Watch That Touch of Mink For Free

That was an excellent one.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

While going to receive her unemployment paycheck and to a job interview later, the coat of the naive Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) is splashed with mud by the Rolls Royce of the millionaire businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant). Later he sees her going to have lunch from his office and sends his financial adviser Roger (Gig Young) to give some money to Cathy to compensate her loss. Cathy feels offended with the offer and she goes to Philip's office with the intention of throwing the money on his face. However, when she sees the handsome Philip, she immediately falls in love with him. They date and Cathy expects that Philip proposes to marry her, but he does not have this intention. "That Touch of Mink" is a silly and naive but funny romantic comedy. The premise is dumb and is irritating to see Cathy buying expensive clothing and traveling to Bermudas with a playboy expecting to give nothing in return. But the comedy has many funny situations, like the just married couple in the motel or Roger being mistakenly taken as Philip in Cathy's apartment building. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Carícias de Luxo" ("Caresses of Luxury")

An out-of-work blonde beauty encounters a very wealthy diplomat and undergoes fears of re-loosing her virginity without the benefit of a wedding ring. It all starts when Cary Grant's car splatters Doris Day with mud, and his assistant Gig Young is drafted to apologize for him. Day demands that his boss apologize to her in person, but when she sees him, it is her doing the apologizing. Before she can break into "Que Sera Sera", he has her under her spell, and is making arrangements to fly her all over the world in an effort to seduce her. Day won't have any of that without a wedding ring and develops a rash in her nervous condition. Later, she tries to get over her fears by getting drunk before a planned seduction, but all she ends up with is an empty bottle used as a toe condom.In their only film together, Grant and Day make a good pair, but it is very apparent by a reference to Rock Hudson that Grant has taken over what may have been his part. As per usual in this period of his career, Grant gets a younger leading lady (Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Audrey Hepburn, and Leslie Caron were among the others), but his charm evaporates the age difference. There is a funny recurring gag involving Audrey Meadows (as Day's acerbic roommate) and Gig Young where Meadows, thinking that Young is the rogue out to deflower Ms. Day, keeps attacking him humorously, twice in a New York auto-mat (through the service window no less), and later in her apartment building. John Astin, as a sleazy unemployment center clerk, offers more laughs in his three scenes. "I've got TV dinners", he gleefully announces to the disgusted Ms. Day on their date. "We're having mackerel", he informs her before handing her a bottle of Muscatel. Meadows adds amusement in a role typical in most Doris Day films, having earlier been played by Eve Arden, Mary Wickes and Nancy Walker, and later by Rose Marie and Kaye Ballard on her TV series.An excellent screenplay, beautiful art direction and a stunning fashion show add to the film's charm. Ironically, this is one of the few films where Day does not sing at all, even over the credits.

For a romantic comedy, this is pretty sad. Debonair millionaire Cary Grant tries unsuccessfully to seduce virginal Doris Day before she manages to wrench a proposal of marriage from him. Gig Young is the neurotic sidekick. Audrey Meadows is the wisecracking room mate of Doris Day.It's said because, first, the whole plot belongs back in the buttoned-down 50s. Bad timing. Nineteen sixty-two was on the cusp. Between the time this was first greenlighted and the moment of its release, women began taking the pill.A little depressing, too, because both the leads are old enough to be past these sorts of games. Doris Day, still attractive and sexy, is filmed through a layer of Vaseline or something. Cary Grant was four years away from the end of a forty-four year career. This ought to be a movie about kids in their 20s.And, okay, Doris Day's original holotype, "Pillow Talk," was extremely amusing in its own obvious way and commercially successful. Rock Hudson showed his modest talent for comedy. Even the two sequels were amusing, although one of them was virtually a remake. But the formula had run dry by this time. And one feels embarrassed at having to conceive of Cary Grant as a substitute for Rock Hudson.When I say the formula had run dry, here's an example of what I mean. As in "Pillow Talk," the uber-handsome and wealthy hunk talks Doris Day into joining him for a bit of illicit sex but she outwits him in one way or another. Here, Grant takes her to Bermuda after showering her with a wardrobe from Bergdorff-Goodman. (What gal could resist?) She frustrates him by breaking out in a nervous rash. So far, so repetitious. But the writers can't think of what to do next, so they later have Day decide to really go THROUGH with it. She flies back to the hotel and begs Grant to join her. He shows up and she's drunk as a skunk -- falls out the window, in fact -- and no man of principle ever takes advantage of a woman who is drunk. Besides that, Doris Day is the worst drunk ever to appear on the screen. Her voice seems to have been dubbed for the sequence. There had been a Frustration Scene in all three prequels. Here, there are two, because nobody could think up anything else.Finally, the wisecracks, double entendres, and cross situations aren't as inventive or as funny as they think they are. Grant is in a taxi, grumbling about psychoanalysts and lunch, and blurts out something about "Freud's famous frankfurters." The camera holds on his face for a long time while the laughs that aren't there finally subside.The movie isn't without its moments. Gig Young takes the place of Tony Randall in the prequels and he's quite good as the goofy ex economics professor. He had a neat comic touch and had played a similar role in "Ask Any Girl" (1959) and "The Desk Set" (1957). Young gets the best lines.But it would have been best if they'd quit making "Doris Day Movies" after the first three, and if both the principals here had hung up their guns before working in this one.

Cathy Timberlake, a country girl looking for a job and Philip Shayne, a rich businessman meet in New York City after his Rolls Royce splashes her with mud.They fall for each other, but the only problem is she wants to get married and he has no interest in such a thing.That Touch of Mink (1962) is directed by Delbert Mann.The leading couple is something grand, for we have Doris Day and Cary Grant.They share some chemistry together.Gig Young does great job as Roger.Audrey Meadows is terrific as Connie Emerson.Alan Hewitt is great as Dr. Gruber.John Astin is quite hilarious as Mr. Everett Beasley.Portraying themselves are Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra.The movie has some fun moments.One of them is when Cathy is waiting for Philip in the hotel room and gets drunk.And the phone call for Beasley makes you chuckle.Roger's visit at the shrink is quite funny.This isn't a classic of romantic comedies, but Cary Grant and Doris Day make it work.