Customer Reviews
Fails to heed its own advice... 
2008-09-03
As a whole I found `Paris When it Sizzles' to be far more entertaining than the reviews would have you believe. It was fun and exciting and even breathtaking in scenes, and it never lost your interest for something was constantly going on, but when all was said and done I felt as if the film was truly a missed opportunity. Instead of giving us that `switch' in the end the film merely falls into the clichéd Hollywood ending that the two main characters were fighting so fervently against throughout the entirety of the film.
`Paris When it Sizzles' is a film about a screenwriter who is having trouble finishing his latest film; `The Girl who Stole the Eiffel Tower'. He hires a typist to help him capture his sporadic ideas and thus begins the journey through screenwriting that is `Paris When it Sizzles'. Having a mere day to finish the film, both Richard and Gabrielle spout ideas off one another, acting them out in countless fantasy sequences. `The Girl who Stole the Eiffel Tower' shifts from love story to gangster film to horror film, each sequence just as entertaining as the last and each scene containing the `switch on a switch on a switch' to make it interesting and absorbing.
But that's also where the films falls apart; in the `switch on a switch' department. Throughout the film Richard is informing Gabrielle on the importance of always including a switch, to keep the audience guessing, but director Richard Quine, and more importantly writers Duvivier and Jeanson, didn't realize the importance of including a switch in their own film. Instead the film ends like almost every other romantic comedy out there.
Many have noted that Holden and Hepburn didn't seem to have the greatest of chemistry in the film, which is a plus and a minus. It aids in their fictional character development (as in when they are in their fantasy world) but it struggles to establish any real connection when they are simply playing Richard and Gabrielle. Thus, in the end, their inevitable romance is slightly unbelievable.
I will admit that `Paris When it Sizzles' is not a trainwreck, but it isn't anything special or new either. It had major potential, and the whole fantasy aspect of the film is enthralling, but the film sadly dwindles down to a predictable conclusion. If they had included that much desired `switch' in the end it would have garnered an `A' from me, but it's lack there of leaves it with a low `B'. Hepburn is always delightful (and thank god she isn't singing in this one), and Holden is a desirable leading man, even when he doesn't seem to interested in you, so their presence doesn't hurt the film at all. This film is unfairly attacked for the wrong reasons. It's pure entertainment, and for that it should be lauded. It's just not as original as it tries to be; and for that it should be reprimanded.
Not Quite Charming Enough 
2008-07-07
This film far from captures the spirit of Paris, even on a bad day. I was excited about this film, because I am a huge fan of both Hepburn and Holden, but the end result was disappointing.
William Holden hires a temporary secretary, Audrey Hepburn, to help him complete his latest screenplay. Half of the movie is spent imagining silly plots for the script, and the other half is spent watching the alcoholic writer woo the oh-so-sweet secretary. Spoiler: In the end, of course, Holden gets the girl.
Trust me, you've seen it. In fact, the plot is so stale, they had to throw in the silly twist: the script within the script. Although Holden and Hepburn are always magical, this movie drags.
The Sleeper Hit Of Hepburn's Career 2008-04-23
I had never heard of this film until I recently saw it as the in-flight movie on a jet. Now I own it. It's a very nice romantic comedy, with a surreal edge to it. Also there are some cameos by big stars to look out for. Audrey Hepburn absolutely never looked as beautiful as she does here in Paris When It Sizzles. It may not have the depth of some of her other movies, but this one is a lot of fun.
Wake me when it gets to the "Sizzle" part 
2008-04-15
This is another one of Audrey's stinkers. It starts off dumb and then gets silly. Apparently, it was supposed to be a sophisicated comedy with a lot of surprising cameos and witty dialog. It fails over and over.
Both Audrey and William Holden would and could do much better things.
It just gets progressively worse.
Ah, l'amour! 
2008-04-02
For anyone who has seen Alex & Emma, this movie was the inspiration. I would say though, that it's a much better adaption of the story with some old fashioned premises to carry it along. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Bought as a gift 2008-02-08
Paris When It Sizzles is an unusual screwball comedy to say the least. Whether it works is another matter, but the premise and humor are interesting enough to make it enjoyable. The basic problem with the film is its two stars: William Holden and Audrey Hepburn hardly sizzle with onscreen chemistry, and Hepburn's character, Miss Simpson, falls far too easily into the hands of Holden's drunken screen writer. However, the story is an interesting play on the typical Hollywood romance, with two plotlines running in parallel to each other. Holden's Richard Benson has only two days to finish a script for an enigmatic producer (Noel Coward). Hepburn's Miss Simpson is drafted in as the typist and as the script is dictated it manifests itself on the screen, allowing the two lead characters to play out any number of romantic stories. It's the cameo appearances in the imaginary world that really steal the show, with the blink-and-you'll-miss-it last screen appearance by Marlene Dietrich, as well as Tony Curtis having fun with his own screen persona. Not one of Hepburn or Holden's best, but worth a look purely for the interesting slant on the mechanical nature of Hollywood's romances.
--Nikki Disney
Great Service 2008-01-18
Received DVD in a timely manner. Great condition. Would purchase from this buyer again.
It's silly, but it still sizzles... 2007-08-03
Admittedly, this is neither Holden's nor Hepburn's premiere work. However, there is still some good writing in this film. Clever dialogue manifesting itself best in the recurring bit about the "liar and a thief suit" garners laughs fromk me and my family every time we watch this film. Some great campiness and send-ups of movie and book genres; and Tony Curtis making fun of Marlon Brando's acting style is classic.... It's not a perfect movie, but it certainly delivers in the humor department.
idea with possibilities wasted 
2007-07-25
The screenwriter had no idea how to write a comedy. Add to that casting a dramatic actor (Holden) to play a comic part, and you end up with a flop. With a comic actor (like, say, Tony Randall) and with a comic script, this could have been a very funny movie. Compare this movie with "Delirious (John Candy)" and you'll see what I mean.
The purpose of this story by two Frenchmen seemed to be to show how much they hated American movies. Every movie from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s is lampooned. But satire does not succeed when the satirist hates his subject so much that he can't be funny about it.
The enjoyable parts are the appearances by other stars: Marlene Dietrich, Fred Astaire (singing only), Frank Sinatra (singing a couple of lines), Tony Curtis hamming it up, Mel Ferrar, and Noel Coward (the only comedian of the lot).
Hepburn is given almost nothing to do and has no opportunity to save this picture. Holden tries hard, very hard, but he just doesn't know how to be funny.
Not Enough Sizzle 2007-07-25
I think the title of my review says it all. The movie was hard to watch and did not do Audrey justice. I'm a fan of hers but that was not enough to get me into this movie.
