Review of Funny Face (1932) by Trevor R — 12 Apr 2013

In a world without laws, contracts, or logic comes... "Funny Face." Audrey Hepburn is absolutely delightful, but she's saddled with one of the most ridiculous scripts I've ever come across. Aside from the laughable conceit that Hepburn indeed has the titular 'funny face' (Seriously, everyone keeps singing about how odd she looks), this is just about the most implausible love story imaginable, only moving forward because of the hypocritical words and actions of a super creepy lead male. The only reason we don't notice at first is because the guy is Fred Astaire--one of the most wonderfully talented movie stars of all time-- and he artfully distract us from his eye-rolling sexism through grace and charm.

The message of the film is that celebrity and glamor is superior to intellectualism and independent thought, fashion superior to reading, and that it's a woman's sole purpose to look pretty for her man. I kept waiting for the ironic, satirical twist, but it never comes. "Funny Face" is totally straight-faced when it comes to its misogyny. Coupled with a preposterously contrived scene of attempted rape (yup), and you've got a movie that feels dangerously close to anti-women's rights propaganda. It's a shame, because the film is beautifully photographed and the musical sequences are superb. Save yourself some time and just look up Audrey's enchanting dance in the Paris bar on YouTube.