Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

So much average

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Never has a major movie received such bad reviews from ALL the critics, but I didn't think a film with Audrey Hepburn and Noel Coward, scripted by George "Seven Year Itch" Axelrod and directed by Richard "The Notorious Landlady" Quine could be anything like as lousy as the all the critics inferred. (See OTHER VIEWS below).Well, I was wrong on all counts. Marlene's ten-second clip was hardly worth the price of admission; there was little if anything left of "Henriette", except part of the basic idea; and the film was even more tedious, more lacking in genuine wit or sparkle — whenever Holden was on screen (which was just about all the time), except for the vampire interlude and a few cracks about movies like the importance of the dissolve from the angle of censorship — than I could have imagined possible from the creator of "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter".Poor Miss Hepburn is reduced to acting as a stooge for Holden. Her fans are going to be mighty disappointed. And Noel Coward has little more than a bit part. The best performance is delivered by Tony Curtis. Although not billed, Curtis's role is actually quite extensive. Here is an actor who knows how to play tongue in cheek (see "The Purple Mask"). It is Curtis alone of the players who consistently shines, even when forced to wear the thinnest and most threadbare clothes.Other delights are provided by the rich Technicolor photography (Quine started out with Claude Renoir, but he was replaced by Lang during shooting) and the sumptuous sets designed by Jean D'Eaubonne.With trimming, (the movie seems to go on forever, long after a logical and halfway pleasing conclusion — at least twenty, maybe thirty or thirty-five minutes of boring Holden-Hepburn ego-tripping could mercifully be jettisoned), "Paris When It Sizzles" could provide moderate entertainment. Do I hear any volunteers?OTHER VIEWS: Smells. — Variety. Hello, suckers! — Judith Crist. Dross. — A. H. Weiler in The New York Times. Deadly… Coward at his most repellent. — Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic. Fatuous, embarrassingly unfunny, a dreadfully expensive display of bad taste, bad acting and bad direction. — Hollis Alpert in The Saturday Review. Burn it! — Time.

I imagine this movie receives so many negative reactions because it is not the romantic comedy it was advertised as or that one would expect. This is less Sabrina and more Mel Brooks with a healthy helping of meta-fictional commentary on Hollywood tropes and the writing process. Paris When It Sizzles is goofy camp more in the vein of The Great Race than anything. If you're a writer or storyteller in any medium, then surely you will understand Holden's pain as he constantly runs out of drive and inspiration, going through draft after draft. The film within the film changes genre, characterization, and tone constantly. Everything about screen writing is parodied or lamp-shaded: the Production Code, plot structure, writing for specific actors, adhering to conventions, making sure the money is present on the screen. The movie also often feels like Old Hollywood taking potshots at the next generation of filmmakers: the French New Wave and the "mumbling" of method actors are comedy fodder as well.The film only flounders toward the end. The romance between Hepburn and Holden in the frame story begins as an interesting subversion of the romantic clichés Holden's screenwriter puts down in his phoned-in screenplays, but toward the end it takes a conventional turn that feels rather tacked on. The film spoofs Hollywood conventions only to succumb to their escapist charms in the end. Now this may or may not be a serious flaw depending upon your perspective. It didn't hurt the film too much for me, but I can see someone wanting more satire being disappointed.Your enjoyment of this film heavily relies on knowing what to expect going into it. This movie is quite unlike Audrey Hepburn's other romantic vehicles from the 1950s and it doesn't have the style and sophistication of Breakfast at Tiffany's or Charade, but it is a fun, smart movie and she is great in it.

