Best Picture: "Gigi," 1958

Movie Stats:

Released 1958 (USA)

American, in English

Director – Vincente Minnelli (He also directed An American in Paris. And he's Liza's dad.)

Stars – Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold

Plot Summary:

Rich playboy Gaston Lachaille (Jourdan) is thoroughly bored with his conventional Parisian life in the early 20^th century. The only thing that brightens it is his platonic friendship with Gigi (Caron), a young, reluctant courtesan-in-training. When Gaston realizes his true feelings for Gigi, will convention win out, or will he buck it to keep their relationship pure? Chevalier co-stars as Gaston’s playboy uncle, Honore Lachaille, and Gingold as Gigi’s grandmother, Madame Alvarez.

Bad Stuff:

When a movie starts off with an old guy singing “Thank heaven for little girls,” that’s a certain level of “squick” factor that I personally find difficult to overcome. I thought it was going to be all downhill from there, so imagine my surprise when the film actually turned out a few good moments.

This movie deals with a delicate topic: rich guys paying well-trained women to be their companions & sleep with them (but not marry them). Since this was filmed in the 1950s, however, they spent most of the movie alluding to this vaguely and with euphemisms. I think that modern viewers, who are used to things being explained more directly, might find that a little confusing.

Good Stuff:

The costumes were fabulous.

Jourdan turned out a fine performance. Everyone else was okay, but they weren’t given much to work with. His character was really the only one with any nuance.

There were some genuinely funny moments. I particularly enjoyed the “I remember it well” song. I also liked how it poked fun at the whole courtesan culture, although I’m a little perplexed by that topic of choice for a 1950s film.

The Verdict:

There’s not a whole lot to say other than “meh.” There just isn’t much to this film. There’s no point to it. There’s no lesson. At its heart, it’s merely a love story, and not even an especially compelling one at that (although Caron & Jourdan had good chemistry). In the end, I didn’t hate it, but I would never recommend that anyone watch it either.

I give this lackluster affair 2.5 stars.