Unzipped

Although the documentary is brilliant as it manages to captures the big picture and little details, none of it may have been of any interest if the "lead character" had been anyone but Isaac Mizrahi, who is a total ham and seems to be born to create and entertain at any cost. After seeing it, try and visualize this documentary if the designer had been Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, or anyone for that matter.

Although I hate when reviewers give anything away, this is the rare exception where having any prior knowledge of the project will not take away from your viewing enjoyment. Accordingly, I can tell you it chronicles what will hopefully be a comeback story and along the way you will meet people who are in Mizrahi's inner circle who will have you laughing hard, detesting them, and loving them. In some cases you will fell all at once. And no I am not referring only to the dying breed of supermodels, who for a period of time, seemed to replaced movie stars as popular culture masters of the universe. It seems like the focus is back on the designers and less on the models.

The biggest smiles and laughs for me involve Isaac's sense of drama, but particularly the people who he surrounds himself with and of course Mama Mizrahi, who seems to not only adore her son but is also his confidante and advisor. The apple does not fall far from the tree. No review of this documentary can exclude an "official" visit that Isaac makes to Eartha Kitt. I won't say much about it, except that if my days involved dealing with Ms. Kitt, I'd probably need dippers as she is a hoot and knows it. I rewound their interchange no less than 10 times and was laughing so hard, that I cried. Classic!!!! A woman named Polly Mellen (who I now know to be the fashion maven for a leading magazine) also brings in major camp but in her case she does not know how hilarious she is.

As is the case with most people wind up in the entertainment business, much of Mizrahi's sense of the world comes via popular culture. Ideas come from old movies and television shows. You'd find very few people who could articulate so well why Mary Tyler Moore (here there is no difference between Mary Richards or Ms. Moore) is such a muse for him.

Anyone who has even the smallest passing interest in fashion or appreciates non-conventional humor will love this documentary. The documentary is shot in a somewhat grainy black and white hue, and wisely uses color to document an event that will determine whether this will be a comeback story or.... Well, let's not think about the alternative. You will find yourself rooting for Mizrahi as he is smart, funny, dramatic, and although quite successful feels like an underdog. I give this 5 stars and although it does not have the impact of other documentaries which have stayed with me over years (such as the compelling "Hoop Dreams", this one is perfect in its own way and can be compared to another recent documentary titled "Spellbound," which like "Unzipped," uses humor and has so much more to offer if the viewer feels like thinking about it at a broader sociological level.