Often a lot of fun, but also often really annoying. The fun is more prevalent, but the bad stuff tends to weigh the good stuff down, so that, in the end, my feelings about it are leaning more towards the negative. It's a goofy late 60s look at the 1920s and the flapper fad. Julie Andrews stars as the title character, who dresses in the style of the day, which is sort of mannish (she hates that she isn't flat-chested, because her long pearl necklace is distorted by her breasts). Andrews is awesome, as always. She's so much fun, and she's so beautiful in an odd and intriguing way. Mary Tyler Moore plays a woman who has come to New York to pursue an acting career. When the proprietor of the boarding house in which they live finds out Moore is an orphan, she attempts to abduct her and sell her into prostitution in China. This is a big subplot in the film, and it doesn't work at all. The Chinese are depicted in a very hateful manner in the film, and I would imagine it would even be offensive in 1967.
The romantic plot is where the film more or less succeeds. Millie wants to find herself a single boss so she can hook up with him and be married. Unfortunately, her boss (John Gavin), thinks of Millie as a man (which she misses at first) and he falls in love with the more girlish Moore instead. Meanwhile, another guy is courting Millie, a dorky guy named Jimmy (James Fox). One big part of the film that annoys much more than it pleases is Carol Channing's obnoxious role as a playgirl millionairess. It's hard to believe that she was nominated for an Oscar for this painful performance. There is a ton of silly humor, some of which doesn't, some of which does. The film begins as a musical, and there are a couple of great musical numbers near the beginning, but it's almost as if this part of the movie is completely dropped in favor of broad, campy humor. Thoroughly Modern Millie has so much going for it, it's sad that it fails in the end. It's especially sad for Julie Andrews, as this might have been remembered alongside The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins as one of her signature roles. 6/10.
The romantic plot is where the film more or less succeeds. Millie wants to find herself a single boss so she can hook up with him and be married. Unfortunately, her boss (John Gavin), thinks of Millie as a man (which she misses at first) and he falls in love with the more girlish Moore instead. Meanwhile, another guy is courting Millie, a dorky guy named Jimmy (James Fox). One big part of the film that annoys much more than it pleases is Carol Channing's obnoxious role as a playgirl millionairess. It's hard to believe that she was nominated for an Oscar for this painful performance. There is a ton of silly humor, some of which doesn't, some of which does. The film begins as a musical, and there are a couple of great musical numbers near the beginning, but it's almost as if this part of the movie is completely dropped in favor of broad, campy humor. Thoroughly Modern Millie has so much going for it, it's sad that it fails in the end. It's especially sad for Julie Andrews, as this might have been remembered alongside The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins as one of her signature roles. 6/10.