Review of The Gospel According to André

I was never a fan of Andre Leon Talley. I found him affected and over the top. Last year, for some reason, I read his autobiography, and my opinion of him really changed. This movie sealed the deal. One sees how he became who he is, and the brilliant mind that created ALT as he is today. He is a great editor, but more than that, a treasure trove of first-hand knowledge of Haute Couture's most important figures. Haute Couture is dead. That's not to say there are not great designers, but the system has changed because the world changed. ALT is one of the last keepers of knowledge of the past. That's important, despite today's world where being perceived as "relevant" is more important than anything else. There has been criticism of this film that it did not dig deep enough into ALT as a person. I disagree with that. It does explore him as a person, but this film is not meant to be a psychotherapy session with Andre. It's about a bigger picture, something that this man dedicated his life to: Fashion through Andre's eyes. And in that, it absolutely succeeds.