Rob is constantly being bombarded by people telling him “you haven’t seen ____? You gotta check it out.” Or hearing critics rave “this movie is a classic, a must see.” So Rob decided that from now on every time he actually watches one of these flicks, he’ll give us his take on whether the film will live up to the hype or fall short.
So, what’s the deal with Breakfast at Tiffany’s?
I have always heard of Audrey Hepburn’s charm as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. When I began watching the film, I thought I would be swept away instantly by an intoxicating performance, but that wasn’t exactly what happened. At first, I didn’t like her character all that much. I didn’t mind that she entertained men for cash or that she was very self-involved. What I didn’t care for was the fact that she was trying to marry for money. I thought this was a huge character flaw and initially turned me away from her.
To make things worse, Holly had a person who did genuinely like her. She was just wrapped up in her own self to realize what that could mean for her. It frustrated me that she could spend what appeared to be a great day with him in one scene and then turn around and say she was trying to meet up with a man she didn’t care for because he had money in the next scene. Although I do suppose this is an interesting take on the romantic comedy, it really put a conflicting duality on her character for me. Despite feeling this way about Holly Golightly, I did find myself drawn to her character. I really disapproved of a lot of her choices, but then a scene would come along (like the one where she sings Moon River) and it makes it easy to see past these flaws.
It also helps the viewer to understand why George Peppard’s character could fall for her. The whole thing made the story very compelling to watch. The only part of the movie that I thought was out of place (besides Mickey Rooney’s Looney Tune-esc Asian character) was when you find out about Holly’s past. I felt this scene didn’t really add anything directly to the film (like the bicycle scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and made me question again how I really felt about Holly’s character. I wish that the film would have just eluded to certain things about her past and made her seem mysterious rather than actually give me a back story I wasn’t fond of. Overall, I can see why Audrey Hepburn’s role and the film are both so iconic. She is a relatable character that, even though she’s goes about it in a less than desirable way, just wants the best things out of life. I think this is something everyone is after.
