshop uniform of black cigarette pants and a turtleneck.

Everyone loves the kooky, maximalist style of Iris Apfel, the 94-year-old star of this documentary by the Maysles brothers. (They brought us the classic *Grey Gardens, * which could be considered a fashion movie in its own special way.) Iris has never been anybody but herself, which is the point of this entire documentary. It’ll inspire you to channel your most fabulous self, and maybe put on a few more bracelets.

The Neon Demon

In this 2016 horror movie, Elle Fanning plays Jesse, a young model who moves to Los Angeles, only to find herself lost in a cutthroat, often scary world of fashion, beauty, and style with a serious dark side. The people around her are obsessed with her youth, and Jesse learns to defend herself against the evils of the industry in more ways than one. We’re pretty sure this isn’t quite what the modeling industry is actually like, but the gorgeous cinematography and costumes of Neon Demon make this flick worth watching.

Yves Saint Laurent and Saint Laurent

Famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was the subject of two biopics in 2014, Yves Saint Laurent and Saint Laurent . Both films chronicled the career of the icon, who died in 2008, as he rose from the house of Dior to start his own massively successful line and began a passionate, long-lasting relationship with his partner Pierre Bergé. Laurent was just 21 when he took over as head designer of the House of Dior in 1957. The Yves Saint Laurent movie was the only one of the two to be supported by Bergé , but both have their moments of beauty and inspiration.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

See this 2008 documentary not only for Valentino’s beautiful clothes and those iconic red dresses but also for the many cameos made by his flock of pug dogs.

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf

Bergdorf Goodman is a New York institution. The grande dame of department stores has a legendary history, and this adorable documentary takes you through its glamorous history via the perspective of its employees and the designers and celebrities who love it. If you’ve been inside those hallowed halls, you know that Bergdorf Goodman is sheer magic. Even the Olsen twins make an appearance in this film, but with her dry wit and snappy humor, Bergdorf’s personal shopper Betty Halbreich is the standout star.

Mademoiselle C

Legendary editor Carine Roitfeld is the center of this documentary, which follows her as she goes off on her own to create *CR Fashion Book. * Also featured in Carine’s documentary? Alexander Wang, Tom Ford, Kate Moss and way, way more of fashion’s brightest stars.

Hey, it’s about the fashion industry and Ben Stiller always makes us LOL, so that’s reason enough to include it on this list — just remember that there's more to life than being really, really ridiculously good-looking.

The forthcoming Ocean's 8 , starring Sandra Bullock, Rihanna , Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, and many other badass women, is about a jewel heist — not exactly a fashion movie, per se, but the heist itself takes place at Fashion Prom, aka the Met Gala , so we’re counting it. Where else but the Met Gala would a celebrity wear a $150 million necklace anyway? Fashion luminaries such as Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Alexander Wang, Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, and Serena Williams all have cameos in the movie, which hits theaters on June 8. We’re pretty sure there will be more than a few gorgeous dresses to drool over — not to mention the jewels.

Want more Teen Vogue ?

Like us on Facebook to stay in the know!

By Marilyn La Jeunesse

By Aiyana Ishmael

By Shauna Beni-Haynes

By Iman Balagam

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Movie Reviews

Review: 'the outfit' is tailor-made to keep audiences guessing.

Bob Mondello

Though the new thriller The Outfit is set in a tailor's shop in 1950s Chicago, it's not about the outfits he makes — but about an underworld consortium his gangster customers hope to join.

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

The intimate new thriller "The Outfit" is set in a tailor shop, but the film is not about the outfits he makes. It's about an underworld group his gangster customers hope to join. Critic Bob Mondello says "The Outfit" is tailor-made to keep audiences guessing.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Chicago, 1956 - a rundown section of town that seems an unlikely spot for the masterly suit-making art of Leonard Burling.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE OUTFIT")

MARK RYLANCE: (As Leonard) This isn't art. This is a craft.

MONDELLO: I stand corrected. But in that case, Burling is a superb craftsman. We watch him chalking and cutting fabric, stitching linings, turning bolts of tweed and silk into garments that give his customers broad shoulders, make them stand taller.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) You cannot make something good until you understand your customer.

MONDELLO: Ah, but these particular customers who tuck guns in their waistbands and show up when sirens wail. Burling may keep his thoughts to himself, but he notices and he worries about their effect on his receptionist, Mable, played by Zoey Deutch, much to her annoyance.

ZOEY DEUTCH: (As Mable) I do not need you telling me who to date.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) I didn't mean it like that.

DEUTCH: (As Mable) You meant it like, I saw you smiling at Richie Boyle earlier, and now I'm petrified that you're running with a bad batch.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) Those men may be customers, but they are not gentlemen.

DEUTCH: (As Mable) Could have fooled me in those nice clothes you make for them.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) If we only allowed angels to be customers, then we'd have no customers at all.

DEUTCH: (As Mable) Do we let all of our customers keep black boxes in back?

MONDELLO: Burling has made his peace with the lockbox. The Boyle crime family uses it for messages, and there's been increased traffic of late something about a rival LaFontaine family, African American gangsters running numbers and a mysterious recording. And then one night...

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) Please. I don't want any trouble.

MONDELLO: ...Richie Boyle bleeding profusely, and his father's enforcer clutching a tape.

JOHNNY FLYNN: (As Francis) There are a thousand blue boys out there hunting for this. And if they find it, I start shooting. You follow? Making matters worse, there are a thousand racket boys hunting for it too, and if they find it, they start shooting. You follow?

MONDELLO: Even in a gang war, Francis, the enforcer, and Richie are skeptical of each other. But it's Francis's job to keep Richie alive. And here's this guy, Burling, who's good with a needle and thread.

FLYNN: (As Francis) Sew him up.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) What? I can't.

MONDELLO: So all of this is set up for a game of gangster cat and mouse in which you're never quite sure who's the cat. Director and co-writer Graham Moore has constructed "The Outfit" as a pressure cooker who-done-what and tailored it specifically to suit its leading man, Mark Rylance, and his most threatening customer, Simon Russell Beale, both of whom are nuanced stage performers. The action is confined to the shop's interior, almost as if it were a theatre set, with the close confines helping build the pressure and focus your attention on, say, a snag in a plan or fraying nerves. Burling keeps saying he's not a tailor; tailors sew on buttons. Then he says what he actually is.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) I studied for decades to be a cutter.

MONDELLO: Meaning he cuts the cloth and creates whole garments. But as the gangsters' plans come unraveled, you'll find yourself wondering how else he might use his shears. Actor Rylance wields them expertly, having prepared to play this role by studying with cutters on London's Savile Row. He learned his craft well enough that he made the suit he wears in the film, wears with studied cool, let's note, as his character's life and several others hang by a thread.

RYLANCE: (As Leonard) Fashionable things - they don't last. The things I make, like that suit of yours - it's timeless.

MONDELLO: You might also say that about Rylance's performance, which is a cut above in "The Outfit." I'm Bob Mondello.

(SOUNDBITE OF KARAVELO'S "MY GIRL")

Copyright © 2022 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

‘The Outfit’ Review: Mark Rylance Makes Clothes for Killers in Smart but Subdued Mobster Drama

Sure, Graham Moore's directorial debut is stylish, but it's the way he lets the performances shine that impresses most about this well-made gangster picture.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

• Digging Into the Cannes Lineup, Sight Unseen: Heavy on English Movies and Light on Women 11 hours ago
• Cannes Film Festival Reveals Lineup: Coppola, Cronenberg, Lanthimos, Schrader and Donald Trump Portrait ‘The Apprentice’ in Competition 1 day ago
• ‘Arcadian’ Review: Nicolas Cage Takes a Back Seat to Two Boys and a Bunch of Bugs in Clumsy Survival Thriller 2 days ago

It’s hard to imagine anyone better suited than Mark Rylance to the lead role of Graham Moore ’s “ The Outfit ” — the story of a Savile Row tailor (technically a “cutter,” but we’ll come back to that) who works more or less exclusively for an Irish mobster in 1956 Chicago. Rylance’s character, Leonard Burling, knows the rules: You keep your head down and your mouth shut, and in return, you’re treated almost like family by the Boyle clan. And if you don’t, well, we’ve all seen enough gangster pictures to know the consequences.

Leonard hardly ever leaves his workshop, and neither do we, in “The Outfit,” a contained, almost play-like film noir the likes of which John Huston and Nicholas Ray were making in the early ’50s. (To reinforce that connection visually, production designer Gemma Jackson has dialed down the palette to mostly browns and grays, while DP Dick Pope employs a single strong ceiling light — shaped almost like an open casket — that leaves much of Leonard’s atelier in shadows.)

Today, of course, this is yet another example of the COVID-era trend of drawing a handful of characters into a single location where some kind of crime takes place. But Moore, who won an Oscar for his sensitive “The Imitation Game” script, is a much better writer than the hacks behind most of those pandemic quickies, assembling “The Outfit” as a strategic guessing game, à la “Deathtrap” or “Sleuth,” when Leonard’s workspace becomes a boiler room of sorts after a late-night shootout. There’s a rat somewhere in the Boyle ranks, and that person’s identity will be uncovered in Leonard’s shop. If you’re picturing shades of Kubrick’s “The Killing,” but with better clothes, fewer bullets and a self-effacing English fellow quietly trying to defuse the situation, you wouldn’t be far off.

Popular on Variety

From these familiar elements, Moore has fashioned a smart little thriller — and a decent canvas on which to hone his directorial skills. The most original thing about “The Outfit” is Moore’s decision to focus on a former Savile Row “cutter.” That word is more expansive than “tailor,” we learn, describing someone who creates entire wardrobes, as opposed to specializing in just one garment. “Cutter” also sounds more dangerous, and though Leonard comes across impossibly mild-mannered at first, one look at his trusty pair of shears will have most audiences trying to guess who and how they’ll be used to stab later in the film.

