Review: ‘Crazy About Tiffany’s’ is an ode to conspicuous consumption

As glossy and tony as its rarefied subject matter, “Crazy About Tiffany’s,” although entertaining enough, might be one of the least socially conscious documentaries since writer-director Matthew Miele’s last valentine to high-end shopping, 2013’s “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s.”

A comprehensive if skin-deep look at famed jewelry purveyor Tiffany & Co., Miele’s new movie fizzily sketches the history of the centuries-old brand, its unique place in the social and cultural stratosphere, and the elite world of its flagship emporium, located on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue since 1940.

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Utilizing an array of interviews with stylists, journalists, fashion and art experts, jewelry designers and Tiffany & Co. employees, as well as celebrities Katie Couric, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Tilly and film directors Baz Luhrmann and Rob Marshall, Miele whips up an often eye-popping portrait of elegance, beauty and — let’s face it — conspicuous consumption.

It’s a documentary tailor-made for America’s top 1%. Others, however, may bristle at the ridiculous price tags, the navel-gazing quality that accompanies such ritzy merchandise and the heart-racing worship of Tiffany’s iconic blue gift box.

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More fun are clips and discussions of Tiffany & Co.’s notable big- and small-screen close-ups in such films as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Sweet Home Alabama” and the TV shows “Sex and the City” and “Friends.” An interlude highlighting Todd Pipes’ 1995 pop hit, also called “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” proves another entertaining segue.

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‘Crazy About Tiffany’

No rating

Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Playing: Laemmle’s Monica Film Center, Santa Monica. Also on VOD