Uriah43 "Tracy Chambers" (Diana Ross) lives in the south side of Chicago and works as a secretary at a large department store during the day and attends a fashion school at night in the hope of one day being a fashion designer. While commuting one day she meets a young man named "Brian Walker" (Billy Dee Williams) who dreams of empowering the impoverished people in the area to attain a life of dignity. Both of them soon become attracted to one another and Tracy agrees to help Brian in his run for local councilman. However, things change when Tracy meets a famous photographer named "Sean McAvoy" (Anthony Perkins) who entices her to Rome to become a fashion model which could greatly help her in her initial dream of becoming a fashion designer. Although she is somewhat sad about leaving Brian when he needs her the most, she places her ambition ahead of everything else and accepts Sean's offer. What she doesn't realize is the price she will eventually have to pay for her chance at success in that particular industry. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film contained some decent drama here and there and Diana Ross performed in an adequate manner in the starring role. However, I honestly didn't feel any real chemistry between her character and that of Billy Dee Williams—or any of the other male characters for that matter. Likewise, I also thought that the ending was a bit too corny and predictable. That being said, while I don't consider this to be a great film by any means, I also didn't think it was necessarily that bad either and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

clivechristy-549-202969 If your answer is no, then hop on board because this is the cinematic equivalent of a train crash you are NOT going to want to miss it. Ms. Ross, is the star of the film. She sings; she dances; she designs; she fights and weeps and she loves and models. She does everything except act...but who needs acting? Acting is over-rated and Diana Ross knew this when she was over-looked for an Oscar for Lady Sings the Blues. This was Berry Gordy's sawwy card for Diana's defeat. The longest music video of all time, and the first sequin-related injury in cinematic history. The plot (humor me!) is a tale as old as time. Girl has a secret desire to be famous and rich. Girl meets boy. Boy loves girl but girl has bigger dreams than Billy Dee Williams and his jive-talking ways. Girl is discovered and scales the dizzying heights of modeling and managing not to detect Anthony Perkins was gay, all the while enduring bad lines, great lighting and seemingly never-ending photo montages of her looking fab. Do you know where we're going to? Yes...girl finally realized fame and glamah is a mirage and all she really wants to do is return to the projects and have Billy Dee touch her in the mornings...but this time not walk away.Okay, maybe that's NOT the oldest story in the book, but this is a dazzling music video. Perhaps someone put the needle on the record and forgot to turn it off, because Diana sings incessantly throughout the entire movie. In it's many permutations, the song Do You Know Where You're Going To is laid against sloppy acting, script and amateur hour hysterics, with the goal, I assume..of holding this whole thing together. It doesn't need music..it needed a script and perhaps some actors. It needed Ms. Ross (Mahogany). She plays Tracy Chambers who will NOT be held back by a lack of talent, and she makes it clear she is more than a walking coat hanger. She is "discovered" by Anthony Perkins, who, if there was any shred of doubt..is gay. In fact the whole movie is pretty camp. It's a camp roller coaster of hilarity with more hand dancing and drag queenery than you have seen outside of Ru Paul's Drag Race. Brian Walker is more like a cardboard cut out of a character and here it is brought to life with all the verve and thrill of lichen by Billy Dee Williams. BDW was never really much of an actor, although...fun- fact..he went to school and was a classmate of Diahann Carroll, who later played the wife of his character Brady Lloyd on "Dynasty." Judging by his performance in Mahogany...he had all the required acting chops to make the move to Dynasty...hell...he could have made it to Love Boat! Brian Walker is a jive-talking community organizer and he takes a liking to Tracy, and thus begins the tale. At one point she arranges a photo shoot of her "fashions" taken in what appears to be a run down boarding house in the projects of Chicago. This isn't the least bit offensive, because the whole movie does away with the idea of taste right from the beginning. Anthony Perkins then lures Diana Ross away from Chicago, and away from the demanding BDW who wants her to give up her dreams and become the good wife. Just to teach Brian a lesson, Tracy enters into an abusive but rewarding relationship with Anthony Perkins who plays the camp and sassily sadistic photographer Sean. There are ups and downs, and moments of camp gold with some of the fashion shoots, and there is one scene where Diana falls into a fountain and it is later used as a fashion ad...because every designer in the 70's wanted to PROVE that polyester was resilient to fetid fountain water, and impervious to bad acting. In, what seems like an eternity, Tracy realizes she doesn't want this, she wants nothing to do with silk thread, kabuki kimonos and Jean-Pierre Aumont (don't ask!). She wants to leave the splendor of Rome for the brashness of 70's Chicago. It's high camp 70's cinema. No one dies (except the reputations and careers of everyone who appears in the film) and the whole thing is set to a theme song. Oh, did I mention there is a song? Do YOU know where you're going to? If you have any sense, it is to Netflix to rent this cinematic derailment.

mrcaw1 You've got to know when to take a movie seriously and when not to. This is definitely a film not to take seriously. You don't watch this movie for the plot you watch it for the 70s retro look. The over the top fashions, some designed by Diana Ross herself are hysterical and totally fun to check out. Anthony Perkins has never been better in this over the top performance of one very strange photographer who can't quite decide whether to make the moves on Diana Ross or her 70s superstar smooth as hot chocolate boyfriend Billy Dee Williams. And how about that hit single, Do You Know Where You're Going To being played throughout the movie? This movie plays like one long Carol Burnett show spoof. Funky, and fine and oh so 70s. You gotta check it out!

Brian W. Fairbanks The fashionable word for Mahogany is "kitsch." It's a guilty pleasure that you know is bad, but you just can't help enjoying it. Casting Diana Ross as a fashion model was truly inspiring since it gives her an opportunity to look sensational throughout. This she does with little effort. Billy Dee Williams is fine as her idealistic boyfriend intent on changing the world rather than his clothes, but the most fun is provided by Anthony Perkins whose performance could be subtitled "Norman Bates's Greatest Hits." As the neurotic and gay photographer, he chews the scenery like never before, and gives a sensational performance.