Review of Roman Holiday (1953) by Andy G — 13 Aug 2009

I once chose Roman Holiday to write a ten page paper on. I thought I was unique. Turns out that half the class chose the same movie.

Ah yes, the Audrey effect.

Watching movies at home is always nice because you can multitask and watch at the same time. Leave the room and you can still at least hear what's going on. But whenever I watch a movie with Audrey Hepburn and leave the room, I always rewind, often back to parts I've already seen, because any second I'm not watching is a second that I might miss Audrey's radiant beauty. It's interesting; if I were talking about Angelina Jolie or Megan Fox, I would feel incredibly shallow. But because it is Audrey, someone universally acclaimed as elegantly beautiful, I just don't feel as bad.

Humor in most romantic comedies stems from the love interests being at odds with each other or having a good amount of playful bickering between the two characters. When Harry Met Sally, The Graduate, Adam's Rib, The Philadelphia Story, and my other classic Hollywood Rom Com fave, It Happened One Night... most of the humor stems from smarky comments and jabs at one another. Such is not the case with Roman Holiday, where the humor grows almost entirely out of the main characters' physical situations. Other elements, such as terrific third wheel Eddie Albert, the alluring European setting, and the fact that the movie has a lot of "chase" elements to it work perfectly in tune with Hepburn and Peck's cordial relationship. Such is why Roman Holiday is such an easy movie to fall in love with; rather than chastising the characters for their discord, viewers can focus on indulging in the relationship that ripens over the course of little more than a day. Good thing, too, for Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn make a phenomenal pair in this timeless romantic comedy.

It's very easy to see why Roman Holiday was included in the Top 5 of both AFI's Greatest Love Stories and Greatest Romantic Comedies lists. As far as I know, it practically started the "should I tell him/her who I really am" romance subgenre (a la Vertigo, The Graduate, and Aladdin), and it does so with a bang. One of my all-time faves.

"Looks like I'll have to move.".