Perhaps it's the title that indicates that this is going to be a lousy film, but maybe it's also a metaphor or a case of irony because the movie actor and writer and director that Henry Fonda plays knows nothing about women and treats them like a character in one of his movies, particularly starlett Leslie Carone whom he makes one of the greatest stars in the world and marries. A star is not born in this fiasco from 20th Century Fox, a pretentious and phony story of life behind the scenes, dealing with characters that the audience doesn't like from the start. Fonda and Caron has absolutely no spark, and she lacks the charisma that made her so charming in "An American in Paris", "Lilli" and "Gigi". It is absolutely not her fault. That belongs to Nunnally Johnson who forces her down the fewer throats, and gives them no choice but to try to swallow her.
The character that Henry Fonda plays certainly is no matinee idol, and I would call this his absolute worst performance and film. The only thing of interest is that he mentions Katharine Hepburn whom he would apparently not meet in real life for another 20 years when they made "On Golden Pond". Cesare Danova plays a French lothario who romances Caron while she is on the outs with her husband, and once again, there is no sparkle. The film is overly produced and egocentric in many ways, giving the impression that the people behind the scenes had far more confidence in this then what would end up being presented on the screen. It's one of those big films that just lays there like a big huge blob, like a big French dessert that looks good on the surface but unsettles the stomach. The only things that the characters in this film understand how to do is how to bore the audience.
The character that Henry Fonda plays certainly is no matinee idol, and I would call this his absolute worst performance and film. The only thing of interest is that he mentions Katharine Hepburn whom he would apparently not meet in real life for another 20 years when they made "On Golden Pond". Cesare Danova plays a French lothario who romances Caron while she is on the outs with her husband, and once again, there is no sparkle. The film is overly produced and egocentric in many ways, giving the impression that the people behind the scenes had far more confidence in this then what would end up being presented on the screen. It's one of those big films that just lays there like a big huge blob, like a big French dessert that looks good on the surface but unsettles the stomach. The only things that the characters in this film understand how to do is how to bore the audience.