Marc by Sofia Movie Review

​Sofia Coppola opens with models walking on the runway, showing off his work, also with a collage of people who love him and he them.

Jacobs has been a huge inspiration to people in the fashion industry since he was young. His father and other family members worked at the William Morris agency, but his grandmother had a lifelong interest in fashion and passed it down to him. She took him around to important stores, especially to Bergdorf Goodman, and he learned how important, and how far, the right materials and the right color gloves got you in this world. She taught him how to appreciate clothing. Bergdorf’s is mentioned a lot, to the point you want to go to the 70’s and join him in a shopping trip. I was a wee bit jealous. There’s a lot of footage from old films used to show you how his style was created, and of actresses he adored, such as Liza Maneli, Barbra Streisand, and Elizabeth Taylor. “Cabaret” made him fall in love with Bob Fosse, and he liked “All That Jazz” so much that he confessed that in another life, he’d be a theater director… but we’re all fine with what he created in this one.  

It’s 12 weeks before his 2024 Spring Fashion Show. We’re at the heart of everything, behind the scenes, where we get deep into it. Decisions are being made about materials, hair, make-up, and models, and we, the Sofia Coppola audience, get to see and hear how Marc Jacobs thinks about why he got into this business and why he makes the choices he does. When the film started, I thought I wouldn’t be at all interested, but it was hearing him speak about his true passion that hooked me and reeled me in. He’s a fascinating person, knows what he likes and doesn’t like, has an incredible memory for past looks to draw on in his designs today, and speaks very positively of people. Speaking of him talking, the camera focuses on him as he talks with Sofia. It’s not a traditional documentary in which she interviews many people who know or knew him, which would have been nice. They talk, and you feel as if you’re missing out on something. By the time it’s over, you know you are… more Marc Jacobs. It would have been a better film with others included. You will want to know more about him, other than just his opinion, and diving into the fashion show he’s about to put on.

He mentions that he went wild with Louis Vuitton bags for a time, sparking renewed interest among a younger generation. He made the graffiti and multicolored bags that people still go crazy for today. The man can do no wrong, but the people at Louis Vuitton weren’t happy with his ideas. He collaborated with many, and his reasons for doing so are explained as he speaks to Sofia, as well as in his choice to dress several people for their trials.

This documentary has its faults, but it gets it right in the things that are important, most of all, in telling us who Marc Jacobs is inside. I enjoyed getting to know him and was highly entertained while I watched this, even though I felt like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation a few times. The montages and collages are a lot of fun; the movie is aesthetically appealing, and the music used is wonderful. See this, at the theater if possible, because, into fashion or not, you’ll have a great time getting to know him and being in his world.