Entertaining but thin musical -- Stanley Donen's take on "American in Paris." Astaire is a bit too old to be plausibly linked with Hepburn (who we're supposed to believe is unattractive in wool dresses and glasses. This woman would look good in a trash bag). The movie seems to take place in a universe where Fred Astaire never ages, because the difference in their ages is never even an issue as I recall. the dances are pretty disappointing, except Audrey Hepburn's "Basil Metabolism" beatnik sequence. Beautifully photographed with style, everyone does well but there is no real substance. Good Gershwin songs culled from a handful of plays (including the original "Funny Face", which was a better show starring Fred and Adele Astaire), mostly inferior versions of often-done standards. No plot is taken from the original musical at all. This movie just seems so out of place at its time -- making fun of beatniks just points up how much time had already passed Donen, Astaire, and certainly Gershwin by. Must have felt like a relic to audiences in the 50s: seems like it could be a cherished relic to fans today.
Review of Funny Face
