Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Easily one of the greatest musicals ever made, and by far Julie Andrews best performance (although I have really enjoyed her other movies), Victor/Victoria centers around the character of young Victoria Grant, a poverty stricken singer trying to make it in 1930's Paris.Carole Todd meanwhile, is an aging gay cabaret performer who, after a disturbance, gets fired from his job at the Chez Louis, and is sitting at a restaurant drinking coffee when he meets Victoria, who is determined to get a decent meal...even if it means rotting in jail for being unable to pay her bill.These two down on their luck entertainers, finding they have a lot in common, quickly develop a friendship, and Todd (Robert Preston), who's financial situation is almost as bad as Victoria's gets an inspiration:To pass Victoria off as Count Grazinski, the world's greatest female impersonator.As he himself puts it:"With your voice, and my connections, you will be the toast of Paris, and we will both be very rich."With the help of prestigious agent Andre Cassel (John Rhys-Davies), the plan takes off like a rocket, and soon Todd's prediction comes true.But when handsome, dashing, business tycoon King Marchan (James Garner) visits Paris in the company of his girlfriend Norma (Lesley Ann Warren), and his bodyguard 'Squash' Bernstein (Alex Karras), and falls in love with Victoria in spite of the fact that he thinks she's a man, things begin to get complicated.The entire cast is great in this movie, the music and the script are outstanding, and the last scene is one the greatest in the history of musical comedies.A real triumph by director Blake Edwards.Originally, Review #134Posted On: October 8, 2011.

not exactly for its subject. but for the wise manner to use the ambiguity. for a form of refined eroticism. for the status of story about everything. ironic, seductive and... almost perfect. it is something obscure in its great charm. the humor, the songs, the relations between characters, the atmosphere are just parts of sketch. but the portrait is so complex , a web with small pieces, than it has the gift to be a different but the same in essence Cabaret. the show and the lives. the challenges and the lights who are the most useful protection for a too vulnerable truth. Julie Andrews is just great. but , not ignoring her impressive talent, she has the advantage of the right story who force her to do the best work in the admirable way. so, a provocative film.

People of this generation might not appreciate the fact that in 1982, the subject matter of this mainstream movie was fairly "adult"! In other words, mainstream movies featuring gay characters and gay lifestyles just weren't being made. So, the tolerance that the straight main characters show the gay characters seems "normal" now but wasn't the case back in the early 80s in American culture... (and honestly, I'm not sure gay characters lived so openly with one another as depicted in 1930s Paris...) This is one of those movies where the trailer is spectacular and really makes the movie look more brilliant than it is. In reality, it's a typically bloated Blake Edwards production which is about a half hour longer than it needs to be. The premise is delicious and easy to grasp, so why does it take... an HOUR for the romantic complication, King Marchand, to show up? And was it really necessary to spend so much time on the not-so-hidden double life that Victoria and King lead together once they finally become a couple? (for example, it was not necessary to spend several minutes of screen time on King picking a fight in a bar because he was feeling not so masculine) Robert Preston's performance in this movie is legendary and I have to agree he was dreadfully robbed at Oscar time. However, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I felt Lesley Anne Warren's performance was really quite overrated and grating (not in a good way).The screenplay makes some choices at the expense of others - for instance, having King discover fairly early on that Victoria is in fact a woman. (In truth... James Garner related in his memoir that he wanted King to NOT know if Victoria was female before kissing her, but the studio felt that no one would ever believe that manly James Garner could ever play a character potentially attracted to a man.) However, it's worth the early reveal, for the scene where King is breathlessly waiting to see if his hunch is true by watching Victoria get ready for her bath.A great premise that unfortunately didn't really perfectly "gel" as a story... but what the hell, it is a fun and delightful movie (loved Alex Karras the best!) Robert Preston's final number in drag is the the most fun scene I have watched in a long time.

It's 1934 Paris. Carole "Toddy" Todd (Robert Preston) is a gay cabaret singer. Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews) is struggling to get a singing job and faints from starvation. Toddy is thrown out of his latest gig after starting a fight that trashes the club. Toddy comes up with an idea. Victoria pretends to be a man to get a job singing as a female impersonator with Toddy as her/his manager. Grant takes on the alter ego of gay Polish Count Victor Grazinski who was disowned by his family. Grant impresses leading agent Andre Cassell (John Rhys-Davies). King Marchand (James Garner) is the most successful nightclub owner in Chicago who finds Victor/Victoria irresistible. His girlfriend Norma Cassady (Lesley Ann Warren) is a real wildcat.There are some fine comedy being played. There are some hilarious gags in the restaurant early on. Robert Preston plays a homosexual like a real person. Julie Andrews is her charming self and she plays a man with equal charm. Blake Edwards does some of his best work. It takes on some gender bending sex slapstick farce with such a deft touch. It's never mean-spirited and has such joyous fun. The key role is James Garner. He has to be a manly man but also has a believable sensitive side. He is definitely the man for the job. And Robert Preston has a hilarious song and dance at the end. There are some great funny moments.