Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal; d. Blake Edwards; A-

It's interesting to see how some film genres have progressed during time. Dramas have become, for the most part, less dramatic. Musicals have become pratically nonexistant. Comedies, well, it depends, but for the most part it's gone south. But none of these are as depressing as what has happened to the romantic comedy. Way back when romantic comedies actually worked. They were full of great chemistry, magic, charm, and most importantly, they were romantic and funny. We can not say the same for most romantic comedies now. Now the romantic comedy formula has become more visible since Hollywood began running out of ideas. The romance is no longer grand and alluring. And the comedy, well as I said, has gone south. What we have now for a romantic comedy is some sort of cinematic flatline, two hours of lull and dull that fail to pull any strong emotions out of you. Even the best romantic comedies of today still suffer from dullness. Compare these to the classic romantic comedies of the 60's, 50's, and 40's, which were much more effective, romantic, and appealing, probably because romance filled nearly every movie released that period. Romance then was down to an exact science, especially romantic comedies which relied on character foils. Now, for the most part, the characters are so similar that it's almost like watching identical twins (in every sense of the word) fall in love, and franky that's not funny. It's boring. The plot scientists of old Hollywood really knew how to make magic, and Breakfast At Tiffany's is a prime example.

Audrey Hepburn stars as Holly Golightly, an eccentric New York playgirl living in a stylish appartment with a nameless cat. She's a shameless golddigger who's bound and determined to find a rich man to settle down with. But all the rich men she courts are a poor substitution for the perfect husband, and the man who's perfect for that position is typing right over her appartment: Paul Varjack, called "Fred" by Holly, a sheepish writer who's being "taken care of" by a millionairess (Patricia Neal), and who's also helplessly in love with the unattainable Holly. The two hit it off the morning they meet, and become even better friends when Holly retreats to Paul's appartment to hide from a drunken suitor. As the story progresses, though, Holly becomes even more and more unattainable to Paul when he finds out about her Southern past and her Brazilian future. Will Paul get the girl? Well, what do you think?

The film grabs you the moment it starts, with Audrey Hepburn eating a danish, window shopping at Tiffany's with a black gown on complete with diamonds and a tiara. You're already sucked into the fantastic world of Holly Golightly: A world that's metropolitan, glamourous, chic, but also unattainable and contradictory. Holly is a "free spirit" who's "locked herself in a cage" by indluging herself in her fantasy world of cocktail parties, "rats" and "super-rats", rich men, rich women and anything that spells high society. She lives life on Easy Street even though she barely has the money to even reside there. Bad feelings and memories are repressed, as well as her original southern accent, making her, as her producer says, a "real fake". Paul is one of many who sees that, however he's the only one who tries to do something about it. And of course, he succeeds at the end.

Hepburn and Peppard have to be one of the greatest romantic pairings in cinema history. Hepburn gives a wonderfully chic and classy performance as Holly, so convincing that it's hard to blur the lines between Audrey and Holly. She plays it so perfectly that it's hard to see anyone else in that role, especially the original choice, Marilyn Monroe, who was used to playing roles like Holly. Hepburn convinces the audience of her character's playfullness, insecurity, and glamour. Likewise with George Peppard, also supurb as Paul. The two have amazing chemistry together, something that's rare today and even then. The supporting cast is also very strong.

I fell in love with this film the moment I saw the jacket cover, and the feeling did not change while the movie progressed. The movie was so affective that I found myself almost crying at the end, which honestly is a rare thing. I highly reccomend this movie to anyone and everyone, it's a not-to miss, especially for Audrey Hepburn fans who haven't seen it.

© Vert A Go Go Reviews 2001