Synopsis
Hollywood stars, historical footage and stylized reenactments tell the story of costume designer Orry-Kelly, who ruled Tinseltown fashion for decades.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Orry-KellySelf (archive footage)
- Darren GilshenanOrry-Kelly
- Deborah KennedyFlorence Kelly
- Louis AlexanderYoung Orry
- David E. WoodleyWilliam Kelly
- Nathaniel MiddletonThe Lover
- Lara CoxGinger Rogers
- Kelly Ann DollShowgirl
- Ann RothSelf
- Jean MathisonSelf
Recommendations
- 90
TheWrap
Combining so many disparate strands — historical, contextual, personal and even gossipy — with the performative could have felt disjointed. But in Armstrong’s capable hands, it all comes together fairly seamlessly, providing a compelling portrait of Kelly’s noteworthy career. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The clips Armstrong and her team have rounded up make us appreciate how, in a whole range of situations, costumes express character. - 80
The Guardian
The life of Orry-Kelly is a story that needed to be told, and Armstrong stocks up a lovingly rendered homage-cum-investigation with oodles of verve and panache. - 75
The Film Stage
The film’s charms exist in the performative elements contextualized amongst the film’s interviewees. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
A rollicking if somewhat ham-handed documentary about the life of costume designer Orry-Kelly. - 60
Variety
The film overstays its welcome by punctuating his story with ill-advised dramatic fantasy sequences that are meant to illustrate the anguish of a gay man in mid-century America, but come across as heavy-handed and mean-spirited.