Irma La Douce
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Movie Reviews of Irma La Douce
Movie Review: Too long, but full of charm
Summary: 4 Stars
In an attempt to recapture the magic of The Apartment, director Billy Wilder reassembled the stars of that film, Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, in an adaptation of a popular musical -- and promptly removed the music. The result was Irma La Douce, a film that has been mostly forgotten my modern movie lovers even though it was a huge box-office success in 1963 (earning more than The Great Escape and The Birds combined!).
Part of the reason for the obscurity of Irma La Douce may be its highly contrived and mostly unbelievable plot. Jack Lemmon plays Nestor Patou, a Parisian policeman who falls in love with streetwalker Irma La Douce ("Irma the sweet") after arresting her (and losing his job in the process). Taken by him as well, Irma (MacLaine) takes Nestor on as her live-in "fellow" (read: pimp).
But Nestor is an insecure, jealous man, and he instantly schemes to replace her customers with a single one of his own -- one rich enough that she won't have to see any others. So he dresses up as "Lord X" a British millionaire and spends his nights working several jobs to produce the cash for the role. Then Irma's ex-fellow almost sees Nestor changing from his costume, but thinks he's witnessed a murder....
The real appeal of Irma La Douce is in how Lemmon and MacLaine genuinely seem to like each other. One could easily imagine a relationship blossoming between them, and that is the key to believing in these characters.
Wilder himself has called the film a "failure" (see Conversations with Wilder by Cameron Crowe), mostly due to the fact that his actors, though playing native Parisians, speak with their own accents. But their fans will not care because, though it does not come close to the quality of its predecessor, Irma La Douce is one of Wilder's most purely engaging films, even during the slow spots. Jack Lemmon has a lot of fun with his dual role, and Shirley MacLaine has never been sexier!
(Keep an eye out for a walk-on by the young James Caan, in his film debut as a soldier.)
Movie Review: Charming Parisian comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
A versatile Jack Lemmon amd a sexy Shirley Maclaine playing Irma star in Billy Wilder's engaging and unlikely 1963 love story set in the streets of Paris.
Lemmon plays naive French policeman Nestor Patou who has just been assigned to patrol a Parisian street notorious for it's prostitution trade. His overexuberance in arresting a bevy of streetwalkers in this police protected enclave leads to his dismissal. Forlorn and homeless the kind hearted Maclaine feels compassion for him.
When Lemmon stands up to Maclaine's overly physical pimp, Hippolyte he becomes her champion and she takes him in. They gradually fall in love and the jealous Lemmon, now her new pimp, schemes of a way to deter Irma from plying her trade so that he may have her affections for himself.
This lighthearted comedy was alluring in its colorful settings masterfully contrived by the talented Wilder. Veteran character actor Lou Jacobi was unquestionably the star of the show playing Moustache, the proprietor of the cafe frequented by the local girls.
Movie Review: Green Stocking Diaries
Summary: 4 Stars
One character in "Irma La Douce" describes the love between Jack Lemmon's sad sack and Shirley MacLaine's heart-of-gold streetwalker as "cute". Herein lies my problem with the film. I liked it, though it was a little overlong, but I was expecting something a little edgier from director Billy Wilder and his co-scenarist I.A.L. Diamond. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they were adapting someone else's work instead of creating something original. Lemmon and MacLaine still have that distinct chemistry but it's not as apparent as it was in Wilder's masterwork, "The Apartment". One pronounced credit to the film is the hilarious turn by Lou Jacobi as Moustache, Lemmon's mentor and dispenser of advise. Not a bad film but I would behoove you to check out Jules Dassin's "Never on Sunday" with Melina Mercouri which covers similar territory as "Irma La Douce" but with infinitely better results.Movie Review: Irma La Duoce 1963
Summary: 4 Stars
Meet Nestor (Jack Lemmon 1925-2001), a young man with a very complicated love life . Employed as a business manager to Irma La Douce (Shirley MacLaine 1934- ) -a proud and profitable lady of the streeet -the poor guy has gone and fallen in love with here ! So how do keep a populare Parisienne lika Irma faithful ! Simple . Disguise yourself as a eldery English lord who immediatly becomes Irma?s sole client and means of support ! But what?s jeleous manager to do when illustrious Irma claims that the man she?s in love with is not the smitten Nestor but the dotty old Lord himself . Wonderful homour and story . You will be able to see some scenes of the Les Halles market how is torn down in the 1970?s . High Quality transfer . RecommendedMovie Review: Seconds parts syndrome!
Summary: 4 Stars
Sometimes the genius makes a mistake, even dealing with Billy Wilder, who bet sincerely to repeat the same winner formula in the Apartment. It did not happen, the absence of sexual chemistry in this couple, plus the clash of two strong personalities as Shirley and Jack around this love affair with a pros. Perhaps the emotional state of the audience was surrounded by the mature film Breakfast in Tiffany, Fellini 's La Dolce Vita and Bocaccio 70 who explored this issues with humor and major conceptual density.