Vashirdfel
Simply A Masterpiece
Griff Lees
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Matho
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
zif ofoz
And more power to her! But this documentary really tells you nothing much about her personal life, how she broke into the 'fashion world' or where she got the money to live the lavish world traveling, collector of things, New York City society lifestyle. I'm thinking it must be her husbands money because it is made clear she came from a 'working class' background.She developed an eye for color & shape & texture and how to put complementing objects together to create her own fashion style. Unfortunately (for me) I was left with the impression she just created a clownish appearance with great style. You must admit she make a bizarre looking old broad when she's all dolled up in her brick-a-brac collection of fabrics and oversize jewelery.This documentary is high in color but low on information about this 90 plus years old woman's life.
i_am_danish
I was very much looking forward to the Iris documentary. I have much enjoyed films such as The September Issue, Lagerfeld Confidential, Mademoiselle C and the rest of them. Somehow fashion films often turn into very soulful portraits of the very creative. Iris is probably comparable to the Diana Vreeland docu: The Eye Has to Travel but where Diana has a profound presence sadly Iris Apfel does not. It is very peculiar watching a documentary about a 90-year-old who conveys no depth. Yes, Iris and her husband seem like "very nice people", but for people of a certain to come across merely as flat characters and not fully developed is actually quite a feat. Even the most one-dimensional develop some sort of depth and persona with age - not here. It's ALL about the surface of things. Nothing more. And this is where "Iris" falls flat on its face, it lacks everything so abundant in Iris Apfel's dress sense: layers, the rich tapestry of the human condition and interest. There is nothing to cling onto in "Iris" - no substance behind the quirky glasses, just an empty human shell.
rcuttill
This is a fascinating documentary about a fascinating woman. She has a sense of humour and an energy that comes across. It shows some of her large collections of clothes, jewellery and art pieces. You see examples of her in action, including dressing others or selecting large bangles and necklaces for herself. There is a hint of her health issues. It also demonstrates her relationship to her husband, Carl. She shares how she couldn't have it all. She wanted to do fashion and travel. She couldn't include children in that. Throughout it is vibrant. It brings across her love of fashion. It brings across her style. All in all a good documentary worth seeing even if you are not heavily into fashion.
sunznc
If you've ever seen September Issue and found that interesting you will find this a companion piece to that film. I found myself wondering if Anna Wintour had seen this and what she would think of it. I think she would have found this Luke warm.Here is a 90 year old woman still going strong, still sharing items she's collected over the years, pieces of clothing, jewelry and accessories. She has no intentions of slowing down. She does interviews, goes to shows showing little signs of tiring. But is this inspirational? Is it fascinating? Not really. Something was lacking here and it isn't her fault. The filmmakers ask a few questions but never dig too deep. Some of the scenes we see here were much more artfully done in Devil Wears Prada and even September Issue itself. This couple traveled the world to buy things and it could have been more interesting had they shared some great stories about the places they had visited. Instead it was just buy this, buy that, spend money on this, spend money on that. It all sort of seemed plastic and not meaningful. I do indeed appreciate Iris and her taste in fashion and her ability to go on at 90. But what was it all for? There is no deadline, no assignment. What was her job specifically? And for how long? It's all a bit vague and becomes tiring.
