An (Unofficial) Guide to Parker Posey

My favourite movies starring my favourite actress!

Working is hard. Because of this, I drink more and watch shittier TV. The less I have to think, the better it is. 

Sometimes, I get home and complain about how my eyes feel like they're bleeding from staring at my laptop for so long, but then I play on my phone until I have to go to bed. It's a mindless scroll where you know you're doing something wrong, but the constantly refreshing feed feels meditative so you succumb. All this to say, writing has been something I’ve struggled with. 

Fortunately, there has been a clock ticking away in my head. One that reminds me of the small window of time I have for this piece to be somewhat original. There is nothing like the internal fire sparked by relevancy. With the Criterion channel announcing their “Starring Parker Posey” collection back in December and the casting reveal for the third season of White Lotus, I know my days are dwindling until the Evan Ross Katz dedication carousel and then I’m just fucked. 

With almost no time to spare, I present to you my (unofficial) guide to Parker Posey.

The line, “Wipe your face off that head, Bitch” was my introduction to the actress. In Richard Linklater’s quintessential film Dazed and Confused, Posey stars as a bitchy high school senior whose screen time is spent mostly in a parking lot hazing freshmen. Her character is, by definition, someone I am terrified of. Yet despite her ruthlessness, I can’t help but surrender to her coolness. While this movie is one of my all time favourites, allow me to better introduce her through her first leading role...

The 1995 film Party Girl is exactly why I love Parker Posey. I found this 94-minute comedy-drama on YouTube and decided to watch it because I’d seen a still from the movie somewhere. In the image Posey is wearing this cropped cheetah coat, paired with a red skirt, with tights and gloves to match, and finished with some purple heels. It's an outfit of excess, oozing with pattern and colour; I was roped in instantly. The film is easy to fall for if you are deeply obsessed with New York, club culture, and being extra; but Posey is the true reason it works so well. After being arrested for throwing an illegal rave in her apartment, her character must work at a public library to pay off the money she was loaned for bail. Party Girl is indulgent and fun, but it's also an artifact of a newly emerging American indie film scene, one that Posey was at the forefront of. 

The actress is often recognized for her supporting work. Though I believe she should be the star of every film, a lot of her resume displays the importance of the supporting character similar to someone like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Charles Grodin, or a Rothstein favourite, Madeline Kahn. No matter what size their role is, they WILL steal the show. Most of my extended family shares the same affection for Posey. One night last year my sister and I decided to get really high and watch Josey and The Pussycats. As an Archie Comic enthusiast, it’s embarrassing that I hadn’t already seen it yet somehow devoured four seasons of Riverdale. Regarded by many as a cult classic, the film is a fever dream that evades genres. One cannot truly understand the lure until they’ve seen it themselves. There are some great parts in this film, like the boy band Dujour, and Alan Cumming, but Posey is unquestionably the showstopper. One of the reasons I love her so much is because she isn’t afraid to be outrageous. Her comedy comes from exaggeration and arrogance to the point of foolishness. She puts her whole body into a simple eye roll. She’s camp, that’s why she’s the best.

Her continuous partnership with the great “mockumentarian” Christopher Guest is also comedic gold. Like many, a personal favourite from his canon is Waiting for Guffman. Though Posey was a minor name at the time this film came out, she holds her weight effortlessly among comedy legends like Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, and Catherine O’Hara; a testament to her genius. Much of Guest’s work is the foundation for modern sitcoms, but you can see this film's influence on last year's comedy Theater Camp. 

Posey’s comedic skills are undeniable, but her cementation as an indie darling is what students will write their theses on. She's starred in many films that fall under this umbrella, like Noah Baumbach's first feature Kicking and Screaming and Jill Sprecher’s Clockwatchers. A favourite of mine is the debut film by director/writer Greg Motolla. Thanks to my Mom's recommendation and the password to my cousin's Criterion account, I was introduced to The Daytrippers. In true indie fashion, the movie was made on a minuscule budget and is contained to a single day on the streets of NYC. We are catapulted into the familiar dynamics of an American family when Posey, her sister, mother, father and boyfriend drive to the city to confront her sister’s husband on his potential infidelity. While this may be a more subtle performance than the ones I’ve recommended, you can't help but fall under Posey’s spell.

Parker Posey plays characters who exude confidence; maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to her. She is funny AND fabulous, a duality that has been historically discouraged in women, but then again she has never conformed to conventional ideals of an actress. Posey has that “made in New York” feel, which is an almost impossible characteristic to have if you didn’t grow up there. When she smokes a cigarette it’s far from performative, the truest test of coolness. She is the precursor to Rachel Sennott and is the sole reason I would rewatch You’ve Got Mail.

To end off, I leave you with one of her greatest roles to date. I hadn't seen this until one of my favourite accounts on instagram, @ryinskott, recirculated it. These are the reasons why I’m grateful for Instagram.

Please enjoy JAN, an LA acting teacher who leads classes on the art of the Emmy acceptance speech.