Review of Irma la Douce (1963) by Michael Y — 09 Aug 2011

I would have liked it a bit more if it didn't get eccentricly silly further down the line, but Irma la Douce is another hilarious Billy Wilder movie with the return of the winning team of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.

Down the wrong side of Paris wrong becomes the norm and everyone likes it that way. When a good cop is transfered to this side of town he is shocked and tries to change things, which tragically leads to his dismissal of his badge. So who takes him in? The town that humiliated him as he earns respect amoungst the pimps, and he even falls in love with a streetwalker. But when your girlfriend's profession is sleeping with other men, jealousy and drama will follow. Though not as dramatic and thought provoking as when we last saw Lemmon and MacLaine in The Apartment, the story of Irma la Douce is full of hilarious jokes, wonderful slapstick and Wilder's special twinkle. There's always a line between right and wrong and finding the right in the wrong with Wilder's movies, and sometimes I don't like it, especially when it tries to pointlessly lighten the mood. But what I love about Irma le Douce is that the plot just keeps going and going and going. It is nearly 2 1/2 hours long and it uses every moment of it. Just when you think there's nowhere to go, something unfortunate and rediculous happens to the characters and the try to fix it. This movie is a pretty thurough comedy that is delightful, hilarious and a little bit of drama on the side as well.

Billy Wilder sets his Paris exterior in a cartoonish but very detailed set where everyone is close to eachother and everyone knows one another. The main set pieces being the bar and Irma's room. Both look very well constructed and used very well in scenes. But I especially like the bar scenes when used because there is always something different and intereseting going on. And when Jack Lemmon gets in a fight with Bruce Yarnell then the set is really used in wonderful slapstick fashion. Wilder's great cinematography is very recognizable in this movie with great uses of camera angles and lighting. Not particularly his best, but wonderfully creative for a comedy.

Jack Lemmon once again gives a brilliantly hilarious performance as always and Shirley MacLaine, once again, gives a shining, sweet and wonderful performance as the prostitute with a heart of gold. Irma la Douce is definitely not one of Wilder's better known movies, but that just means it'll be a pleasant surprise when you watch it.