Chances are, Leonard must have other clients beyond Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale) and his gang, though we don’t see many — apart from an early measuring-up montage in which we learn how a bespoke suit fits different personality types. “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” graduate Sophie O’Neill and fashion designer Zac Posen supply the duds, which aren’t flashy or attention-grabbing, the way Brian De Palma’s Armani-clad “Untouchables” ensembles were, but they reflect the care of handcraftsmanship — even in fragments, as Moore shows Rylance assembling them from scratch.

Leonard’s shop doubles as the drop spot for Boyle’s dealings. Men with broad shoulders, square jaws and large overcoats file through, leaving thick envelopes in a box on the wall, seldom staying long enough to remove their hats. Leonard acts as though it’s all perfectly normal, a silent keeper of secrets who seems interested in little other than his trade. “This isn’t art. It’s a craft,” he tells us in voiceover. Leonard’s narration can be deliberately deceptive at times, slyly hiding dimensions of his personality even as it reveals others (he is a man of few words, after all). He is not Keyser Söze, though audiences could be forgiven for assuming something similar.

Not long after Roy’s blockhead son Richie (Dylan O’Brien) and top gun Francis (Johnny Flynn) come stumbling into the shop, the former gut-shot, the latter waving his piece about like he intends to use it, Leonard takes a calculated risk. First he stitches up Richie — in a scene that’s about as wince-inducing as it sounds — and then he tells the none-too-bright Boyle scion, “I’m the rat. I’ve been selling information to your enemies, and I let the feds plant their bug.” Is he bluffing? Or else joking perhaps? Leonard seems like an honorable man, but he’s got that dry British quality that can be difficult to read. Moore milks the ambiguity for all it’s worth, since Rylance’s range is such that he could really be nothing more than this low-blood-pressure butler type, and yet, we can also picture him spraying the room with a Tommy gun, if the situation required it.

Moore has said that the idea for “The Outfit” came from reading a report that the first taped evidence collected by the feds in a big organized crime case was taken from bugs planted in a Chicago tailor shop. This is not a re-creation of that episode, though the detail triggered Moore’s imagination — he co-wrote this script with Johnathan McClain — and sent the pair down a winding trail of manipulation and mind games. It also supplied them with the double-entendre of the film’s title: Here, a maker of outfits finds himself caught in the midst of a massive power struggle, as onetime Boyle allies begin to suspect one another and an off-screen gang war erupts, ordered by a shadowy underworld organization known as “the Outfit.”

Despite being a mostly masculine story, the ensemble does include two women: Leonard’s danger-loving assistant, Mable (Zoey Deutch, whose modern air feels slightly out of place), and a rival crime boss (Nikki Amuka-Bird) from the LaFontaine clan, who drops by before the evening’s done. Looking fit in his fedora, Flynn adapts well to the period setting, as does Beale — which should surprise no one, given his Royal Shakespeare Company chops. But this is clearly Rylance’s film to shape, which he does by seemingly diminishing himself in the others’ presence. It’s an old Lee Strasberg acting trick: Let the other characters make thunder, then steal the film out from under them through one’s reactions. Rylance can go big, as he does in “Don’t Look Up” and “The Phantom of the Open,” but a role like this fits him best.

More From Our Brands

Watch paul mccartney, the eagles perform ‘let it be’ at jimmy buffett tribute concert, chris pratt and katherine schwarzenegger just tore down this stunning midcentury modern home, sam bennett 2023 masters run has set up off-course earnings, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, grey’s recap: pregnant pause — plus, what’s ailing mer and derek’s son, verify it's you, please log in.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

The emperor's new clothes, common sense media reviewers.

Farcical, old-fashioned Hans Christian Andersen tale.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie is intended to entertain rather than edu

This story shows how important it is to challenge

The emperor is portrayed as foolish, vain, and spo

Some comic action: Soldiers throw two men into the

A kiss between the princess and a tailor.

Occasional name-calling: "idiot," "stupid," etc.

Parents need to know that this is a slapstick version of the venerable fairy tale in which old-time comic actors deliver lots of mugging and jokey dialogue. Han Christian Andersen's messages about snobbery, hypocrisy, and dishonesty are intact, if somewhat diluted. In the manner of old school, almost vaudevillian…

Educational Value

The movie is intended to entertain rather than educate.

Positive Messages

This story shows how important it is to challenge authority and speak the truth to power. The only person who has the courage to unmask the emperor is a child, a symbol of the uncorruptible. At the same time, the tale illustrates how easy it is to fool people if you play to their fears of looking stupid or inept. Use of physical impairments as comedy is an old-fashioned device that might need some explaining.

Positive Role Models

The emperor is portrayed as foolish, vain, and spoiled, though he learns a lesson. The general populace, as well as the emperor's staff, are silly and afraid to speak up. The only honest, smart, and resourceful character is the princess.

Violence & Scariness

Some comic action: Soldiers throw two men into the sea; there's a brief fracas between citizens and castle guards in which some people are pushed down; and a very short, cartoonish sword fight has some martial arts.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is a slapstick version of the venerable fairy tale in which old-time comic actors deliver lots of mugging and jokey dialogue. Han Christian Andersen's messages about snobbery, hypocrisy, and dishonesty are intact, if somewhat diluted. In the manner of old school, almost vaudevillian comedy, there are several characters whose humor is derived from a physical impairment: crossed eyes, missing teeth, or a speech impediment. The few action sequences are done for comic effect and are never seriously frightening -- expect a few martial arts kicks and a rough-and-tumble sword fight. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Community reviews.

• Parents say

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

The emperor (Sid Caesar) is a very foolish man. He's vain, spoiled, and very selfish. In fact, he refuses to wear his royal robes and clothing more than once. When two very clever swindlers ( Robert Morse and Jason Carter) get wind of the emperor's desire for something very special to wear for his daughter's wedding -- an arranged marriage that's totally unacceptable to the Princess Gilda (Lysette Anthony) -- they're only too willing to prey on His Highness' gullibility and make him an extravagant jewel-encrusted suit of clothes. But, they warn, this wonderful costume will be invisible to anyone either "stupid or unfit for office." The con artists toil in the "loom room," weaving what everyone pretends to see as magnificent, but in reality, doesn't exist at all. Meanwhile, Princess Gilda is falling head over heels in love with one of the swindlers. The wedding day brings surprises for everyone.

Is It Any Good?

Turning a familiar, timeless Hans Christian Andersen tale into a slapstick farce with hammy but well-liked comic actors must have seemed like a good idea at the time (1987). The performers seem to be having a wonderful time chewing the scenery. Adding a few unimpressive musical numbers, some lavishly ridiculous costumes, and changing Andersen's ending just a bit sweetened the pot.

But there's no mistaking this shoestring production for anything other than what it was meant to be: a cheap entry into the fairy tale genre with very little thought given to plotting, character, logic, or resolution. For example, rather than come up with anything clever or innovative to reveal the "invisibility" of the emperor's new clothes, the low point of the film is watching Caesar strut through the low-budget crowd in gold satin underwear.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how important it is to be honest even if it might result in negative consequences. Has telling the truth ever made you unpopular? What did you do about that?

This movie is based on a Hans Christian Andersen story. Read the original story and see how the filmmakers changed it. How did it improve or diminish the original?

Most of the people in this story pretended to see the emperor's clothes just so they didn't seem foolish; that made them even more foolish. Have you ever pretended to agree with someone or gone along with an activity you knew was wrong just so you wouldn't feel different or left out?

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 31, 1987
• On DVD or streaming : August 9, 2005
• Cast : Lysette Anthony , Robert Morse , Sid Caesar
• Director : David Irving
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : MGM/UA
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Run time : 83 minutes
• MPAA rating : G
• Last updated : April 2, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Fairy Tale: A True Story

Beauty and the Beast

Best fairy tale movies, fairy tales for kids.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Plain Clothes

To prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find ... Read all To prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find the real murderer. To prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find the real murderer.

• Martha Coolidge
• Scott Frank
• Arliss Howard
• George Wendt
• 20 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Nick Dunbar

• Robin Torrence

• Chet Butler

• Jane Melway

• Ed Malmburg

• Dave Hechtor

• Coach Zeffer

• Mr. Wiseman

• Mr. Gardner

• Dawn-Marie Zeffer

• Matt Dunbar

• Captain Graff

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Film debut of Loren Dean .

Kyle : And do you know what we do with shit around here, Nick?

Nick : From your breath, I'd say you eat it.

• Connections Featured in A Night with Suzy Amis Cameron (2020)
• Soundtracks YOU'RE RICH By Sarah Taylor, Bill Mumy (as Billy Mumy) and Robert Haimer Performed and Produced by Sarah Taylor

User reviews 20

• Oct 8, 1999
• How long is Plain Clothes? Powered by Alexa
• March 2, 1989 (Colombia)
• United States
• Ballard, Seattle, Washington, USA (school scenes)
• Paramount Pictures
• Sierra Alta Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $7,500,000 (estimated)
• Apr 17, 1988

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 38 minutes
• Ultra Stereo

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

• Rent or buy
• Categories Categories
• Getting Started

The Clothes in the Wardrobe

Customers also watched.

Cast and Crew

62 global ratings

How are ratings calculated? Toggle Expand Toggle Expand

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Start Selling with Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

"KEEP BUSTIN'."

