Made in Paris
A pretty fashion buyer visiting Paris on business is courted by a famous designer. Boris Sagal's 1966 romantic comedy stars Ann-Margret, Louis Jourdan, Richard Crenna, Chad Everett, Edie Adams, John McGiver, Reta Shaw and Count Basie.
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- Cast:
- Ann-Margret , Louis Jourdan , Richard Crenna , Edie Adams , Chad Everett , John McGiver , Marcel Dalio
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Reviews
Very Cool!!!
Good start, but then it gets ruined
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Looked at from a modern perspective this film is horrendously sexist and there is cause for about a half dozen sexual harassment suits within the first fifteen minutes of the movie. But if looked at as a product of its time it's a bright fluffy colorful comedy with a stunning Ann-Margret and for anyone who is a fan of fashion a real eye candy treat. The film is loaded with high fashion sixties designs and has a fashion show smack dab in the middle. There is also a very fun number of You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night (Or You Can't See Mama At All) performed by A-M and a dolled up Reta Shaw. A nice surprise for Miss Shaw's fans since she usually was cast as maids and crotchety spinster ladies, it's great to see her frisky and animated singing a spirited version of the tune.As for the actual plot of the picture it boils down to sensible girl gets a chance to go to Paris and make a big impression at work but ends up turning into a dithery fool whose head is turned every which way by various men.
Made In Paris is not referring to something that happens to Ann-Margret while in Paris. Not that there aren't three men willing to take on that assignment. No in fact it refers to Ann-Margret's first assignment taking over as a department store buyer in place of Edie Adams who is going to get married. No Ann's in Paris to get designer clothing for her store with that all important label in the fashion industry.The three men in her life are designer Louis Jourdan, reporter Richard Crenna and the son of the store owner Chad Everett. Jourdan and Everett are in heat over her, Crenna just sits back and offers cynical comments hoping the other two kill each other off.Ann-Margret was just a wee bit too innocent for this comedy with pretensions of sophistication. Not the best films for any of her leading man for that matter either. But entertaining and pleasant enough for a Saturday afternoon.
One of the series of mediocre films that saw Ann-Margret's film career stagnate until 'Carnal Knowledge', 'Made In Paris' looks great, has a decent cast and should be at the very least a harmless timewaster. But it's not even that.What really sinks it is (as other reviews here have noted) how badly written Ann-Margret's character is, going from prim and naive to a wildcat with no rhyme or reason.I think this is because the film was trying to have its cake and eat it too in trying to represent both the more permissive culture that was developing in mid-1960s America (even though this is mainly set in Paris), while dealing with the restrictions of the conservative Hays Code, then in its dying days. Unfortunately, the script and direction aren't good enough to overcome this contradiction and the film is a largely dreary mess.Ann-Margret is largely sunk by the horribly-written character she's saddled with. But she does display her skills during a fun dance number and provides some entertainment when briefly showing her 'wild side'.Of the rest of the cast, Crenna comes off best with a role that you wish had been more substantial. Everett is dull and Adams is wasted in a nothing role that is even more poorly-scripted than Ann-Margret's is.Only for die-hard Ann-Margret fans.
'Made in Paris' was just another flop (film-critical wise) in Ann-Margret's film career, which had started off extremely successful with 'Bye Bye Birdie' and Elvis' most entertaining movie 'Viva Las Vegas' and then kind of took a wrong turn with 'Kitten with a Whip', which she, or better her managers, took instead of 'Cat Ballou'. It was a good movie but a critical disaster. One could say the only really good movie of her early career was 'The Cincinnati Kid', although her presence makes everyone of her films quite a pleasure to watch, even 'The Swinger'.Yes, this 'romantic comedy' here is not bad. Unfortunately I would have to lie to say it was good. You'll not be harmed by watching it but don't expect The Godfather, though. Despite being a "comedy" the film is not very funny, except maybe for Richard Crenna, who gives the best acting performance here and has the best lines (relatively speaking, this is not Woody Allen quality). Jourdan does his usual French sophisticated charm routine and he and the other supporting players are all quite good.Of course the simple romantic story was nothing spectacular. The highlight is, as you probably expected, the No. 1 sex kitten of the Sixties, a woman I can easily call the quintessential American beauty and sex symbol of her time and perhaps even all: Ann's sexy dance numbers are energetic, she's a fine dancer and the outfits are well-chosen, showing just enough of cleavage and legs. And that's about it. No surprise: She looks absolutely stunning here and if you happen to be unmoved by her looks, you should NEVER watch it. If you're an Ann-Margret fan, you should definitely give this one a try. Her acting is quite fine (although there's not enough character in the screenplay that could allow a great performance), and her unbelievable charisma and screen presence make this a very watchable movie in the end. Watch it for her and nothing else.