This truly charming film is marred by the casting of Gary Cooper as Frank Flanagan, the roué who falls for the daughter of the private detective who is investigating him. A young Audrey Hepburn plays Ariane, the daughter and her infatuation with Flanagan reminded me of the girls' obsession with the sleazy pianist in "The World of Henry Orient." How could someone as creative as Billy Wilder be so tone-deaf about such an important casting decision? There certainly were enough younger male actors around who could have turned this film around (Jack Lemmon, perhaps?). To make it worse, Cooper is not only old, he looks like death warmed over. Too bad, this had the makings of an absolutely wonderful film.
Review of Love in the Afternoon