Plain Clothes

My timeless words and topics reach out even to generations that have largely abandoned the watching of movies, let alone the reading about them, in favor of other forms of expression such as short video clips of some jackass looking into their phone jabbering about some inane topic or other. I just get them and they get me so it’s not necessary, but just in case I’m gonna pander to that important demographic by offering this fun “back to school” themed review. If I know Gen-whichever-letter-we’re-on-now as well as I think I do those little dorks are gonna flip for my thoughts on Martha Coolidge’s PLAIN CLOTHES, an obscure 1988 bomb about a cop going undercover as a high school student to prove his brother didn’t murder his teacher.

Arliss Howard, in his mid-thirties and fresh off of FULL METAL JACKET , plays 24-year-old Seattle Police Department detective Nick Dunbar.  He’s introduced undercover as an ice cream man while his partner Ed Malmburg (Seymour Cassel, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS ), whose out-of-fashion mustache and suits signify a generation gap, is on lookout. Nick hates being around so many kids, but when he goes to complain about it to his captain (Reginald VelJohnson right before DIE HARD ), who’s sipping from a “Trust Me I’m a Father” mug, is deeply offended and yells that it’s “goddamned unamerican” to not like kids.

Nick’s younger brother Matt (Loren Dean, THE MULE ) is a high school troublemaker who gets in an argument with a teacher right before said teacher is stabbed to death in the hallway. I’ve noted before the odd ‘80s phenomenon of comedies that were also straight cop movies with violence and everything. This seems semi-serious about its police procedural stuff but, coming from the director of VALLEY GIRL and REAL GENIUS , it’s also full of quirk and silliness. For example, when Nick goes to talk his brother down from a SWAT standoff he finds him tucked into a little cottage in a fairy-tale-themed playground, and he politely introduces him to his hostage.

There’s lots of wackiness among the adults staffing the school. Robert Stack ( BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA ) plays the principal, and can often be heard in the background making goofy announcements over the intercom, like one about “a screening of the film ‘Why Suzy Can’t Go Swimming’,” or a reference to that time when Ronald Reagan joked about nuclear war on a hot mic. You also got Diane Ladd (CARNOSAUR) as the weirdo, Ziggy-loving secretary and Abe Vigoda ( THE GODFATHER , GOOD BURGER) and George Wendt ( SPACE TRUCKERS ) as teachers.

Meanwhile, for investigative purposes he has to flirt with an actual teenager, the popular Daun-Marie (Alexandra Powers, SONNY BOY ), because her dad (Jackie Gayle, BULWORTH ) is the coach, and may know something. It’s an interesting spin on stereotypes – she’s a blonde, bubbly teenager but she’s also smart, and he spends time with her by pretending to need help with his geometry homework. She can’t keep her hands off of him, which makes him appropriately uncomfortable. But also Ms. Torrence acts jealous whenever she sees them together!

Maybe the craziest scene, and the one that gets all these women and girls lusting after him, is when he has to bring an example of a metaphor to class, and he chooses the e.e. cummings poem “she being brand new,” which talks about cars but is really talking about… uh… doing it . As he stands up and reads it, first Ms. Torrence and then every other female in the class is shown sweating, blushing, biting their lips, squeezing their legs together, about to burst.

The script is by the great Scott Frank, rewriting one by Dan Vining ( BLACK DOG ), and hired on the strength of the script for DEAD AGAIN , which wasn’t made yet.

There are all kinds of oddball things going on in the school that aren’t really self-explanatory. They do call it out as Seattle and have local touches like Ed wearing a Seahawks jacket and one of the songs on the soundtrack mentioning the rain and The Sonics, and yet they make it always very hot, the cast always having sweat on their foreheads. Coolidge says in her director commentary that it takes place during an unusual heatwave and when the A/C at the school is broken. I’m not sure why.

She didn’t really explain this one, but the climax takes place during an annual carnival held at the school, which is themed around May Day and involves 35-year-old-24-year-old-18-year-old Nick Springsteen being so popular he’s named “King of the May,” which everyone says like it’s a normal thing. At the entrance there’s a sign that says “Welcome Pagans,” and I couldn’t tell if that’s the mascot of the school (which would be interesting) or an acknowledgment of May Day being a pagan thing (which would also be interesting).

My favorite detail that flew over my head, but that Coolidge pointed out on the commentary, is that they purposely gave all the students nice cars and all the teachers total junkers. Middle class people being underpaid to teach rich kids.

Another interesting tidbit from the commentary is that she made all the actors playing teachers do a day of substitute teaching in Seattle public schools. She claims only Abe Vigoda was recognized. (Did George Wendt wear a disguise or something? The man was an icon in those days, if not now. Cheers must’ve been in season 6 or 7 when it was filming.)

Coolidge was supposed to be directing SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL at the time, but says John Hughes replaced her “on a whim,” so the studio felt bad and found another project for her. I honestly don’t know what they were trying to do with this story, but I appreciate the amount of personality she brings to it. One nice directorial touch is the opening shot, which moves through a classroom floor, hearing overdubbed dialogue but showing who the students are only through their varied footwear and the ways they position their feet, until that teacher falls to the tiles dead, kicking off the whole mystery.

From an action standpoint I respect the way Coolidge sets up various objects that will be used during the climactic battle through the school: the principal’s spanking paddle, a pencil tucked inside an arm cast. There’s a part where the killer shoots into a science classroom, blowing away one of those hanging display skeletons. The cleverest part is when one of the pencils previously established as stuck into the ceiling falls and hits the killer on the head, causing a distraction. Nick further delays him with the sound of his fingernails across the chalkboard, and throwing a chalky eraser at his face. I like in a movie when it’s clear they went through all the available props and tried to figure out how many could be thrown at somebody. And I have to doff my cap and also say “what the fuck!?” for the part where Nick evades gunfire with an impossible Superman leap over filing cabinets. What is this, DISTRICT B13 ?

As far as a 1988 time capsule it’s okay. There’s some Vision Street Wear. Some haircuts. The soundtrack is pretty good but doesn’t strike me as representative of the times. There are a bunch of songs by The Knack. I’m only a couple years younger than the students at that school and to this day the only reason I know who The Knack are is because Weird Al and Dead Kennedys both parodied “My Sharona.” But maybe it’s supposed to be the music you’d be into if you were a cop pretending to be a teen.

Okay, I confess that I did not find PLAIN CLOTHES to be good. But I found it to be interesting. Maybe you would too. Thanks, youths. Stay in school.

Related posts:

• Vern on Ice
• The Lookout
• SIFF: Vern attends the world premiere of Stuart Gordon’s KING OF THE ANTS and goes nuts for it!

8 Responses to “Plain Clothes”

September 11th, 2023 at 7:54 am

I’ve never heard of this, but I love movies where people recite poems in the absence of any other art house trappings – John Hannah reading Funeral Blues almost makes FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL bearable. Of course, Michael Caine had already demonstrated the seductive power of e.e. cummings in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS back in 1986. Maybe Nick was cribbing from Woody Allen.

But the gold standard has to be Rodney Dangerfield’s reading of Dylan Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night in BACK TO SCHOOL, which is masterful and touchingly heartfelt. Give the man some respect!

September 11th, 2023 at 9:02 am

I have actually seen this, and place it in the ‘better than you think it’s going to be’ pile. Not that I’d call it ‘good’, mind you. But in the weird ’80s trend of ‘old person has to attend high-school again’ movies, it zags more than zigs enough times to be pretty decent.

BTW Arliss Howard’s only feature as director “Big Bad Love” is something fucking else.

September 11th, 2023 at 9:37 am

I’ve never even heard of this but I’m going to have to track it down. The rhythm of these 80s light action thrillers with some comedy and romance trappings is so ingrained into my DNA that they don’t have to be very good for me to enjoy them. At this point I’m pretty much committed to watching them all.

September 11th, 2023 at 12:46 pm

PS I you ever want a ‘barely seen Arliss Howard vehicle’ double feature, may I suggest Wilder Napalm (which I guess is the movie that got writer Vince Gilligan the X-Files gig). It stars Howard as a schlub whose long-lost, ne’er-do-well brother re-enters his life and causes trouble, the majority of which stems from the fact they both posses genetic pyrokinesis.

September 11th, 2023 at 7:52 pm

WILDER NAPALM is on my watchlist since forever, but it’s weird how hard it is to find. I was hoping the success of BREAKING BAD would lead to a wide home video release with a “From Vince Gilligan!” sticker on the front, but nope.

September 12th, 2023 at 2:06 am

but it’s weird how hard it is to find

Oh, I had no idea. I know when I forced to get an elaborate cable package back in like ’08, it played constantly of one of those Starz/Encore stations. So, I assumed it was the plague of bargain bins everywhere.

September 12th, 2023 at 10:30 am

I can’t speak for other countries, but in my place it was shown maybe once or twice on TV and apparently the last time was over 20 years ago. It’s even a VHS only title over here! Also I just checked IMDb and for some reason only now realized that it was directed by MOONLIGHTING creator Glenn Gordon Caron!

September 12th, 2023 at 11:35 am

The screencaps make this looks like it stars a mid-40s Danny Kaye. Which makes me think they should make PLAIN CLOTHES: THE MUSICAL, with a show-stopping number called “How do you do, fellow kids?”

The premise of this is basically 21 Jump Street, right? Maybe that’s why audiences overlooked it– they could get the same thing on network TV.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

XHTML: You can use: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Toss me a couple bucks a month, support the good shit, also get access to a bunch of exclusive writing. This is my primary source of writing money that has allowed me to cut down to part time at the day job. Thank you!

2. Buy my books from your local bookseller or somebody

3. If you ever buy from Amazon, go through my links or search engines

I also have an amazon uk one:, 4. my exciting line of fashion and leisure products.

