cac43-1
This is the best holiday movie ever made; although US made, its humor is far more in the British vein. Van Dyke plays his role perfectly, and Dame Edith Evans is a delight. Barbara Feldon's wardrobe and hairstyle are so quintessential 1960's that the movie should be a requirement for any student of style or fashion. The supporting cast sports a large number of familiar faces (e.g., John McGiver), and you can see a very young Sam Waterston in what must be one of his first movie roles. Best of all, this is truly a family movie that all but the smallest children and the most jaded of adults will enjoy. The only reason I gave this a 9 out of 10 is because it is truly a movie and not a film.
bonniemurrell
This was a very cute movie. One of Dick Van Dyke's best. I always hoped for a sequel since they've tried to sequel or remake every other movie. I'd hoped that they would do the same with this one but it never happened. I've searched for a copy of this movie for 32 years. Every Christmas I'd look for this movie but no one ever knew what I was talking about. I'm glad to see that it is finally listed somewhere. If you haven't seen it you should. It's great. The networks should add it to their Christmas show lineup. This movie was very in character for Barbara Feldon. She seemed to have the same type of personality when she was doing the "Get Smart" show. Dick Van Dyke as a butler for a philanthropic woman worked well with his comic genius.
kleo96
This is one of those movies where you sit back, laugh and enjoy. For those who thought its morals were obscene really need to get a life. It was a fun movie with a fun plot all done with great actors. We need more movies like this. A timeless treasure.
grendelkhan
Fitzwilly is one of the great caper-comedies from the 60's with a fine cast of outstanding character actors. You may not recognize names like John McGiver, John Fiedler, or Noam Pitlik; but, you probably know their faces. The great comedies of the 50's, 60's and 70's were filled by actors like these who, although not well known to the public, were well known amongst their peers. They give consistently good performances in a variety of roles. I knew Pitlik's name mostly from the credits of the "Barney Miller" tv series, but I've seen him on dozens of tv shows and movies from the 60's and 70's. It's these types of performers who are often missing from today's comedies. Too often, the film is built entirely around the lead actors, without gifted character actors to flesh out the scenes. It's these character ensembles that separate many of the classic comedies from the star vehicles of today.Dick Van Dyke is wonderful as the scheming, yet lovable Fitzwilly and he is matched by the beautiful and bright Barbara Feldon. I had a huge crush on her as a child, dating from her role as "99" on "Get Smart." She exudes warmth, charm, intelligence, and a sense of fun. Together, they make a great couple. Van Dyke's film career is often hit-or-miss, but, this is definitely a hit.As a side note to a previous review, this film was not produced by the Disney Studios. I assume the confusion is based on Van Dyke's many previous Disney movies. As far as morality goes, the people who were being hurt by the scams were mainly faceless corporations; an easy target for the general public to forgive. The Robin Hoods of the world are generally forgiven their larcenies as serving a greater good. Since it is established that Miss Vickie is very generous with her money, we can forgive the robbing-the-rich because it does, mostly, end up with the poor. Anyone who has ever grumbled about store prices is likely to forgive someone who "sticks it" to the companies who "rob" their customers. Yes, it's not that simple in the real world; but, this is a movie, after all.
AD
