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Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Easily one of the greatest musicals ever made, and by far Julie Andrews best performance (although I have really enjoyed her other movies), Victor/Victoria centers around the character of young Victoria Grant, a poverty stricken singer trying to make it in 1930's Paris.Carole Todd meanwhile, is an aging gay cabaret performer who, after a disturbance, gets fired from his job at the Chez Louis, and is sitting at a restaurant drinking coffee when he meets Victoria, who is determined to get a decent meal...even if it means rotting in jail for being unable to pay her bill.These two down on their luck entertainers, finding they have a lot in common, quickly develop a friendship, and Todd (Robert Preston), who's financial situation is almost as bad as Victoria's gets an inspiration:To pass Victoria off as Count Grazinski, the world's greatest female impersonator.As he himself puts it:"With your voice, and my connections, you will be the toast of Paris, and we will both be very rich."With the help of prestigious agent Andre Cassel (John Rhys-Davies), the plan takes off like a rocket, and soon Todd's prediction comes true.But when handsome, dashing, business tycoon King Marchan (James Garner) visits Paris in the company of his girlfriend Norma (Lesley Ann Warren), and his bodyguard 'Squash' Bernstein (Alex Karras), and falls in love with Victoria in spite of the fact that he thinks she's a man, things begin to get complicated.The entire cast is great in this movie, the music and the script are outstanding, and the last scene is one the greatest in the history of musical comedies.A real triumph by director Blake Edwards.Originally, Review #134Posted On: October 8, 2011.

A down on her luck singer (Julie Andrews) in 1930s Paris suddenly hits the big time when she is advised by a gay cabaret performer (Robert Preston) to become a female impersonator. However, then having to also be a man pretending to be a woman adds its own set of complications, especially as she starts being wooed by night club owner King Marchand (James Garner), himself on the run from the Chicago mob.Funny, catchy and even a little portent-giving, Edwards' LGBT musical comedy is a true treat, and one of the man's finest hours as a director and writer. Leading the charge is an absolutely magnetic lead in Andrews, who reminds us why she was one of the great talents of her generation, deftly balancing comedy and drama while proving her singing chops, having to adopt a slightly masculine bass a number of times.That in turn brings us to the cheeky yet peppy songs by maestro Henry Mancini, which cover a nice variety of different styles with the highlight being the flamenco-spired 'Shady Dame From Seville' and often squeeze a good chuckle or nine in for good measure. Of course, the film's biggest ace is its smart and witty script, which offered a far more balanced look at homosexuality years than was considered even an acceptable thought at the time (especially given how close this was to things like the AIDS scare), as well as rather compelling gender satire that pokes fun at our constructs of what is masculine versus feminine and milks them for all they're worth. And of course, being an Edwards production there is some gut busting slapstick on display too, especially concerning the mob.Really, do I need to say more? Great people made a great movie about a great subject. Yeah, didn't think so. Just go see the damn thing.

People of this generation might not appreciate the fact that in 1982, the subject matter of this mainstream movie was fairly "adult"! In other words, mainstream movies featuring gay characters and gay lifestyles just weren't being made. So, the tolerance that the straight main characters show the gay characters seems "normal" now but wasn't the case back in the early 80s in American culture... (and honestly, I'm not sure gay characters lived so openly with one another as depicted in 1930s Paris...) This is one of those movies where the trailer is spectacular and really makes the movie look more brilliant than it is. In reality, it's a typically bloated Blake Edwards production which is about a half hour longer than it needs to be. The premise is delicious and easy to grasp, so why does it take... an HOUR for the romantic complication, King Marchand, to show up? And was it really necessary to spend so much time on the not-so-hidden double life that Victoria and King lead together once they finally become a couple? (for example, it was not necessary to spend several minutes of screen time on King picking a fight in a bar because he was feeling not so masculine) Robert Preston's performance in this movie is legendary and I have to agree he was dreadfully robbed at Oscar time. However, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I felt Lesley Anne Warren's performance was really quite overrated and grating (not in a good way).The screenplay makes some choices at the expense of others - for instance, having King discover fairly early on that Victoria is in fact a woman. (In truth... James Garner related in his memoir that he wanted King to NOT know if Victoria was female before kissing her, but the studio felt that no one would ever believe that manly James Garner could ever play a character potentially attracted to a man.) However, it's worth the early reveal, for the scene where King is breathlessly waiting to see if his hunch is true by watching Victoria get ready for her bath.A great premise that unfortunately didn't really perfectly "gel" as a story... but what the hell, it is a fun and delightful movie (loved Alex Karras the best!) Robert Preston's final number in drag is the the most fun scene I have watched in a long time.

Julie Andrews plays an out of work starving artist. However, when she meets a gay man (Robert Preston), he convinces her to fake being a cross-dresser and then she'll hit it big. This turns out to be true but also creates serious problems in regard to her love life.I read through the many very positive reviews for "Victor Victoria" and felt a bit lost. In some ways I wondered exactly what they saw in this film. I mean that "Victor Victoria" was kind of cute and enjoyable--but not much more. Perhaps the earlier versions would might have been a bit better.Although the film is set in France in the 1930s, you might no know that by listening to everyone. James Garner, Julie Andrews and Robert Preston are the leads....and are not exactly French. No one sounded or looked French. I wonder what French folks think when they see films like this... Also, while I know that the film is about a cross-dressing cabaret singer, I STILL felt that there were too many musical numbers. They tended to slow the film down and deflected the comedy. However, overall it's still an enjoyable little comedy that is a bit better than a time-passer.I know I am the odd reviewer here, but I just didn't see this as a really funny film nor did it seem all that special--especially with it coming out the same time as a better cross-dressing film, "Tootsie".