Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!"

1961 NR / Comedy Romance Directed by: Blake Edwards Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal

Tagline

Audrey Hepburn plays that daring, darling Holly Golightly to a new high in entertainment delight!

Summary Capsule

A commitment-frightened woman and a male prostitute sort out life, cats, and kleptomania together

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DVD | Soundtrack

Justin's Rating: A-
Justin's Review: A very common theme in romances is the plight of lonely people, and how they're pretty much everywhere in society. High or low, rich or poor, Rebel or Imperial, to be lonely is to share a struggle in common with so many others. Romance flicks are grasped as live preservers to the lonely, because they're all about hope. Hope that there's someone out there for you. Hope that your life won't always be lonely. Hope in that you're not alone being alone. Ironic, eh?

"During this movie I became very attracted to Audrey, who is now suffering from a mild case of death."

Breakfast At Tiffany's is a sweet, highly quirky comedy that deals with two unfulfilled people and their loneliness. Set in the rippin' 60's, we meet two similar individuals leading shallow lives. Holly (Audrey Hepburn) has an empty apartment, dates guys for cash, refuses to name her cat because she doesn't want an attachment, and throws meaningless parties. Oh, and she sometimes brings her breakfast to the windows of Tiffany's, to look in on the "good life" of riches and diamonds. Paul (George Peppard) is a failed novelist who lives with an older lady who's his sugar momma. Both are lonely, both have bottomed out but are refusing to acknowledge that. It's an incredibly depressing setup... until the two meet and the banter flies. Paul sees a soulmate in Holly and pursues her, but Holly lives in such denial that she refuses even the possibility of a relationship. She's flighty, funny and ruthlessly distant from the world; Paul's savage, biting and dedicated to bringing her back to the realm of humanity.

I went to see this for the first time in 1997 at college. Joining me was my good girl (space) friend, Jill. As we watched Audrey Hepburn, she said to me, and I quote, "I want to be just like her." "Why?" I asked. "Is it better to be a psycho woman who can't commit to her cat, let alone a man, but can throw some swinging parties?"

This worries me, along with the fact that during this movie I became very attracted to Audrey, who is now suffering from a mild case of death. She has the eyes, the seductive ways, the charming impulsive personality. And, surprisingly, it makes me want her and loathe her at the same time. Breakfast At Tiffany's has a long, bothersome plot which mainly revolves around the fact that Audrey is a big flirt and can drive men to suicide. It's also as funny as anything, which is a lot considering it came from the same generation that produced such classics as Beach Blanket Bingo.

I put this on my very short list of must-see romances, simply because it rings more true than most movies. This girl can't make up her mind and plays mind games with everyone. This guy is used, abused, and still holds a substantial amount of his personality to survive. And there's the cat. Mickey Rooney has a great (if racist) part, playing a Chinese photographer who reminds me of my oriental food delivery guy. See it, understand it, and don't trust women who can't name their cats.

Sleep, gentle hippie Mmmm... yummy shoulder action "The name's Bond. James Bond. And this is wife, my wife."

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Holly's "couch" is really an old-fashioned bathtub split in half; in some scenes, you can still see the gold handles at one end and the legs on the bottom.
• The song "Moon River" was written especially for Audrey Hepburn, since she had no training as a singer. The vocals were written to be sung in only one octave.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

No.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

John Frankenheimer was hired to shoot the film with Marilyn Monroe. When the producers suddenly moved to Switzerland and Audrey Hepburn replaced Monroe, she said she had never heard of Frankenheimer and insisted that he be paid off and another director be hired.

Tiffany's opened its doors on a Sunday for the first time since the 19th century so that filming could take place inside the store.

Audrey Hepburn hated Danish pastries, making filming the famous opening scene a bit of a chore for her.

Hepburn said the scene where she throws Cat into the rainy street was the most distasteful thing she ever had to do on film.

Elements of Holly's character in the original novel; such as her flirtation with bisexuality -- were omitted to make the part more suitable for Audrey Hepburn.

Peppard was a student of "Method acting," a style Hepburn found difficult to work with. Nonetheless, the two actors remained close friends until her death.

Groovy Quotes

Holly: He's alright! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob wothout a name! The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's.
Paul: Tiffany's? You mean the jewelry store.
Holly: That's right. I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!

Holly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul: Sure.
Holly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away.

Mag: You know what's gonna happen to you? I am gonna march you over to the zoo and feed you to the yak.

Holly: I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.

Holly: Oh, golly gee damn!

Holly: I'll tell you one thing, Fred, darling... I'd marry you for your money in a minute. Would you marry me for my money?
Paul: In a minute.
Holly: I guess it's pretty lucky neither of us is rich, huh?
Paul: Yeah.

Holly: Did I tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?
Paul: Yes.

Holly: It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two.

Paul: They're not the kind of stories you can really tell.
Holly: Too dirty?
Paul: Yeah, I suppose they're dirty, too, but only incidentally. Mainly they're angry, sensitive, intensely felt, and that dirtiest of all dirty words - promising. Or so said The Times Book Review, October 1, 1956.

Soundtrack Review

The featured song, "Moon River" is supposedly this great song that won an award and is in every Academy Awards program since the early 70's, but I really don't get the hoohah.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• The Cutting Edge
• Austin Powers