I had to make sure that my 1000th review was special, and what's more special than a romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and set in the most romantic city in the world, Paris? Well, Paris When it Sizzles isn't the most Hepburn film, nor is it probably her best film set in Paris, but it represents everything that I love about her short lived career, dreamy, innocent, and always fun.More along the lines of a classic spoof than a true romantic comedy, Paris When it Sizzles is a valiant effort in trying to comment on Hollywood filmmaking and all of the frustrating tropes most movies use. I guess in some ways it's like taking Deadpool's style of 4th wall breaking humor, just without all of the blood, violence, and language. It's that innocence and fantastical nature of Paris When it Sizzles that is really appealing, even if all of the jokes and gags don't necessarily hold up.Considering this film was essentially forced upon Audrey Hepburn and William Holden because of a clause in their contracts, it's no wonder that the story feels all over the place. Perhaps adding to the dreamy feel, Gabrielle and Richard fall in love with each other while writing a Hollywood script, and spend the majority of the film acting out scenes from their script which mirrors just how obscure the plot can get. Nowhere near as moving or magical as last year's La La Land, but it certainly captures the essence of how everyone wishes they could fall in love. For that alone, I appreciate Paris When it Sizzles for its carelessness and almost charming irreverence it goes about telling its story.I think where the movie fails is that every time you feel like you're getting invested in Gabrielle and Richard's romance, the movie thrusts back into the adventures of Gaby and Rick on the streets of Paris. Obviously the stories should feel one and the same, but I actually found myself more invested in what was going on in the writer's room (apartment) than I did when the two are spooking their various films of their careers. Even with a plot that wanders like no other and a script that feels like a bunch of sketches thrown together, it's hard not to get behind what Holden and Hepburn are doing here. Especially when you find out how in love Holden was with her at the time, it adds another layer to their relationship on screen. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with anything Audrey Hepburn does, right? I knew it was a good idea to make this my 1000th review. +1000+Another dreamy and fantastical romance+Spoof of sorts-Get lost in the fake characters7.0/10

In 1954, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn lit up the screen in Billy Wilder's 'Sabrina (1954),' though certain narrative requirements stipulated that the latter must instead end up in the arms of a certain other grizzled Hollywood star. 'Paris When It Sizzles (1964)' was the pair's second and final teaming, and it's a light, breezy and likable enough romantic comedy, with a nice concept but a rather lazy screenplay. I've always enjoyed exploring the notion that an author (or a screenwriter, in this case) is virtually a god with respect to his own story, able to direct his characters' every action and impulse, and to alter and even reverse reality if he feels the tale requires it. This is exactly what Richard Benson (Holden) and Gabrielle Simpson (Hepburn) do during two warm days in Paris – they explore their own romantic connection indirectly through their screenplay, and, each time the relationship turns sour, they are able to permanently reverse the action and start out fresh; this is a luxury that real-life can never afford us.There's a spontaneity to the screen writing process that I liked. When the story suddenly reverts to the tired cliché of government agents in trench-coats, Benson hastily condemns his lack of originality and rolls back the plot. When the story is in need of a handsome but arrogant male suitor, they postulate somebody like Tony Curtis – and, behold, Tony Curtis arrives on a scooter to fill the part! All this reminded me strongly of a short film that I wrote and directed several years ago, age 16, about a failed novelist trying unsuccessfully to compose his masterpiece, constantly revising and rewriting until the story takes on a life of its own. Unfortunately, the terrific concept of 'Paris When It Sizzles' eventually runs out of steam, and "The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower" soon becomes a trite and cheesy crime caper, of the sort that only the 1960s could have produced. What might have been a clever, witty and insightful dissection of human relationships (and the artificiality of Hollywood romance), instead retires as an agreeable but insubstantial light comedy.The screenplay for 'Paris When It Sizzles' was written by George Axelrod, who also co-penned my least favourite Billy Wilder film, 'The Seven Year Itch (1955).' There is some good-natured banter concerning the true nature of Hollywood film-making (did you know that "Frankenstein" and "My Fair Lady" are effectively the same story?), but otherwise the dialogue is fairly forgettable, and doesn't move the story anywhere. Some Wilder witticisms in this film, certainly, could not have gone amiss! Holden and Hepburn are, predictably, charming and likable, sharing a chemistry that suggests both stars had a lot of fun during filming. There's always enjoyment to be derived from harassing Tony Curtis (by getting his character's name wrong, and then constantly reminding him that he's playing an insignificant bit part). However, in the film's second half, he's obviously being used as padding to compensate for the absence of William Holden, who was then undergoing treatment for alcoholism. Overall, this picture doesn't quite sizzle, but it'll nonetheless provide enough heat to warm your hands.