5. Spread the word

Recent commentary and jibber-jabber

• Mr. Majestyk on Six-String Samurai : “ I picked up that Vinegar Syndrome edition, and I’m glad I did, because this plays way better today than it… ” Apr 11, 20:48
• The Winchester on Six-String Samurai : “ Oh, and another friend and I attempted to create a pen and paper Waterworld RPG as well! We never made… ” Apr 11, 20:45
• The Winchester on Six-String Samurai : “ I saw this in ’98 as part of a film festival I was interning at. I definitely flipped for it,… ” Apr 11, 20:43
• Glaive Robber on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ Well, I’m personally saying that I would prefer a fully-realized conspiracy theorist character, whether they’re engaging with a theory I… ” Apr 11, 18:04
• Kaplan on The Crow: Wicked Prayer : “ It sounds like an interesting idea to throw the whole Crow thing in the middle of racial and economic tensions… ” Apr 11, 17:40
• Kaplan on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ I’m not sure I get the argument being made here. “Conspiracy theories used to be kooky fun, but now they’re… ” Apr 11, 16:00
• Glaive Robber on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ Well, there ya go! ” Apr 11, 13:48
• VERN on Six-String Samurai : “ Yeah, I thought that too, Timmy. Death wears a top hat and plays a more heavy metal type solo in… ” Apr 11, 12:04
• Timmy on Six-String Samurai : “ Oh, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always thought Death and his cohorts were supposed… ” Apr 11, 11:34
• Timmy on Six-String Samurai : “ I am in a similar boat to Vern and Majestyk. I first saw this advertised in I think Wizard* magazine… ” Apr 11, 11:30
• daniel on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ “What was Christian Bale in “The Big Short” if not a conspiracy theorist?” Isn’t the real guy an election truther… ” Apr 11, 01:38
• Adam C aka TaumpyTearrs on Six-String Samurai : “ This was 20+ years ago, but he started by detailing any locations, factions, weaponry, vehicles, etc. that were in the… ” Apr 10, 21:07
• rainman on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ Yeah back 20-30 years ago it was funny to stumble upon the Flat Earth Society webpage and tell your friends… ” Apr 10, 17:00
• Ben on Six-String Samurai : “ Never heard of or seen this before, but Buddy Holly is a recuring character in the DND campaign I’m running… ” Apr 10, 16:47
• Mr. Majestyk on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire : “ Tyree is barely a conspiracy theorist in this one. That’s not the reason he sucks. He sucks because he’s a… ” Apr 10, 14:32

VERN’S “I RECOMMEND THE SHIT OUT OF THIS PRODUCT” CORNER:

Recent commented on posts.

• Six-String Samurai
• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
• The Crow: Wicked Prayer
• Evil Dead Rise
• El Muerto (The Dead One) (2007)
• Road House (2024)
• Heat (1995)
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
• Lisa Frankenstein
• The Crow: Salvation (second review)
• Love and Monsters
• Moon Garden
• Downtime (1997)
• Crimes of the Future

Most Comments

• Road House (2024) - 61 comments
• Poor Things - 45 comments
• Ronin - 31 comments
• Heat (1995) - 29 comments
• Vern’s Oscar Round-Up and 2023 Recap Thing - 28 comments
• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - 27 comments
• Daredevil (2003) - 27 comments
• High Plains Drifter - 24 comments
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - 23 comments
• Six-String Samurai - 22 comments

Badass Studies

Topics of note.

• Elmore Leonard official websight
• Hard Case Crime
• The Violent World of Parker
• Titan Books

The Films of Cinema

• Cannon Films Archive
• Direct to Video Connoisseur
• Dolph Ultimate
• Kung Fu Cinema
• man-with-no-name.com
• Motion Captured
• Moving Picture Trash
• Richard Pryor
• Steven Seagal's official sight
• The Ain’t It Cool News
• This Seagal fan sight
• VHS Wasteland
• Vintage Ninja
• Wrong Side of the Art

Vern Related

• CLiNT magazine

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

Plain clothes.

1988 Directed by Martha Coolidge

An Undercover Nightmare.

To prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find the real murderer.

Arliss Howard Suzy Amis George Wendt Diane Ladd Seymour Cassel Larry Pine Jackie Gayle Abe Vigoda Robert Stack Alexandra Powers Peter Dobson Loren Dean Harry Shearer Reginald VelJohnson Max Perlich James D. Parker Jr. Tee Dennard Brenda Hayes Jennifer Krug Michael Watson Landon Wine Anthony D. Pancho Kimberley Pistone Bernie Pock Kitty Murray Mack Harrell Scott Martinez Marya Delia Javier Jeff Young Show All… Joe Rockey Raven Hutchinson Jonathon Allen Haxby Darren Lay James Lopez Phoebe Augustine Dawn Johnson Juliet Hartford John Pendleton Shaunn Baker Mary Seto Letia Sue Lewis Megan Anne Wyatt David Hrolicka Tamao George Yasutake Rachna Eav Bridget Hoffman

Director Director

Martha Coolidge

Producers Producers

Michael Manheim Richard Wechsler Don Goldman

Writers Writers

Scott Frank Dan Vining

Casting Casting

Jackie Burch

Editors Editors

Edward M. Abroms Patrick Kennedy

Cinematography Cinematography

Daniel Hainey

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Frank Capra III Peter Gries

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Steven-Charles Jaffe

Lighting Lighting

Robert McClure

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Mark O'Kane

Production Design Production Design

Michel Levesque

Art Direction Art Direction

William Apperson Colleen Kennedy

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Lachlin Loud Marya Delia Javier Nigel Clinker

Special Effects Special Effects

Stunts stunts.

Phil Culotta Wayne Montanio Edward J. Ulrich Jennifer Prince

Composer Composer

Sound sound.

Clayton Collins Leslie Shatz Jay Miracle Carlos Delarios Michael J. Kohut Aaron Rochin Dan Gleich Martina Young

Costume Design Costume Design

Tracy Tynan

Makeup Makeup

Teresa M. Austin

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Steven Frank

Sierra Alta Productions Paramount

Alternative Titles

Plain Clothes - Mord in der Highschool, Ropa nueva, Plain Clothes – Un poliziotto in incognito, 校园先锋, Assassinato em Segundo Grau

Comedy Action Crime Romance Thriller Mystery

Releases by Date

Theatrical limited, 15 apr 1988, releases by country.

• Theatrical limited PG

98 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by matt lynch ★★★ 1

Cute, a slight thing, memorable mostly for a stacked cast of character actors, some in almost non-speaking parts, and the way this early Scott Frank script avoids a lot of the teen movie traps you'd expect this to fall into because it's busy maintainng Howard's character's aspirations toward toughness and the leftovers of his own fuck-the-man teenage attitudes.

I must've watched this on cable a hundred times as a kid so it's bizarre to now live within walking distance of where it was filmed.

Review by Superargo ★★★ 7

In which 33-year-old Arliss Howard portrays 24-year-old Officer Nick Dunbar who portrays 18-year-old high school senior Nick Springsteen (“Any relation?” “Distant.”) who’s out to bust whoever framed his younger brother (Loren Dean) for killing a teacher. Howard clearly only snagged the lead in this thing because Judge Reinhold wasn’t available, but he does all right. He’s better than that David Neidorf doofus from that movie I watched yesterday, and he could kinda maybe almost pass for a high school senior, depending on how generous of a mood you’re in. Arliss is presented as quite the heartthrob, though: not only does school hottie Alexandra Powers throw herself at him, but English teacher Suzy Amis keeps giving him lingering glances and asking…

Review by Justin LaLiberty ★★★½ 1

Martha Coolidge basically did Kindergarten Cop (in high school) years before Arnold yelled "it's not a tumah" on multiplex screens and to arguably better results; it may have a bit of identity crisis, attempting to deftly balance grim crime and conspiracy elements with dopey 80s teen comedy and even some secret society The Skulls-esque shenanigans with a bunch of red-shirt wearing MAGA bros who call themselves Wardens - much better than it should be, all things considered, which shouldn't be too surprising given Coolidge's track record in the 80s

Review by Carlo V

"How do you do, fellow kids?" the Movie. Pretty great, bubbly little whodunnit peppered with Coolidge's finger on the pulse of adolescent issues. Howard's a bit milquetoast and maybe that's why no one talks about it anymore, but I felt it worked in the confines of this movie. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for some 80's-ness.

Review by Brian Formo ★★

Robert Stack, Diane Ladd, Abe Vigoda, Seymour Cassel — perhaps the greatest assembly of veteran characters for a high school comedy. Too bad it's forgettable outside of an e e cummings poetry reading that puts the "cum" in "cummings."

Working from a pretty silly script from a young Scott Frank, thank you Martha Coolidge for this scene — even if it only sets up the teacher and student body developing a crush on an undercover cop that's wrong in every direction!

Review by Keith G ★★★ 2

The Satanic Rites of Monday Movie Mayhem 1/4 After watching Under Cover last week, I was remembering Plain Clothes appeared around the same time with a similar idea of a cop undercover in a high school, but plays it for laughs. I'm not entirely sure whether I have seen this before, it's not particularly memorable, so maybe I have, nothing rung a bell with me. Nick Dunbar (Arliss Howard) is a suspended kid hating detective who goes undercover in a High School to prove his kid brother didn't murder a teacher. That's it really. It's hard to accept the then 33 year old Howard playing a 24 year old cop pretending to be a 17 year old high school kid,…

Review by Dan Gorman ★★★

Arliss Howard's non-chemistry works both in Plain Clothes' favor and against it; Martha Coolidge directs this fitfully-funny back-to-school whodunnit mash-up to scatter-shot results, though it remains a breeze to sit through regardless.

Howard's performance is about as wooden as it gets, but as mentioned earlier, there are times where this absolutely hits the mark - in particular, his dead-pan line-readings of some pretty great dialogue. It helps that, in general, the whodunnit/police investigation aspect is a pinch above-average and at least keeps interest levels from flat lining.

