Paris When It Sizzles

1964 "Go absolutely Ape in..."
6.3| 1h50m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 08 April 1964 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Hollywood producer Alexander Meyerheimer has hired drunken writer Richard Benson to write his latest movie. Benson has been holed up in a Paris apartment supposedly working on the script for months, but instead has spent the time living it up. Benson now has just two days to the deadline and thus hires a temporary secretary, Gabrielle Simpson, to help him complete it in time.

Genre

Comedy, Romance

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Director

Richard Quine

Production Companies

Paramount

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Paris When It Sizzles Audience Reviews

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
Jeanskynebu the audience applauded
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
jacobs-greenwood Reunite William Holden and Audrey Hepburn, put them in the spectacular titled locale, sprinkle in a few star cameos (Marlene Dietrich, Tony Curtis, Mel Ferrer and Noel Coward) and voila ... a can't miss hit, right? Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Someone forgot the script.In fact, that's the plot of this completely uninspired romantic comedy. Holden plays an aging, whiskey-swigging screenplay writer who's blocked, Hepburn a typist sent by movie producer Coward to help complete the long overdue story during a weekend. The movie plays out as these two Academy Award winning actors improvise scenarios of every conceivable genre, all of which are colorfully realized by cinematographer Charles Lang (no less) and Hepburn costumed by Givenchy (of course).But it just doesn't work. As a comedy, it's not funny, even with Tony Curtis appearing throughout; as for its romantic angle, the magic of Sabrina is long gone. When the opening scene - a masterful establishing shot from a helicopter of the French Riviera's Hotel du Cap (which doesn't even feature one of its headlining stars) - is the best thing about a movie, it's probably best to avoid it.
Thomas Drufke 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
James_Moriarty I don't know what movie the other reviewers were watching, but it's hard to believe that it's the same film I saw. Yes, Audrey Hepburn is lovely; that's worth one star. Chemistry between her and William Holden? I didn't see it. Forget the fact that the inner narrative (the script of "The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower") makes no sense - OK, that's the point. But the outer narrative is little better. It's impossible to believe that Gabrielle would allow Richard to become so familiar, so quickly - despite his supposedly smooth approach that allegedly sets her on her ear. I could barely make it through this mess. It's just too bad that the camera negative and the only work print weren't stolen and burned, thereby sparing us this sorry spectacle.
TheLittleSongbird As a fan of Audrey Hepburn, I was quite interested in seeing this film. While Paris When it Sizzles is not without its charms, it sort of disappointed me. The film does benefit from some gorgeous locations and beautiful cinematography, while the music was a nice touch too. What makes the movie watchable is the cast. Audrey Hepburn has been better, but she is very graceful and charming in this movie and brings some vigour into the movie when it most needs it. William Holden is also great, the film is worth seeing for his chest, if I were to say it is a scene stealer it would be an understatement. And Tony Curtis is delightful, he always is a welcome presence and this is no exception, he has the film's funniest moments. I quite liked Marlene Dietrich's cameo too.However, Paris When it Sizzles does suffer from some problems. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the title, after seeing the movie I thought it was misleading and lacked punch. The pacing is rather leaden here, while the direction is on the mediocre side of things. The script had its witty moments but it was often unfunny and weak, while the story is rather thin and predictable and the slower scenes and romantic moments are somewhat sappily written. The ending also falls flat, to be honest I was not surprised by the outcome and some scenes leading up to it were done in a sadly heavy-handed way. Finally, while it looked pretty and had a great cast, overall there wasn't any real fire and passion here.So overall, had great potential but fizzles out. 5/10 Bethany Cox