Paris WHEN IT SIZZLES is an attempt to cash-in on the popularity of Audrey Hepburn, the heart-winning starlet who rose to fame in a series of light romantic comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. This one's a steamy, silly tale of love and fantasy in Paris, with Hepburn assisting a past his prime screenwriter (William Holden) with his latest masterpiece.
Unfortunately this is one of the worst Hepburn films I've sat through, as it really is a chore to watch in places. The whole story is slight and silly, with lots of unbelievable and twee scenes. The structure of the thing is scattershot and the regular fantasy set-pieces are hardly successful. One of the worst things about it is the acting, with Holden failing to fulfil the criteria of a romantic lead and Hepburn coming across as nothing more than a bad actress.
Perhaps fearing they had a dud on their hands, producers throw a number of extra stars into the mix - Tony Curtis, Noel Coward, etc. - but they fail to make much of an impact, leaving Paris WHEN IT SIZZLES one of the flimsiest and most unsatisfying of all Hepburn movies.
Unfortunately this is one of the worst Hepburn films I've sat through, as it really is a chore to watch in places. The whole story is slight and silly, with lots of unbelievable and twee scenes. The structure of the thing is scattershot and the regular fantasy set-pieces are hardly successful. One of the worst things about it is the acting, with Holden failing to fulfil the criteria of a romantic lead and Hepburn coming across as nothing more than a bad actress.
Perhaps fearing they had a dud on their hands, producers throw a number of extra stars into the mix - Tony Curtis, Noel Coward, etc. - but they fail to make much of an impact, leaving Paris WHEN IT SIZZLES one of the flimsiest and most unsatisfying of all Hepburn movies.