It may be no Real Genius (let's face it, Arliss is no young Kilmer) but it makes for a solid viewing for 80s comedy fans.

Review by Watch-it-Pal 👻 ★★★

My old co worker is a goth extra in this

Review by jimmyjone ★★★★★

This movie achieves a perfect serious/funny balance. Reginald VelJohnson is a perfect police chief, and George Wendt is surprisingly great as a crazy shop teacher. Also, for me an additional joke from this movie is that it's believable for a 24-year-old to pose as a teenager because movie teens are all in their 20s anyway.

Review by Dirk Senger ★★

Arliss Howard ist zum Zeitpunkt des Drehs 34 und spielt einen 24jährigen Polizisten, der undercover einen 17jährigen High-School-Schüler spielen muss. Sagt alles über diese Mischung aus Teeniefilm und Krimi, die „Altstars“ wie Diane Ladd und Robert Stack verheizt und auch so vollkommen egal ist. Macht nur marginal was her wegen des 80er-Vibes und Suzy Amis. Ansonsten Rohrkrepierer.

Review by sydney ★★★★

not at all what i expected but in a good way, goofy but the humor is more dark/dry than a lot of other 80s teen comedies, has a stellar supporting cast of familiar faces and a weird sorta-love triangle that would keep age gap discourse going on twitter for at least 48hrs. personally i thought arliss howard's deadpan delivery was fantastic and held the entire thing together. love this for being the exactly perfect kind of comfort rewatch vibe. side note i decided i badly need to watch all of martha coolidge's filmography after this, and found out she directed 5 episodes of csi!!!!!! an absolute queen!!!!!!

Review by BDUB ★★★

Last week I watched UNDER COVER (1987)  thinking it was PLAIN CLOTHES (1988). Both are movies about 24-year-old police officers that look 37 (and are balding) who go undercover as high school students to solve a crime. The series 21 JUMP STREET, about undercover cops in HS, was also in 1987, as was the Jon Cryer HIDING OUT (I still need to see it) about a stockbroker going back to HS while hiding from the mob? The 80s were the best! There must have been a real thirst for these kinds of stories in 1987/88.

So I fired up PLAIN CLOTHES knowing nothing other than the premise, director, and that it was written by Scott Frank not Scott Fields (UNDER COVER).…

Select your preferred poster

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the emperor's new clothes.

Now streaming on:

Napoleon did not die on the island of St. Helena in 1821. That was Eugene Lenormand, who looked a lot like him. "The Emperor's New Clothes," a surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy, tells how it happened. Lenormand is smuggled onto St. Helena to act as a double for the Emperor, who is smuggled off as a cargo hand on a commercial ship ("A position above decks would have been more appropriate"). The theory is, he will arrive in Paris, the impostor will reveal his true identity, and France will rise up to embrace the emperor.

"So many have betrayed me," Napoleon announces grandly at the outset of this adventure. "I place my trust in only two things now: My will, and the love of the people of France." He forgets that he has also placed his trust in Eugene Lenormand--a poor man who grows to enjoy the role of Napoleon, is treated well by his British captors, dines regularly, and refuses to reveal his real identity: "I have no idea what you're talking about." Both Napoleon and Lenormand are played by Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins from "Lord of the Rings"), that invaluable British actor who actually looks so much like Napoleon he has played him twice before, in " Time Bandits " (1981) and on a 1974 TV mini-series. Another actor might have strutted and postured, but Holm finds something melancholy in Bonaparte's fall from grace.

To begin with, the escape ship goes astray, lands at Antwerp instead of a French port, and Napoleon has to use his limited funds for a coach journey with an unscheduled stop at the battlefield of Waterloo--where he can, if he wants, buy souvenirs of himself. Finally in Paris, he goes to see a loyalist named Truchaut, who will engineer the unveiling. Truchaut, alas, has died, and so confidentially had he treated his secret that not even his widow, Pumpkin ( Iben Hjejle from " High Fidelity "), knows the story.

She has no sympathy with this madman who claims to be Napoleon. There is no shortage of those in Paris. But after he injures himself she calls a doctor, and grows tender toward this little man, and insightful: "I think you've been in prison." During his convalescence, Napoleon comes to treasure the pleasant young widow, and learns of a guild of melon-sellers who are barely making a living. Planning their retail sales like a military campaign, he dispatches melon carts to the key retail battlefields of Paris, greatly increasing sales.

The story, inspired by Simon Leys' 1992 novel The Death of Napoleon, could have gone in several directions; it's not hard to imagine the Monty Python version. But Holm, an immensely likable actor, seems intrigued by the idea of an old autocrat finally discovering the joys of simple life. The director, Alan Taylor , avoids obvious gag lines and nudges Bonaparte gradually into the realization that the best of all worlds may involve selling melons and embracing Pumpkin.

Of course there must have been countless people in Paris at that time who could have identified Napoleon--but how could he have gotten close enough to them? The government was hostile to him. The British insisted they had the emperor locked up on St. Helena. And at home, Pumpkin wants no more of his foolish talk: "You're not Napoleon! I hate Napoleon! He has filled France with widows and orphans! He took my husband. I won't let him take you." For Napoleon, this last adventure is a puzzling one: "I have become a stranger to myself." But who knows who we are, anyway? We affix names and identities to ourselves to provide labels for the outside world. When the labels slip, how can we prove they belong to us? Like a modern victim of identity theft, Napoleon has had his name taken away, and is left as nothing. Well, not nothing. Pumpkin loves him. And the melon merchants are grateful.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Now playing

Lousy Carter

Clint worthington.

You'll Never Find Me

Sheila o'malley.

Simon Abrams

Peyton Robinson

Riddle of Fire

Robert daniels.

Monica Castillo

Film credits.

The Emperor's New Clothes (2002)

107 minutes

Ian Holm as Napoleon/Eugene

Iben Hjejle as Pumpkin

Tim McInnerny as Dr. Lambert

Tom Watson as Gerard

Directed by

• Alan Taylor
• Kevin Molony
• Herbie Wave

Latest blog posts

O.J. Simpson Dies: The Rise & Fall of A Superstar

Which Cannes Film Will Win the Palme d’Or? Let’s Rank Their Chances

Second Sight Drops 4K Releases for Excellent Films by Brandon Cronenberg, Jeremy Saulnier, and Alexandre Aja

Wagner Moura Is Still Holding On To Hope

'Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion' doc examines controversial retailer Brandy Melville

A new HBO Original documentary takes viewers inside the world of a fast fashion purveyor: controversial Italian fashion brand Brandy Melville .

"Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion" highlights the brand, which infamously makes clothes of only one size, and accusations of racism and misogyny in their stores by former employees, executives and fashion insiders.

The Italian retailer, founded in the early 1980s, has stores in over 15 countries. The brand rose in popularity in the U.S. among teen girls in the 2010s and with its "one size fits all" clothing, Brancy Melville is often linked to the "skinny aesthetic" promoted on social media sites like Tumblr at the time.

The documentary highlights how this marketing sexualized and promoted unrealistic beauty standards among young girls. At a point, the brand was worn and promoted by celebrities like Kaia Gerber and Kendall Jenner .

The documentary also looks into the company's impact on the environment and promotion of overconsumption. Here's what we learned.

Brandy Melville racism accusations: CEO accused of excluding Black customers

In 2021, an ex-store employee, Franco Sorgi, told Business Insider that Brandy Melville CEO Stephan Marsan told him he did not want overweight or Black people to wear his clothing. Sorgi opened the first Brandy Melville store in Canada in 2012 and, at one point, owned 11 locations.

Sorgi claimed Marsan said he wanted "good-looking rich little girls" as his customers, to sway the popular high school girls and increase sales.

Business Insider reported at the time that it spoke to more than two dozen current and former employees, who claimed the company's employment practices were impacted by race. Its investigation also uncovered claims that Marsan and other executives regularly made jokes about Adolf Hitler in text messages, including an image that reportedly showed Marsan's face edited onto Hitler's body.

The investigation is highlighted in the documentary, as well as testimony from Black former employees about the brand's alleged racist and discriminatory work practices, including Black employees pushed to work backstock, claims reminiscent of accusations by former Abercrombie employees.

Kali, who is Black and worked in the Broadway store in New York City, said she started in the fitting room and moved over to the stock room.

"There was no white people working in the stock room. If you were white, you had to be in sight," she said. "We all knew it was not right that we were all pushed in the back, out of sight, but it wasn't something we were necessarily mad about."

'Brandy Hellville' takes deeper look at fast fashion pitfalls

The HBO documentary examines the company's promotion of fast fashion, or inexpensive and trendy clothing produced by mass-market retailers.

The practices of brands like Brandy Melville, Shein and Fashion Nova, result in clothing that finds its way into landfills even when attempts are made to donate clothing. The clothing ends up elsewhere, like Accra, Ghana's capital and home to the country's secondhand market and called a "dumping ground" for America's unwanted clothing.

"From the beginning of the supply chain to the end, we're all being exploited by the same system,"  Chloe Asaam , a Ghanaian fashion designer and program manager for The OR Foundation, says in the documentary.

Textile waste that arrives in Accra are either burnt or end up in the gutters before they're swept out to sea. The documentary showed a beach along the Gulf of Guinea where mountains of garments clog the shoreline and, likely, litter the sea floor. A test of the water here showed 96 microfiber counts in a 10 milliliter sample, Joe Ayesu of The OR Foundation said.

This contamination would then end up in local residents' bodies via the fish they eat, Ayesu said.

Former Brandy Melville employees share their stories on social media

Brandy Melville is known for doing little traditional marketing and instead relying on its young employees and customers for promotion on its Instagram page. According to the documentary, their social media account is run by the company's mysterious CEO.

