Funny Face (1957)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Steven C

  
  I love Audrey Hepburn. I like Fred Astaire. I like director Stanley Donen. I love musicals. I hate "Funny Face." Watching "Funny Face" was like overdosing on sugar. You might be like, 'Steven? How can you hate "Funny Face" and like something like… More
  I love Audrey Hepburn. I like Fred Astaire. I like director Stanley Donen. I love musicals. I hate "Funny Face." Watching "Funny Face" was like overdosing on sugar. You might be like, 'Steven? How can you hate "Funny Face" and like something like "High School Musical?"' Well, my answer is easy. With a movie like "High School Musical" the songs are helping tell the story and let you connect to the narrative and the characters. (Um, like ANY good musical) The songs in "Funny Face" have so little to do with the overall arc that when they happen (and they happen about every 5 minutes) the entire film has to stop. "Funny Face" seems like it runs 3 hours. Sure, Hepburn and Astaire are likable, like always, but they are really sticking to their wheelhouse here. There is nothing new and everything else is so schmaltzy that it renders the entire thing pat. "Funny Face" is just too silly, too tiresome and too meandering for me to actually enjoy.

• Spencer S

  
  Audrey Hepburn can't sing for crap (dubbed) but that beatnik dance scene stays with you forever, and the chemistry between her and Astaire makes this a classic.

• Thomas B

  
  Great dancing and some iconic songs but not the highlight of either of the two lead's careers. Full review later.

• Carlos M

  
  A delicious Cinderella story, funny and delightful, with beautiful shots of Paris and nice musical numbers performed by Hepburn, Astaire and Thompson, who all shine in their parts.

• Conner R

  
  I am no fan of musicals by any stretch, but Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire have always made this a worthwhile movie. It has some pretty amazing sets and an original sense of style. I think the entire movie is worth Audrey Hepburn's dance in the French club, just another example… More
  I am no fan of musicals by any stretch, but Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire have always made this a worthwhile movie. It has some pretty amazing sets and an original sense of style. I think the entire movie is worth Audrey Hepburn's dance in the French club, just another example of her ability to completely crush your heart.

• Elvira B

  
  <p>Great songs and dancing, and it's a bit of a privilege to have both Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in one film. </p> <p>Astaire plays a fashion photographer (supposedly based upon Richard Avedon) who "discovers" a beautiful clerk (Audrey Hepburn)… More
  <p>Great songs and dancing, and it's a bit of a privilege to have both Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in one film. </p> <p>Astaire plays a fashion photographer (supposedly based upon Richard Avedon) who "discovers" a beautiful clerk (Audrey Hepburn) in a Greenwich Village philosophy 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. </p> <p>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.</p>

• Jennifer X

  
  Much more artistic and impressionist than I thought it would be. Weirdly enough, this reminds me of a pomo Todd Haynes - enchanting but edgy, imperfect but wickedly cool. Audrey Hepburn was typecast as the ingenue countless times in her life, but each time she brings a little… More
  Much more artistic and impressionist than I thought it would be. Weirdly enough, this reminds me of a pomo Todd Haynes - enchanting but edgy, imperfect but wickedly cool. Audrey Hepburn was typecast as the ingenue countless times in her life, but each time she brings a little something something extra. Beautiful, ethereal, delightful. P.S. And I'm fed up with all these "Fred Astaire is a mummy this romance is so improbable" comments. He is old. Deal with it. He's a dance GOD.

• Dean M

  
  So wonderful, so marvellous! Beautiful and heavenly dance with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.

• Wildaly M

  
  A good musical.

• Michael G

  
  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.

• Dannielle A

  
  Some cool dancing scenes... but I'm not a big fan of the singing. An okay story line. Great talent. Good costumes and perfect sets. The best set is the greenery behind the church with the doves flying and swans on the lake. Beautiful!

• Andrew F

  
  It started out okay, but I just didn't care about whether or not they got together by the end.

• Sunil J

  
  This Audrey Hepburn movie is more style than substance. The look of the whole film is really amazing. It has up and down moments but the first half is perfection.

• Nikki M

  
  This reminds me of the modern day 'Devil Wears Prada' but with the added bonus of singing and dancing with Fred & Audrey!

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