Review of Irma la Douce (1963) by Walter M — 19 Jul 2006

[font=Century Gothic]In "Irma La Douce", the title character(Shirley MacLaine) is a prostitute working the streets in a Parisian neighborhood under the thumb of a particularly violent pimp, Hippolyte(Bruce Yarnell). Things are generally rosy for Hippolyte and his fellow pimps. They hang out all night at a bistro while their women earn money for them. They pay off the cops to look the other way and the police oblige, only occasionally making the token bust. However, one day, an honest, naive cop, Nestor Patou(Jack Lemmon), is transferred to the neighborhood. Noticing the place is rife with prostitutes, he calls in a raid on the local cathouse, the Hotel Casanova. His boss(Herschel Bernardi) is caught in the raid and is none too amused, promptly firing Nestor who retires to the bistro to drown his sorrows...[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]"Irma La Douce" is an inspired, daft and very, very funny farce that occasionally is too silly for its own good. It is helped immensely by the performances of its two stars(and a special mention for Ms. MacLaine's hips...) and Lou Jacobi nearly steals it out from under them.[/font].