Delaney Rinke, whose TikTok about her Brandy Melville experience went viral, opened up to People magazine in an interview published Wednesday. Rinke was scouted by the retailer at 14 and worked there for four years.

"I was really, really young, so I was quite miserable at work," Rinke told the outlet, later recalling an "insane" practice where employees were required to take photos of their outfits.

"Photos had to be very staged and make us look a lot older than we were," the now 22-year-old said.

Despite this, the film's director, Eva Orner, told Teen Vogue in an interview published Wednesday it was hard finding former employees who wanted to appear on camera. "Everyone was very young when they worked there, and now they're young women embarking on careers or in their twenties," she told the outlet. "A lot of them were really scared."

Brandy Melville accused of copying its clothes off employees' fashion

Kali, the former New York store employee, alleged "the higher-ups" loved a pair of lavender high-waisted pants she wore to work one day and they bought the product online to copy the style.

"They were able to mass-produce what these cool girls were already wearing," Business Insider senior features correspondent Kate Taylor , one of the expert voices in the doc, said. "In some cases, the names of these things on the Brandy Melville website, (they'll) be like Jocelyn shirt. And it'll be because this shirt was literally purchased off of Jocelyn's back."

One of the participants, who asked to remain anonymous due to ongoing litigation, claimed Brandy Melville CEO Stephan Marsan would send girls from Los Angeles' more affluent neighborhoods on shopping trips to curate outfits from various stores and copy the looks, with some alterations.

How to watch 'Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion'

"Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion" is available to stream on Max.

Contributing: KiMi Robinson

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Monkey Man Link to Monkey Man
• The First Omen Link to The First Omen

New TV Tonight

• Fallout: Season 1
• Chucky: Season 3
• Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Franklin: Season 1
• Dora: Season 1
• Good Times: Season 1
• Beacon 23: Season 2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Ripley: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• Palm Royale: Season 1
• The Gentlemen: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Fallout Link to Fallout
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

CinemaCon 2024: Day 3 – Disney Previews Deadpool & Wolverine , Moana 2 , Alien: Romulus , and More

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

• Trending on RT
• Play Movie Trivia

Sheeps Clothing

2024, Mystery & thriller/Drama, 1h 26m

Where to watch Sheeps Clothing

Rent Sheeps Clothing on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Prime Video, Apple TV.

Rate And Review

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified..

AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

Theater box office or somewhere else

By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Sheeps clothing videos, sheeps clothing   photos.

A violent attack leaves high school principal Mansa Harper with a traumatic brain injury. After finding refuge working for a Pastor at a fledgling church, Mansa soon realizes the Pastor's personal struggles are creeping into the sanctuary. When a member of the church winds up dead, Mansa is compelled to help the Pastor clean up the aftermath. This act of service takes Mansa through a strange and bloody pilgrimage as he tries to save the church and himself.

Genre: Mystery & thriller, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Kyle McConaghy

Producer: Aaron Phifer

Writer: Kyle McConaghy , Aaron Phifer , Nick Heyman , Aaron Phifer , Nick Heyman , Kyle McConaghy

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 12, 2024

Runtime: 1h 26m

Distributor: Cranked Up Films

Cast & Crew

Aaron Phifer

Nick Heyman

Sean Heyman

Sterling Macer Jr.

Erin Wiley Sands

Matt Bushell

Scotty Tovar

Shelby Sulak

Julio Pérez

Kyle McConaghy

Screenwriter

Critic Reviews for Sheeps Clothing

Audience reviews for sheeps clothing.

There are no featured reviews for Sheeps Clothing because the movie has not released yet ().

Movie & TV guides

Play Daily Tomato Movie Trivia

Discover What to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes Podcasts

Irish Film Critic

The Very Best In Entertainment News & Reviews

Movie Review: Clothes Make The Man In Robert Schwentke’s “The Captain”

In the last moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain’s uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from.

German filmmaker Robert Schwentke isn’t exactly known for incisive character studies. After a few low-key releases in his home country, Schwentke broke out in Hollywood with the generic Jodie Foster starrer “Flight Plan.” With each consecutive studio by-product — “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “RED,” “R.I.P.D.,” two “Divergent” chapters — the lack of a distinct directorial voice became increasingly evident. The man must have cast a retrospective look at his career in 2017, which prompted him to return to his homeland and make the atmospheric, brutal little indie that is “The Captain.” It may have taken him a half a dozen films to get there, but the end justifies the means. This one will haunt you for a while.

It’s two weeks before the end of WWII. Willi Herold (Max Hubacher) is a young German soldier on the run. On the brink of hypothermia, he discovers a Nazi captain’s uniform in the back of a crashed vehicle. Upon trying it on, Willi is instantly seduced by it; the uniform overwhelms him with confidence — enough of it to recruit the hapless private Freytag (Milan Puschel), who gradually becomes a symbol of Willi’s own deteriorating conscience. Before Willi knows it, three more men join his “crew,” and together they arrive at a decrepit concentration camp.

The film could have easily become a gratuitous trip down a rabbit hole, a mere series of grotesque parties and heart-shredding acts of violence, perpetrated by an antagonist for whom it is impossible to root. Yet Schwentke has a tight grip of his reigns, making us complicit in the crimes, then distancing us enough to feel like helpless observers. His sequences shine with razor-sharp precision. Take the vacillating dynamic between Willi, fresh in his garbs, and uniform-hating men in an early bar sequence; or the harrowing “interrogation” of the camp prisoners; or Freytag’s final straw, when his last remnant of humanity gets stripped away. Schwentke indicts our predilection for barbarity, demonstrating how swiftly we get swept away by the allure of power.

He’s helped immensely by his lead. Hubacher’s Willi swivels from helpless victim to merciless villain with such gusto, the transformation — punctuated by intermittent glimpses of humanity — is shiver-inducing. The actor wisely lets his eyes do most of the speaking, avoiding the pratfalls of eccentric mannerisms or clear-cut emotions. The rest of the cast excels, particularly Frederick Lau as the vicious, forever-changed-by-war Kipinski.

Is it war that eviscerates all traces of our conscience, or is it merely an excuse for us to unleash that inherent savagery, to commit cruelty just because we are allowed because it makes us both more powerful and more in touch with our primal instincts? As cinematographer Florian Ballhaus’s camera glides over partying, rabid human swine — starkly and surreally caught in gorgeous black-and-white — those are the questions you will be pondering. The filmmaker is wise to set the film when he does when Germans were more and more ambivalent about the war, tired and on the brink of surrender. The power of the captain’s uniform was waning. Yet for someone like Willi, it held just enough power to take advantage of the surrounding dismay.

With “The Captain,” Schwentke demonstrates that when he’s unchained from the Hollywood system, he is capable of producing a wrenching, personal and effective drama. He clearly has a vision. Sadly, I doubt any of it will shine through in his next project, “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins,” currently in (I assume, COVID-delayed) post-production. Here’s hoping it’s just a side-trip. This captain should keep steering his ship into more enticing waters.

Available on Amazon Prime Friday, September 4th

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Alex Saveliev

Alex graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a BA in Film & Media Arts and studied journalism at the Northwestern University in Chicago. While there, he got acquainted with the late Roger Ebert, who supported and inspired Alex in his career as a screenwriter and film critic. Alex has produced, written and directed a short zombie film, “Parched,” which is being distributed internationally and he is developing a series for a TV network, and is in pre-production on a major motion picture.

TV and Streaming | Column: Fast fashion and retailers like Brandy…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Music and Concerts
• The Theater Loop

TV and Streaming

Things to do, tv and streaming | column: fast fashion and retailers like brandy melville get documentary scrutiny.

Fifteen years ago, the clothing retailer Brandy Melville opened in Los Angeles, and in the years since it has become the brand for preteen and teenage fashion for girls — specifically thin, white girls. When some customers complained about the tiny one-size-fits-all approach, the company didn’t expand its range of offerings but chose to modify its labels to “one size fits most.”

But according to the documentary “Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion,” which premiered on HBO this week (and can be streamed on Max), that was the least of it. The retail stores are allegedly a toxic workplace for its teenage employees and filmmaker Eva Orner talks to them as well as experts about the broader issues with fast fashion, which has increasingly become an environmental problem as unwanted and unusable synthetic clothing piles up.

Lakyn Carlton is a Los Angeles-based virtual stylist and sustainable fashion educator who has long been an informative presence on social media. She offers insights into the clothing industry itself and why it’s worth rethinking the quantity-over-quality mindset when it comes to accumulating a wardrobe. We talked about “Brandy Hellville” and other documentaries worth seeking out if you’re looking to become better informed about the clothing you buy and eventually discard.  Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: The documentary tries to encompass a lot, not all of it successfully. What did you think of the film?

A: The Brandy Melville parts and the fast fashion parts felt disjointed because they’re not telling you why these are related or what fast fashion even is. I think that’s a problem a lot of fast fashion documentaries fall into, which is an assumption that viewers already have this understanding. 

Fast fashion is fast , that is the main identifier of it. It’s not about the price. It’s not even necessarily about the look or how cheap it feels. It is the fact that a brand is making new designs every single week, in some cases every single day. Even if it’s every single month, that’s a lot faster than what it was 10 years ago. It is about having hundreds and thousands of styles and making thousands of units of those styles and selling them to the tune of billions every year.

Q: Why are companies doing this?

A: Because they want you to keep coming back. It’s a constant turnover and people are browsing these sites every single day and they want to have something new for you so that you are more likely to buy. It’s about selling as much as possible, because fashion’s margins are very low for the most part. Even if you’re only making a dollar or $2 per piece, if you’re selling a million of them, that’s good.

