Movie Stats:
Released 1967 (USA)
American, in English (multiple other languages, used in minor ways, non-translated)
Director - George Roy Hill
Stars - Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing
Plot Summary:
In the 1920s, small town girl Millie Dillmount (Andrews) arrives in NYC, determined to live life on her own terms. Oh, and there’s a side plot involving white slavery. Fox co-stars as Jimmy Smith, Millie’s friend/love interest; Moore as Dorothy Brown, Millie’s new BFF; and Channing as Muzzy Van Hossmere, an eccentric millionaire they befriend.
Warnings:
Implied sexy times; minor violence; one scene with a painting that depicts nude female breasts.
Bad Stuff:
It’s really pretty racist.
There’s a lot of the over-the-top, goofy humor that was prominent in the 1960s (think of the campiness of the Batman TV show of that era), which I don’t really care for.
I don’t think it has a great message. Millie’s “modern woman” plan is to get a job with a handsome, wealthy boss and marry him? That seems rather devious and manipulative. Also, [SPOILER] It’s okay she falls in love with a seemingly poor, unambitious man because it turns out that he was rich and lying to her all along. Yay! [SPOILER]
Good Stuff:
It has some genuinely funny moments. I especially enjoyed the running gag of Millie unwittingly foiling the wannabe kidnappers.
I really enjoyed the characters of Jimmy and Trevor Graydon (John Gavin). Trevor in particular provided a lot of unexpected “straight man” humor.
I liked the costuming.
About the Performance:
What’s not to like about Julie Andrews? She’s incredibly talented: beautiful, a great dancer, lovely singing voice, excellent comedic timing. I didn’t particularly care for this film, or the character of Millie, but Andrews did a good job with it.
Other performances of Andrews’s I’ve reviewed: The Sound of Music.
The Verdict:
I was supposed to review “Mary Poppins,” for which Andrews won the Oscar, but I’ve never liked that film & didn’t feel like watching it again. I wanted to review “Victor Victoria,” but they didn’t have it on Netflix, so I chose this film instead. Two years ago, I saw part of a stage production of this story; we left at intermission in part because the racism in it made us uncomfortable. I thought it wasn’t quite as bad in the film, although definitely the deeper it gets into the white slavery storyline, the more apparent the racism is. In addition to that, I found the campiness irritating. It’s meant to be lighthearted, fun, and humorous, and that does frequently come across, but it definitely isn’t my favorite movie ever.
I give it 2.75 stars.
2 comments:
This is a big favorite with the MAunts, though I haven't seen it. I would have gone with the Princess Diaries, because that's a one-two punch of Andrews and Hathaway. (Though many people are very anti-Hathaway.)
It's too bad you couldn't see Victor/Victoria. I would have liked to read your review of that. (And I haven't seen it, either.)
How are you feeling about the new Mary Poppins film that's coming, given your dislike of the first one?
I feel like Andrews isn't the "star" of Princess Diaries, which is why I didn't choose it, although I like the film & her performance.
I am very anti-sequel when the sequel comes many years after the original, whether or not I liked the original. So when I heard they're making a Mary Poppins sequel, I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "Cash grab."
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