How to Steal a Million
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Movie Reviews of How to Steal a Million
Movie Review: Great movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Great movie with an interesting plot. Audrey again, is great...
Bob
Movie Review: delightful movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Elegant cast, Paris, and an intruiging plot. I loved it.Movie Review: "You're a very chic burglar, aren't you?"
Summary: 4 Stars
- Nicole Bonnet, having recently shot Simon Dermott and now observing him grab his left arm: "Your arm is much better."
- Simon: "Oh, no, no. It hurts, it hurts!"
- Nicole: "It's the other arm!"
- Simon: "The infection is spreading."
Audrey Hepburn, with her timeless glamour and that delicate swan neck, is so damn disarming, I wish she'd shot me, too. When she accidentally pulls the trigger on Peter O'Toole - he was burgling her home, after all - the sequence which follows showcases not only her talent for light comedy and not only her not-too-shabby gams glimpsed thru the nightie, but also her sparkling chemistry with her male lead. I've seen O'Toole in his more highly touted flicks (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, THE LION IN WINTER, MY FAVORITE YEAR, etc.), but I honestly have never liked him more than in this breezy romantic caper. And maybe part of it is because we see him thru Audrey Hepburn's eyes. Throughout the film, she bestows on him alternating glances of admiration and exasperation and bemusement. Of course, Hepburn, channeling her inner screwball, also has O'Toole reciprocating with his own series of wondering sidelong looks. And while O'Toole still comes across as wicked smug, to me, at least, it's not nearly as insufferable as in his other pictures. Here, he demonstrates an effortless comic timing and oodles of charm and is just a lot of fun.
The plot: Looks like French aristocrat Nicole Bonnet (Hepburn) had pretty much given up on reforming her master art forger of a father. At this stage she focuses more on minimizing the trouble he could land into. But when he donates the fake Cellini Venus statue to a museum and the museum then plans on an art specialist to examine the piece, a frantic Nicole hits on this brainstorm: Why not have a thief steal the Venus? Luckily, a dashing gentleman burglar had just broken into her home and although she'd ended up shooting him, they parted ways on good terms (because it's that kind of movie).
Based on a short story by George Bradshaw, HOW TO STEAL A MILLION hits the two hour mark, something which I really didn't note until the movie ended. The frothy storyline, the lighthearted score, the often playful dialogue brought to life by the bankable stars, and the romantic setting in the City of Lights - all these elements combine to make the film an entertaining watch, and it's really okay that HOW TO STEAL A MILLION isn't considered an "important" picture or regarded as one of the best ever produced by Hepburn or O'Toole. As she often does, Hepburn brings an air of style and sophistication, and in this one she's sensational in Givenchy, and, really, can a terrific romance be too far off? Peter O'Toole, he flashes those electric blue eyes and that rich, lordly delivery of his and motors around in that sleek canary yellow Jaguar two-seater. Their interplay is really fun to watch. Still, the centerpiece of the film features the overnight art museum heist, and how that caper unfolds is a demonstration in sheer cleverness. And then we're also treated to an unexpected brand of togetherness exhibited in a cramped broom closet. To echo Hepburn's breathy sentiment: "Marvelous."
Hepburn and O'Toole get good support from a veteran cast, from Hugh Griffith and his out-of-control eyebrows to a bit cameo from Charles Boyer. Classic character actor Eli Wallach plays a take-charge American art collector and, okay, maybe his side story isn't really necessary, but it's Eli friggin' Wallach!
The DVD bonus features include: audio commentaries (on separately recorded tracks) by Eli Wallach & Director William Wyler's daughter Catherine Wyler who provides most of the talky talk; the excellent 45-minute A&E Biography on Audrey Hepburn; the teaser trailer; the theatrical trailer; and two TV spots.
The only knock I have about this movie is that I'm not a fan of the beehive, even if Hepburn does pull it off. But Hepburn can probably rock a buzzcut and still soak in the accolades from the fashionistas.
Movie Review: Audrey Shines in a Bit of Fluff
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bonnet's are a family of art forgers. The current patriarch (Oscar winner Hugh Griffith) forges the masters. He has just sold one of his masters. The problem is that his daughter wants to break the family tradition.
To complicate things, dad has agreed to loan his Cellini Venus statue to a local Paris museum. Of course this was really made by grandfather with grandmamma as the model. While Nicole (Audrey Hepburn) has misgivings, there is little chance that the forgery will be discovered. That is until dad signs an insurance policy and this means that the statue must be authenticated.
Now there is a problem. Nicole decides to steal back the statue with the help of an art thief, Simon Dermott (Peter O'Toole) but what she doesn't know is that Dermott is a detective hired to prove that her father is a forger.
After a while Dermott agrees to plan the heist. What follows is a great comic heist.
William Wyler is a master director at this time towards the end of his career. But he proves that he still has his flair. Hepburn was at a turning point in her career and proved that even with some fluff, that she has star quality. O'Toole was early in his career and showed flair but you can tell that Hepburn held back to make him look better.
This is a fun piece of fluff and Audrey's fans will not be disappointed.
DVD EXTRAS:
Commentary by featured star Eli Wallach and director's daughter Catherine Wyler
Biography: Audrey Hepburn: The Fairest Lady - Episode of A&E's Biography
Movie Review: So THAT's what all the fuss over Peter O'Toole's about!
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie I give a solid four stars, but Peter O'Toole gets five because it's the most I could give. (Hey amazon, how about a little room for upward adjustment under extenuating circumstances like these?)
I'm an Audrey fan and she's her usual delightful self in this movie, no longer the ingenue but every bit as lithe and fetching as ever. She was a dazzler, but in Peter O'Toole she met her match. He is something else -- the Jude Law of his day, I suppose! (The highest of high compliments I give). In "How To Steal A Million" O'Toole is suave and self-assured but never arrogant ... spectacularly good looking (hey, it's not his fault) ... witty but flawed, not what he seems and in the end, you're glad of it. He can burgle my objects d'art any day!
The movie also has that very "1960's" look and feel to it that allow you to time travel, but not so far back you feel as though you've been whiplashed when it ends. The '60's were in many ways more modern than the '70's, and played against the backdrop of Paris those burgeoning modern sensibilities find an excellent foil. Audrey is her usual "au courant" self, except for one scene in which she has to play a cleaning lady. Like Liza Doolittle, she would shine through a burlap sack.
O'Toole and Hepburn are very, very winning here. The assorted cast of characters are daffy but mostly harmless, and if I'm not completely mistaken, the movie does poke gentle fun at the French. (Not that terribly difficult to do, but then again we re-elected ... oh, never mind).