Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

wes-connors Parisian prostitute Shirley MacLaine (as Irma La Douce) does a brisk business. She acts demure, wears sexy green outfits and carries a little pooch named "Coquette". After her clients pay, Ms. MacLaine specializes in sob stories that elicit a tip. Handy hotels, a friendly barroom and "on the take" police make it a happy situation for the streetwalkers and their partners. Suddenly, the successful sex trade is dealt an arresting blow. Honest policeman Jack Lemmon (as Nestor "Tiger" Patou) is put on patrol. Initially unaware of the sex action, Mr. Lemmon informs MacLaine her dress in unbuttoned. When he sees all the women in provocatively slit dresses and low-cut tops, Lemmon realizes they are hookers...Attracted to MacLaine, Lemmon gets into a fight with her pimp, brawny Bruce Yarnell (as Hippolyte), and gets lucky. Lemmon surprisingly inheriting Mr. Yarnell's position. Since he really loves MacLaine, Lemmon invents the British secret identity "Lord X" and proceeds to buy up all MacLaine's bedtime. The madcap situation leads to fun and tragedy...From director-writer-producer Billy Wilder, this story is derived from a French musical, with the songs dropped. It's obviously not as good as Mr. Wilder's other works, being too slow and lacking in laughs. Lemmon undressing for MacLaine and later donning her ex's jacket and brown derby are comic highlights. The original idea to cast Marilyn Monroe might have produced something more interesting, had the recently deceased actress overcome her addictions (the songs would have been included for Ms. Monroe, of course). MacLaine is sexy, smart and chain-smokes. The photography by Joseph La Shelle and art direction by Alexander Trauner are strengths. Casual sex is celebrated and paid for, but never shown.***** Irma la Douce (6/5/63) Billy Wilder ~ Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Bruce Yarnell, Lou Jacobi

MissSimonetta I love Billy Wilder, but boy is Irma la Douce a mess...The biggest issues are the length and the confused tone. This film should have been an hour and forty-five minutes tops; two and a half hours with few laughs or charm to offer the audience is just torture. And then there is the issue of the tone. The film does not know what it is: a sexual farce? A romantic comedy? A romantic dramedy? I don't know, and I don't believe the movie knows either! The first hour is full of good things: MacLaine and Lemmon have chemistry and while none of the comedy is particularly hilarious, it is witty and fun for what it is. But the moment we get to the second hour, Lemmon's characterization changes in a most improbable manner and the "funny" parts all fall flat. And did I mention the unnecessarily long run time? The one saving grace of the picture is MacLaine's performance as the titular prostitute, whose lust for life equals her sense of world weariness and soulful poignancy.It's worth one viewing, but it's hard to recommend it to anyone outside of the Wilder, Lemmon, or MacLaine fan base.

JasparLamarCrabb Coming on the heels of the multi-Oscar winning THE APARTMENT and the hyperactive cold war comedy ONE, TWO, THREE, IRMA LA DOUCE, with its story of a Parisian prostitute & the gendarme bent on rehabilitating her, would appear to be the ideal project for director Billy Wilder. It's spicy, walks a fine line between good & bad taste and stars Jack Lemmon & Shirley MacLaine. It's not a great movie, but it is very good. It's chief virtue is the audacious performance of MacLaine. She's a hooker with anything but a heart of gold. As with THE APARTMENT, she's well matched with Lemmon, essentially playing two roles and playing them very well. Wilder and co-writer I.A.L. Diamond populate the film with quite a number of memorable sex jokes. The high gloss cinematography by Joseph LaShelle is great as is the very stylized art direction by Alexandre Trauner. The supporting cast features Lou Jacobi, Herschel Bernardi, Wilder regular Joan Shawlee and, somewhere in there, the great French actor Moustache.

Syl This film was written and directed by genius, Billy Wilder. This film is not one of his finest but it's worth watching with Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine in it. Shirley plays the title role of a Parisian street walker with a poodle named Coquette who has kidney stones and drinks a little. Anyway, Lemmon's played Nestor, an honest policeman who raids the Hotel Casanova. While he thinks he will get a medal, his boss fires him for the raid. Anyway, the film is about prostitution in a light-hearted manner even in the 1960s. Irma invites Nestor to come and stay with her since he's jobless and homeless in her apartment. Anyway, Irma likes the color green and even wears green stockings. There is a lot of humor in this film if you watch all of it. Lou Jacobi is wonderful as the Mustache who helps Nestor land his dream girl.