This odd film decides to play with the conventions of the documentary genre, before seemingly getting bored by its bold choice. The film is supposed to be about Halston, the design icon (and one of the few personalities I know of since the world of fashion bores me stupid) but between this and the equally blah "Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston," why can't anyone get this right?
Roy Halston Frowick exploded on the fashion scene out of nowhere (in this case, Iowa) with Jackie Kennedy's pillbox hat. He was as flamboyant as his designs, which he made for the "common" folk; dresses that could be worn by everyday people who don't have an army of stylists and assistants to help them dress in the morning. His ambitions got the better of him, as he fell in with corporate America, and after a disastrous spell with JCPenney, this household name from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s faded from view and died of AIDS in California in 1990.
There is an odd framing device where actress Tavi Gevinson is a narrator playing some sort of researcher looking through old videotapes of Halston in his prime. Some of the interviewees are portrayed by actors, and the entire idea is weird. Tcheng didn't need it. In "The Arbor," actors were brought in to mouth the interviews of the friends and family of the late playwright Andrea Dunbar, and that documentary was compelling and perfect. Here, it felt like the film makers had some footage from a biopic that they decided to incorporate into a documentary instead of dumping the project altogether. There's currently a miniseries out there somewhere, with Ewan McGregor miscast as the designer, that I might seek out someday. Halston was a force to be reckoned with, but between this film and "Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston" (a jokey documentary that works a little better with the man's life), it's strange that no one can quite capture this subject well. Some one needs to sit down with Liza Minnelli and record everything she can remember about her friends and life, because her interview and quips are a highlight here. She's tough and funny about her best friend, and she has lived through a hundred lifetimes of success and heartache.
Roy Halston Frowick seemed to be torn about his Midwest upbringing, which is also unfortunate. He glosses over his childhood in interviews, yet called his mother every week. He went back home once to reminisce, but without calling attention to himself or telling anyone. He had a suite of offices in the middle of New York City, literally looking down on the little person, but tried to get his designs into the hands of middle America through partnerships with corporations like JCPenney. He was an interesting character, with an interesting life, but can no one find anybody in Flyover Country who grew up with him and wants to share some stories? Has anyone tried? Come on out, we don't bite.
Finally, a couple of decades ago, I found a necktie in a thrift store in Minot, North Dakota and bought it for a dollar. It was faded pink, and a little ratty from age, and since I rarely wore neckties, I donated it back to the same thrift store years later when I was readying to move. The Halston name was on the necktie, and now I wish I had kept it. Halston deserved better, both in life and afterward.
Stats:
-Written and Directed by Frederic Tcheng
-Cast: Liza Minnelli, Marisa Berenson, Joel Schumacher, Bob Colacello, Tavi Gevinson, Halston
-Media: Streaming on Amazon Prime
-Running Time: 105 minutes
-Rating: (* * */* * * * *)
-Unrated, contains some profanity, brief male nudity, some sexual references, some adult situations, alcohol and tobacco use, drug references
