Aspen [1991]

1. “I’m here to tell you, the way to grow old gracefully is to get cosmetic surgery.”
2. Brief appearances by John Denver and Ed Bradley!
3. The artist noticed which way the art world was going. Conservative. She switched from abstract expressionism back to realism.

Just a shade below The Store for me on the Wiseman scale, but this is still an incredibly rich mosaic that nails exactly how Colorado felt in the very early 90s. When the pastor drops a reference to the Broncos in his sermon I was like, yup, that’s on point.

Some have said this is Wiseman’s funniest film and there’s definitely a case to be made. Because among other things Aspen is a nonstop cavalcade of period fashion, especially sweaters: the gorgeous, the boring, the horrifically ugly. And then there’s the rich gay with a blonde mullet who’s sporting a fuchsia onesie, belted, with a fleecy white vest. That’s the power of documentary.