Plantiana
Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
Roxie
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
eddy-love
I bought this movie for a dollar. My wife and I looked forward to watching it so we put it last Saturday afternoon. About 40 minutes into the movie we looked at each other and agreed to fast forward to see what else happens. Didn't help. The movie made no sense. For the quality of actors and actresses in this movie none of them were any good. Not their fault - the directors fault. The dumbest scenes were the elevators scenes where they had to dance to get the elevator to move. Come on. Really? Mary Tyler Moore's part was a shocker to me because she normally chooses good movies to star in and she blew it with this one. The dance numbers were no good. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone to watch. Glad I only spent a buck.
calvinnme
...except in one respect; Elmer Bernstein's Oscar winning score carries the film, from its title song, to Carol Channing's "I'm A Jazz Baby" number, through the film's slow/irritating/self-consciously "Cute" spots.Director George Roy Hill has to be given credit; he attempted a spoof of early silent movies, with effects like wipes, title cards, and visuals like using pastels for most of the colors, especially Mary Tyler Moore's outfits. He does an extended riff on Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last" (1923), which is funny and effective. Sometimes he is off by a decade or so, though. For example, when the secondary pair of lovers first meet, they duet to "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life", which is amusing, but thirteen years early (film is set in 1922). Each character spoofs a type.Julie Andrews is the perky heroine. Her parody is right on target, and her singing and dancing are also near perfect. I found Mary Tyler Moore irritatingly helpless, until I recognized her type was the helpless rich girl who never does anything for herself. Then, I was able to appreciate her performance. James Fox was enjoyable in his role; I didn't know he could sing. John Gavin, as Millie's boss, must have been directed to act as wooden as humanly possible; again, I didn't know he could sing.This was one of the last 1960's "Roadshow" musicals to make a profit. It has a wonderful musical score, but an uneven script and too many "cutesy" moments offset that strength. Still, it is more than worth seeing if it comes your way.
Kirpianuscus
a spectacular film. for each performance. for seductive story. for the old fashion mix of comedy, romance and crime. for the young and charming James Fox, for adorable Carol Channing and Beatrice Lillie, for the work of John Gavin and, sure, for Jilie Andrews. a film who has the great virtue to be an oasis. because it preserves the flavors of periods and the joy to see a kind of cinema who seems be, for decades, lost. a sunny cinema, charming, seductive, using cultural references - the apple of Mrs M . as simple example -, with actors who use a form of aura in acting , remembering legends and transforming the viewer in part of story. a film out of political correctness rules. and fresh , yet. again and again.
Tashtago
I can usually tell if I'm going to enjoy a movie within the first 20 mins. This one took the opening sequence. The hammy performance of Beatrice Lille in the elevator was the first sign. That was followed by Julie Andrews being extra cute and the comic overkill of her transformation into a flapper. The haircut would've been enough but no we had to see her buy shoes, necklaces, a hat etc. on and on. So I thought Mary Tyler Moore would liven things up . She has a charming voice that I love. When she spoke I was shocked. It sounded dubbed, and she looked drugged. Very disappointing. That left only the very lame male leads and the hideous Carol Channing. At that point I gave up (approx 17 mins). Hopefully others will not have to suffer and just avoid this movie altogether. Also what's so musical/whimsical about white slavery?