But they’re not making new patterns for every piece. They’re not fitting every piece on a human. They’re not making a sample and seeing how it works. They’re not even designing a lot of these things; it’s finding what’s already popular — in the Brandy Melville documentary, they talk about how sometimes it was a piece of clothing one of the retail workers was already wearing — and copying it and making 10,000 of them. 

Q: Going back to the ’80s or even earlier, every generation has had brands that teenagers coveted. So this is a consistent phenomenon of seeking validation through clothing. How is Brandy Melville different?

A: It’s the worst kind of natural progression of all that. It’s not just: If you can afford to buy this thing, you’ll be cool. Now it’s: If you can fit into it, you’re cool and beautiful. 

It’s wild how strikingly similar a lot of it looks to children’s clothing. They have a lot of those little spaghetti strap tank tops with the little bow in the middle, or little shorts and tiny dresses in these floral prints. They even have shorts that almost look like bloomers. 

Q: Oh interesting, the film didn’t really analyze that or the tension of a brand leaning into an infantilizing aesthetic that becomes provocative on teenage bodies.  There’s a quote in the film I want to talk about: “You can’t escape the truth, which is that there’s too much clothing.” I don’t know if this idea is accepted in the culture at large.

A: And that is a struggle. You can show people pictures of the Atacama Desert (in Chile), where you can see that pile of clothing from space — which is a mix of unsold clothing or discarded clothing — and it doesn’t really make an impact. One thing I think people don’t realize is that these big piles, especially in a place like Ghana, when they collect rainwater, it can attract bugs and other disease carriers, which is harming people who live near these piles of clothes.

And to people who say we can just recycle these clothes, you can not recycle a pile of clothes that’s big enough to be seen from space. Even if there was enough infrastructure and the desire to do it, we just couldn’t because these companies keep making new stuff! I think 20 years ago, recycling would have been great. It’s not viable anymore just because of the volume of clothing we’re talking about. It’s estimated that we make about 70 billion pieces of clothing a year. We can’t recycle as fast as we dump.

Q: Fast fashion has changed the way people think about why they’re buying clothing.

A: But also social media. I hear so many people say, “I can’t wear the same outfit twice.” And my question is always: Or what? ( Laughs) I think as we careen towards even more financial instability, anything that people can cling to that makes them feel like they have some kind of status or wealth or just a little treat in the form of six dresses they’re going to wear once becomes harder to let go of. We have shopping apps on our phones, so some people are shopping because they don’t have anything else to do. 

Q: The film covered much of the same ground as 2022’s “White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch” on Netflix and I was thinking, what do these documentaries add up to? On one hand, it’s good that exposés like this exist. On the other hand, they feel like these piecemeal one-offs that focus on one brand or another and I wonder how useful that is.

A: I agree. So you crossed that one off your list; now what? You just go to the next store and the larger system remains intact. But say you had a movie that breaks down and explains how all these brands are part of the system, then people throw their hands up and say, “Then where do I shop?” And they say forget it, place another order on Amazon and move on. 

But I do have some documentaries that I like. 

There’s one called “The Machinists” (on YouTube ) which follows these three women who work in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and it shows children working in these factories, it shows people getting their wages docked for no reason. I think it does a really good job showing how fashion in general is a human rights issue and a feminist issue. It’s mostly women of color working in those factories, but people don’t have an understanding of what that really means and why they are so ripe for exploitation.

There’s another documentary called “Udita” (on YouTube ) which is about a factory in Dhaka as well, where a bunch of well-known brands were producing their clothes. There was so much machinery and weight in the factory that the building collapsed and 1,100 workers died in that. The movie follows a woman who lost two of her daughters in that collapse. 

“The True Cost” (on Tubi) also focuses on fast fashion. There’s another film called “River Blue” (on Vimeo ) from a conservationist who is evaluating the water in these countries where we produce textiles and clothes and how polluted it is, which is another angle people don’t think about — specifically the water usage and water pollution in fashion doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.

There’s another documentary about the recycling of discarded clothes called “Unravel” (on Vimeo ), but unless you understand that this is not the way out, it can lead you down the wrong path. I say watch it, but with the caveat that it’s not going to happen on a wide scale. One thing the film does well is show how the workers who deal with these clothes think about us. They simultaneously admire Western culture but are also kind of disgusted by it.

I think movies that actually talk to the people who make our clothes about how they are forced to work and forced to live, just so we can have new styles every week — and making it clear that it’s not just one brand — is more effective and meaningful.

Q: Maybe what’s missing is programming that helps consumers make different decisions. On social media, I’ve seen you say a version of: “OK, if you want to change how you spend money on clothing, I have some ideas. Hire me, this is what I do.” Because that’s probably a hurdle for people: I’m informed, I feel bad, but I don’t know what to do next. Maybe we need a show like “What Not to Wear” that helps people figure out how to embrace slow fashion concepts. I think sometimes TV and film can open your mind to ideas you can incorporate into your own life.

A: Should I pitch Netflix? (Laughs) But it’s true, just giving information without actionable advice — which is what these documentaries are doing — is at worst frustrating, and at best it can feel like people are scolding you. And nobody likes that. 

But I do want people to take it a step further. I think lately my work has pivoted to: How does the slow fashion mindset and being more thoughtful with your purchases benefit you? Well, you know all these grievances you have with your clothes? What if I told you there’s a world where those don’t exist? Because there are brands who care about you having something great and that fits. There’s a world where you love your wardrobe and there’s a world where you don’t feel the need to shop. That’s more the direction we need to be going.

So yeah, I would like to see a documentary or series following someone who makes the journey from having a wardrobe full of fast fashion to adopting a more slow fashion mindset and then building a new wardrobe from there. 

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

More in TV and Streaming

Golf | Golf has a TV ratings problem — and the Masters could shine a light on why viewers are tuning out

TV and Streaming | ‘Diarra from Detroit’ review: Defying categorization, this new BET+ series is sardonic and self-deprecating

TV and Streaming | Pat Sajak’s final ‘Wheel of Fortune’ episode date set

TV and Streaming | Actor Jonathan Majors sentenced to probation, avoiding jail time for assaulting ex-girlfriend

Trending nationally.

• Questions could linger after video of fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed roils Chicago
• Federal safety investigators home in on electronics of cargo ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge
• CT private school goes co-ed for first time, opening to girls. ‘The time seems right.’
• Former Knicks guard Nate Robinson needs kidney transplant, doesn’t ‘have long to live’
• Trump is about to go on trial in New York. Here’s what to expect

Turn autoplay off

Turn autoplay on

Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off

• Jump to content [s]
• Jump to site navigation [0]
• Jump to search [4]
• Terms and conditions [8]
• Your activity
• Email subscriptions
• Account details
• Linked services
• Press office
• Guardian Print Centre
• Guardian readers' editor
• Observer readers' editor
• Terms of service
• Privacy policy
• Advertising guide
• Digital archive
• Digital edition
• Guardian Weekly
• Buy Guardian and Observer photos

Today's paper

• Main section
• G2 features
• Comment and debate
• Editorials, letters and corrections
• Other lives
• EducationGuardian
• Life & style
• Environment

The Clothes In The Wardrobe

Details: 1992, UK, 78 mins

Direction: Waris Hussein

User reviews

Today's best video, the week in tv, 'get your arse out, mate', spanish football player's stunning solo goal, whitewater kayaking: 'i wanted to spend every day on the river'.

• Most viewed

Last 24 hours

• 2. Star Wars Episode VII: what we know as shooting starts
• 3. The Goonies sequel confirmed by director Richard Donner
• 4. After Gremlins and The Goonies, what other 80s films need a remake?
• 5. My guilty pleasure: Trading Places
• More most viewed
• 2. Quiz: Can you match each of these Bond villains with their own evil plot?
• 3. Russian cinemas fined for showing The Wolf of Wall Street
• 4. 2 States and screen kisses: 'Bollywood is cranking it up a notch'
• 5. After Gremlins and The Goonies, what other 80s films need a remake?
• All today's stories

Film search

Latest reviews.

Noah review – 'a preposterous but endearingly unhinged epic'

Russell Crowe wrestles angels and demons in Darren Aronofsky's $125m mashup of the ancient story of Noah, writes Mark Kermode

Honour review – Shan Khan's 'conflicted' first feature

The Double review – Richard Ayoade's dark doppelganger drama

Divergent review – lacks lustre and grit

A Story of Children and Film review – Mark Cousins's 'spine-tingling' visual essay

Sponsored feature

• Across the site
• Film reviews
• Film trailers
• Video interviews
• License/buy our content
• Terms & conditions
• Accessibility
• Inside the Guardian blog
• Work for us
• Join our dating site today
• © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

7 Best Outdoor Projectors of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Who said movie nights have to be indoors?

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Overall Outdoor Projector

Anker solar portable.

Best Value Outdoor Projector

Goodee hd outdoor movie projector.

Best Outdoor Projector for Sports

Viewsonic px701hd.

Best Outdoor Projector for 4K

Anker nebula cosmos laser 4k projector.

Best Portable Outdoor Projector

Xgimi mogo pro portable projector.

Best Mini Outdoor Projector

Kodak luma 350 portable smart projector.

Best Outdoor Projector for Beginners

Anker mars ii pro portable projector.

The tech experts and engineers at the Good Housekeeping Institute test all types of home cinema equipment, from theater-like home projectors to the best TVs , outdoor speakers and more. Ahead you'll find our pros' favorite outdoor projectors to get before summer is over, based on extensive testing in the Media & Tech Lab as well as rave feedback from our at-home testers.

And once you’ve checked out the best outdoor projectors, don’t forget to consider these budget projectors under $500.

