Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson

A shy Greenwich Village book clerk is discovered by a fashion photographer and whisked off to Paris where she becomes a reluctant model.

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81% liked it

35,291 ratings

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86% liked it

21 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Stanley Donen

Release Date: February 13, 1957

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DVD Release Date: April 10, 2001

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Stats: 1,624 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,624)


  • September 17, 2009

    Great songs and dancing, and it's a bit of a privilege to have both Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in one film.


    Astaire plays a fashion photographer (supposedly based upon Richard Avedon) who "discovers" a beautiful clerk (Audrey Hepburn) in a Greenwich Village philo

    ...( read more)sophy bookstore. The photographer, who works for Quality magazine, convinces the chief editor, played by Kay Thompson, that this girl is the fresh face the publication needs to offer the public, and together they lure her to Paris, where she will be presented and will model an exclusive collection.

    Audrey Hepburn is, as usual, great in her role as the stubborn, romantic Jo. She is enamored with a philosophic current named empathicalism, and agrees to go to Paris only because there she might be able to catch one of the founder's conferences. She's very skeptical of the world of 'fashion' and initially rather reluctant, but she manages to see what is beautiful and worthwhile about it in time. In turn, Richard, the photographer, begins to fall in love with her authenticity and strong character, sustained only by her small frame and her huge, dreamy eyes.


    Funny Face isn't very concerned about glorifying frivolity at all or vice versa, only about providing inspiring images and music. Audrey's singing and dancing is really a pleasure to behold; she was truly versatile... one second she could look frail and wide-eyed, the next she could be dancing manically and aggresively in an "existentalist" club. Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson share one of the best numbers in the film, a long show with a dozen different musical styles.


    The music, by Ira and George Gershwin, is overall very dissimilar: there isn't a single style that unifies all the songs in the film. However, I didn't find this a problem at all. On the contrary, every number was unexpected and unconventional, so Funny Face never quite feels like a traditional musical, and that's fine by me.


    Choreography in a darkroom, hairy philosophers, vibrant colors, beautiful costumes, catchy melodies, all these things define the film. It's a light but delightful watch, a must for Audrey fans, and a visual reference for the death of the 50s.

  • May 25, 2009
    Really well done film, I had a great time watching it.
  • March 11, 2007
    Audrey Hepburn proves once again what a true sweetheart she really is in Funny Face. She just has this dreamy look on her face which makes her such an adorable human being. And she just comes up with freshness and brightness to enlighten the screen with another great performance ...( read more)to put down in her wonderful filmography. Since the first scene she appeared in she was awesome and although her performance was a bit similar to the one in Sabrina but still you can't help but admire her for it. And looking at her dancing and modeling in such a graceful way was such a pleasant experience. Fred Astaire did a great job in acting here and i loved his work but i didn't find his choreographies to be very brilliant, the yjust lacked this tender graceful sense. But the true impressive work here was given by Kay Thompson who showed some good vocal talents and her interpretation in the musical scenes was very very good. I liked this movie as a comedy more then as a musical since it didnt' have very good or catchy songs and they just didn't have the coherence songs in musicals usually have. But the screenplay had this touch of sweetness taking this rather typical idea and adding some spices to it to come with an original story. The cinematography was brilliant but the mood surrounding some scenes of the movie could have needed some more colourful touches.
  • November 14, 2006
    It's creepy to watch Audrey Hepburn hook up with a marionette. She's a doll and that's the only reason to see this movie.
  • June 24, 2007
    It started out okay, but I just didn't care about whether or not they got together by the end.
  • November 15, 2009
    An absolutely gorgeous movie, combining fashion, dance numbers, musical numbers and kooky acting from the leads, this is an absolutely fun movie and a wonderful pairing of Hepburn and the amazing Fred Astaire. This is really a great movie.
  • November 4, 2009
    "Every girl on every page of Quality has grace, elegance, and pizzazz. Now what's wrong with bringing out a girl who has character, spirit, and intelligence?"

    Probably my least favourite Audrey Hepburn film so far - this just didn't work for me. First of all, I felt it wa...( read more)s miscast - Audrey Hepburn's face is far from funny - she's beautiful - and although Fred Astaire might be a brilliant dancer, I don't feel he's that good an actor. I suppose this is what's expected from the Studio System back in the 50s, but it really made me like the characters less. They seem to fall in love with each other for no other reason than it's what the producers wanted, and so the romance seems forced rather than real.

    I also didn't enjoy the songs or dances. They seemed pointless, and much too long - as if they were put there just to show off the skills of the two leads, instead of to add anything more to the story. I usually like musicals of this period, but the songs here just didn't impress - probably because they were just a bit random; plonked in without driving the story forwards.

    I love Audrey Hepburn, so I was a little disappointed. But I'm sure it'll stil be a film that appeals to a lot of people. I just hate that her character buys into this world of fasion and 'celebrity' by the end, despite the fact that she was so against it at the start. Her poor little library, she didn't even give it a backward glance!

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  • November 1, 2009
    Better than average 1950's style musical, thanks mostly to the presence of Audrey Hepburn and a fine supporting cast. Some good musical numbers, it certainly has an excellent quality of production. The art direction, cinematography and costumes are all first rate.
  • October 26, 2009
    kinda weird and hard to follow but not too bad
  • October 22, 2009
    This was so cute! Audrey Hepburn is, as always, gorgeous and delightful. I love the 'intelligent, witty book store clerk meets beautiful, romantic, and fashionable Paris lifestyle' ploy. Audrey Hepburn truly is 'the Quality Woman.' Fred Astaire was, also, perfection. He may have ...( read more)been getting on a bit in age when this film was made, but he covered it up well with his energy and passion. Everything about this was lovely, girly, and heartfelt. S'wonderful!

Critic Reviews


Comments


  • biggayal1980
    January 28, 2009
    Hepburn is radiant and Astaire wooden in this rather uneven 50s classic. They both sound fantastic but Astaire is not his usual graceful self and Hepburn is rather forced. But who cares when she looks this good.

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Funny Face Trivia


  • this Funny Face had Breakfast At Tiffany's, who is she?  Answer »
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