Iris 2015

This woman has plenty of blunt wisdom to share.

'Iris" is a joyful look at an aging eccentric and an examination of the playful nature of design and fashion; it likely won't change your life, but will bring a smile to your face.

A flurry of excitement greets her wherever she goes; throughout the adulation, she is appreciative, patiently bemused, a little cranky and only occasionally tickled.

Iris is an absolute kick, whether or not you care a whit about the world this character is moving through. And she is a character, with her big round glasses and her big opinions.

Maysles simply presents lots of other designers telling Apfel how brilliant she is, their testimony interspersed with pithy accounts of her past achievements.

The film plays like a refreshingly frank visit with a favorite relative.

Iris, Maysles's last feature film, works as a great final piece for the director and an entertaining profile of an eccentric underground fashion icon.

So much more than meets Iris's bespectacled eyes: looking at self-determination, relentless individuality, devil-may-care creativity, romance, fame and mortality...all peppered throughout with delicious humor.

An especially realistic portrait of human life even by the standards of an inherently realistic genre.

A charming if occasionally too-reverential portrait of New York identity and self-described "geriatric starlet" Iris Apfel.

There is, for all the frivolity of her business, a gravitas and magnetism about Iris Apfel: she's smart and funny and sassy enough for the viewer to see past a life of privilege and walk-in wardrobes.

Iris offers an entertaining view into the artistic process, encroaching mortality, and societal trends.