This projector from Anker tops our list thanks to its versatile, portable design that makes it super easy to host a movie night practically anywhere with a screen. It features a built-in rechargeable battery that delivers up to three hours of power on a single charge — plenty of juice for most feature films. Plus, the 120-inch screen size should be large enough for comfortable viewing and our tech experts love that there are several ways to project content, including casting from your Android or iOS device or streaming through a laptop via the HDMI connection. Also notable is that the projector uses Google TV for easy access to all your favorite streaming apps.

While this model doesn't get quite as bright as some projectors, our testers love that it comes with built-in speakers and a projector stand to help you get set up outside without having to carry around additional equipment. Other online reviewers rave about the projector's ease of use, value and overall quality.

Outdoor movie nights don't have to cost you a fortune! Our experts like this bargain-priced projector that offers many of the same features as much pricier models, including full HD 1080p resolution and a massive 200-inch image size. With more than 6,500 reviews on Amazon and an average 4.4-star rating, it's hard to go wrong. Just keep in mind that it doesn't feature built-in WiFi so it's not the best choice for movie nights in the park (we recommend staying within range of your home's WiFi network).

While we haven't yet tested this model in the Lab, several online consumers single out the projector's bright picture quality and solid sound from the pair of built-in speakers. We also appreciate that it's versatile when it comes to connectivity, whether you want to hook up your smartphone, laptop or streaming stick.

While movie buffs will find plenty to like about this ViewSonic projector, backyard gamers and sports fans will especially appreciate its low lag time and zippy refresh rate that make it ideal for projecting action-packed images. The resolution is exceptionally crisp and the 3,500-lumen brightness holds up even when there’s still some light left in the night sky. Last but not least, the image size can go as high as 300 inches, so the crowd of onlookers won’t miss any of the gaming action. Just keep in mind that a power cable is required to power the projector, and Bluetooth or WiFi aren't built-in.

Serious cinephiles insist on best-in-show picture quality, even when watching their favorite features in the open air. These days, 4K takes the prize, as you’ll experience with Anker's portable projector. Though it's heavy, it features a built-in handle so you can move it from your living room to your outdoor space with little to no hassle.

Our product analysts were impressed by the screen's impressive brightness on top of the sharp 4K resolution. We also like that it uses Android TV 10 to give you access to the most popular streaming platforms, but it's just as easy to cast from your phone. Our pros do point out, however, that you'll have to keep this projector plugged into an outlet as it doesn't run off of standalone batteries.

About the same size as the average smartphone, this super lightweight projector couldn’t be easier to transport. Our pros love that it features a built-in battery that should last around two hours so you don’t always need access to an outlet, but if it dies you can just connect it to a power bank. We also like that the projector is operated by Android TV so you can easily access all your favorite streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu on its large, 120-inch screen. Plus, its 1080p resolution is impressive for its size.

Our test engineer, who tested a similar XGIMI model, appreciated the projector's automatic focus and keystone correction. "I used it with a projector screen, and it automatically found the projector screen and adjusted to fit its size," says Scherma . Another bonus: speakers are built-in. "You could literally use this instead of a TV, we played indoors—outdoors on a screen it was really great," raves one tester.

A 2024 Family Travel Awards Winner , this mini projector is a must-have for road trips, camping vacations and entertainment on the go. Weighing less than a pound, its ultra-compact design easily makes it one of the most portable projectors around. Our pros love how easy it is to mirror content from your smartphone or laptop up to 150 inches , thanks to the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Though the resolution could be better, we love that you don't always need the projector's charging cable on you since it has a built-in battery that lasts around an hour. Not only does this projector include a handy remote, but it's powered by Android so you can access your favorite streaming apps without having to grab your phone.

"I like the size and portability of the projector, along with the picture quality," says one tester, who used it during a family vacation outdoor movie night. "The sleek design is also an added bonus."

Even tech-challenged users should find the Mars II Pro easy to operate. For starters, the Nebula app allows you to turn your smartphone into a remote control for the projector. You can then easily mirror content from your phone onto the screen , with its maximum image size of 100 inches. If you prefer, you can also use the USB and HDMI connections to hook the projector up to any compatible laptop, tablet or gaming device. The carry handle is a nice design touch that highlights the projector’s user-friendliness and portability. If you're looking for a slightly more affordable alternative that's super compact and even easier to transport, our pros also like the Anker Nebula Capsule (just don't expect the same image quality and brightness as you'll get with the Mars II Pro).

How we test the best outdoor projectors

Our product experts start by surveying the current marketplace to identify the best outdoor projectors that you’re most likely to find at stores and online. We also attend trade shows and industry events, like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to stay on top of the latest innovations in home entertainment technology. Next, we identify brands that have performed the best and proved the most reliable through more than a decade of testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute . We also consider newer brands with unique features or innovations.

To test the best outdoor projectors, our pros logged dozens of hours of viewing time to assess ease of use, picture quality and audio quality on close to two dozen projectors. Our product experts also spent more than 20 hours reviewing product specs, technical data and user manuals. Based on our expertise built up over years of testing A/V equipment, we focused on models that meet specific technical requirements, for example, 1080p resolution, which our tests have found delivers better picture quality than the 720p found on some outdoor projectors. We also looked for models that deliver at least 2000 lumens, since a brighter picture is needed for outside viewing. Lastly, we reviewed each projector for ease of setup, intuitiveness of its controls, media interface, ports, battery life and more. Whenever possible, we sent testers home with projectors to try in their own backyards and outdoor spaces, sharing feedback on their experience, the projector's image and sound quality, portability and more.

What to look for when shopping for an outdoor projector

Keep these factors in mind as you shop for an outdoor projector:

✔️ Connectivity: Think about where your content will come from. If your home’s Wi-Fi signal is strong enough to reach outside, you can connect the projector to a laptop, Blu-ray player or streaming stick via USB or HDMI. Adding a mesh network to your home's Wi-Fi can help extend the signal outdoors. Alternatively, you may need to look for a model with built-in Wi-Fi, sometimes referred to as all-in-one or one-box systems.

✔️ Power source: Some outdoor projectors have built-in batteries, eliminating the need for power cords, but most need to be plugged in. The safest practice is to have an outdoor outlet installed by a professional; its ground fault circuit interrupter (or "GFCI") will protect against electrical hazards. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it's a surge protector rated for outdoor use, and watch out for tripping hazards, especially after nightfall.

✔️ Screen: Sure, you can watch on an old sheet tacked to the side of the house or garage. But for the best viewing experience, invest in a proper projector screen, since brightness and picture quality will be vastly improved. You can find high-quality pop-up screens with their own stands for between $100 and $200. It might be worth spending more on a 4K-rated screen since the technology is becoming more common — even if your current projector doesn't feature it, your next one might.

✔️ Screen size: Screen size is critical since there’s likely to be a large crowd gathered around and much less than 100 inches will start to feel small and cramped. You also want to make sure the screen size is the right shape, which is usually measured by aspect ratio (16:9 is the norm for outdoor projectors).

✔️ Throw distance : This is the distance between the projector and the screen. Standard throw projectors need to be about 10 feet from the screen, while short throw projectors can be placed a couple of feet or closer to the screen, which can be helpful in tight outdoor spaces.

✔️ Brightness: Brightness is important because even on a moonless night it’s not going to be pitch black out there. Brightness is measured in lumens: Between 2,000 and 2,500 lumens should provide adequate brightness in most outdoor settings. If there's a lot of competing light from street lamps or the neighbor's house, you might want to go as high as 3,000. One important note: Some manufacturers use ANSI lumens, which are proportionally brighter than standard lumens. For example, if you see a projector with 900 ANSI lumens, that's generally comparable to 2,200 standard lumens.

✔️ Resolution : This is the overall picture quality, measured in pixels (p). For a satisfactory outdoor viewing experience, you want a minimum of 720p. A resolution of 1080p is even better. Or go big on 4K, which delivers exceptional picture quality but at an extremely high price.

✔️ Sound/audio source: Onboard built-in speakers are helpful, though you’ll probably want to spend on separate speakers, given all the ambient outdoor sounds. Bluetooth-enabled speakers are a good option, including smart speakers like Amazon Echo , Apple HomePod and Google Nest Audio that can double as digital assistants.

✔️ Portability: Since you’ll be bringing the projector inside and out, look for one that’s lightweight and easy to transport. A built-in projector stand to adjust the angle of projection is a helpful feature, especially if you plan on traveling with it.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Writer and Product Analyst Olivia Lipski has tested and reviewed the latest gadgets and gear in tech, travel, fitness, home and more. She updated this piece with the latest outdoor projectors vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Not only does she bring years of product review experience to GH, but she loves an outdoor movie night.

Dan DiClerico is the director of Home Improvement & Outdoors at the Good Housekeeping Institute. For more than two decades, he has written about all things home-related, from big-ticket remodeling projects to routine home maintenance. Dan has reviewed thousands of consumer products across a wide range of categories, including appliances, building materials, fixtures, outdoor power equipment, home technology and more.

Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute . A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.

Olivia (she/her) is a media and tech product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute , covering tech, home, auto, health and more. She has more than five years of experience writing about tech trends and innovation and, prior to joining GH in 2021, was a writer for Android Central, Lifewire and other media outlets. Olivia is a graduate of George Washington University, with a bachelor's degree in journalism, political science and French, and she holds a master’s degree in communications from Sciences Po Paris.

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} Outdoor Space

Where to Shop Inexpensive Patio Furniture

The Best Composite Decking

BrüMate Cooler Review

The Best Pool Heaters

Best Grills That Combine Gas and Charcoal

The Best Smart Bird Feeders

The Best Electric Lawn Mowers

The Best Above-Ground Pools

The Best Picnic Blankets

55 Stunning Backyard Decor Ideas

The Best Picnic Baskets