I’m not really much of an Audrey Hepburn fan, to be perfectly honest. What?! Say it ain’t so! Oh, it’s so. I once had someone forego the usual “What’s your favorite movie” question (always impossible to answer!) for a better one. “What popular movie do you dislike?” My answer? Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Don’t hate me. It’s partially Audrey’s character (and a little bit just Audrey), partly the slap-you-in-the-face-with-symbolism, and maybe just all of the hype surrounding the movie. But to be fair, there are a select few Audrey movies I unabashedly enjoy. Sabrina is one of them.

Sabrina Fairchild grew up in a somewhat lonely existence with her chauffeur father on the expansive estate of the Larabee family- a big business American family with two sons Sabrina finds immensely interesting. As she comes of age, she had already developed an intense crush on the younger Larrabee son, David (William Holden), but can only watch from a distance as he makes love, and consequently weds, one girl after another. Her  father sends her away to cooking school in Paris, hoping she will grow up a bit while she’s gone, forget her hopeless crush, and gain a useful skill for someone of her station. In Paris, she makes friends with an old baron who makes her his pet project, and returns her to America with trunks of glamorous French clothes, a new fashionable hair style, and loads of sophistication. She’s still in love with David. But this time she might have a chance.

Elated over David’s sudden attention to her, Sabrina thinks her girlish dreams might have a chance of coming true, after he breaks off his engagement, of course. But her father fears David isn’t serious about Sabrina, and the older Larrabee brother, Linus (Humphrey Bogart), is worried about maintaining an important business alliance that would be formed with David’s marriage- enough for Linus to try to make Sabrina fall in love with him, to keep her away from David. So while Sabrina’s head stays in the clouds of her romantic whims, she’s actually being strung along for the ride- just a pawn for the two Larrabee brothers’ game. And she’s finding herself quite confused. Which brother is it that she loves? And do either of them love her in return?

So why do I love this movie so much? The cast is varied and each actor plays very well against the others- even despite the age gap between Hepburn and Bogart. The storyline is engaging, the characters are more complex than you’ll find in an average romcom, and the omniscient point of view the audience is given really enhances the tension that Hepburn already makes quite palpable as her character develops through the film. You’ll find a delightful amount of humor and wit sprinkled through the whole movie, without any silly scenes, or cringe-worthy shtick. It’s no surprise that Billy Wilder (a favorite of mine) directed and worked with playwright Samuel Taylor to adapt the story to film, because it’s done quite wonderfully and stands on its own as a memorable, endearing film that far outshines the 1995 version in every way.

Watch Sabrina instantly here (free for Amazon Prime members).

As a child, I enjoyed watching The Pink Panther cartoons on Saturday mornings, but was surprised to one day discover that the animated series was actually derived from the open credits of a series of spy-spoof movies. I watched the Peter Sellers Pink Panther movie series a long time ago, and remember being mildly amused by the bumbling pseudo-French police inspector. So recently I thought I would revisit The Pink Panther movies, beginning with A Shot in the Dark.

The Pink Panther series feature Peter Sellers in what is perhaps his most famous role- that of French police inspector Jacques Clouseau. Clouseau is quite the silly character, taking himself very seriously as a detective, though he fumbles and complicates situations at every turn. His character is also subject to running jokes, like everyone’s inability to understand the words he’s actually saying, or the way he infuriates the police chief with his incompetence, though managing somehow to catch the criminal in the end.

A Shot in the Dark begins with, well, you guessed it! A shot in the dark. A prominent citizen is murdered in his home, and much to the police chief’s dismay, Clouseau is assigned to the scene. The lovely maid, Maria Gambrelli, is found holding the smoking gun in her hands, but what should be a cut-and-dry case is turned into a police spectacle, as Clouseau simply can’t believe such a beautiful woman could be capable of doing a murder.

The plot doesn’t really develop much beyond the absurd romance between Clouseau and Maria, or the mysterious gloved murderer who follows them around. But as the story races from scene to scene, it manages to slow down quite a bit for silly interludes which heavily mock the spa genre- such as a Clouseau’s arrest for going undercover as a balloon salesman without a vendor’s license, or his inability to properly synchronize his watch with his fellow detective.

I guess you should be warned that The Pink Panther series can be overwhelmingly goofy at times, is often a bit crass, but is definitely entertaining. I appreciate the somewhat slap-stick style humor mixed in with dry wit and ’60s spoofiness. (Spoofiness is really the best word for it- trust me!) If you’re not one to enjoy a silly ’60s comedic spoof, this might not be for you. But if you’re new to the genre, I say, give the series a try!

Every year, Robert Talbot (Rock Hudson) looks forward to spending a month at his Italian villa. Waiting for him there is peace and quiet and a beautiful Italian woman (Gina Lollobrigida) who showers him with love. But this year, instead of traveling in September, he shows up in Italy two months early to find that the villa’s staff has been running his September home as a hotel when he’s in America. Robert’s precious villa is booked with American tourists with spying eyes, when all he wants is some alone time with Lisa, his Italian lover.

The villa is full of giggling high school girls who, along with their strict chaperone, are far too interested in Lisa and Robert’s love life. The two can’t seem to be alone any more, and after the chaperone lands herself in the hospital, Lisa becomes more interesting in taking care of the girls than giving into Robert’s once-a-year romantic whims.

When a group of American boys start after the girls who are staying at the villa, Robert’s protective streak kicks in and he takes it upon himself to make sure no hanky-panky happens at his villa, or elsewhere. The problem is, Lisa, his Italian girlfriend, also starts taking Robert’s advice and won’t give into his romantic pleas, unless Robert is ready to talk about marriage.

Come September is a really fun and visually entertaining movie. The cast is perfect for a 1960s romantic comedy- no heavy hitting actors here, but nothing cringe-worthy either. Bobby Darin makes his film debut in this movie, marrying his costar Sandra Dee after shooting wrapped. With those two, you know you’re in for some wholesome entertainment. The movie offers great costumes, a quirky and well-paced plot, excellent song and dance performances (in just a couple of scenes), and really delicious early ’60s style. I definitely recommend it for a light movie night with friends or a beau.