elvircorhodzic LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON is a sweetish and sophisticated romantic comedy. A young student of the cello, whose father works as a private detective, is seduced by an old womanizer. Their relationship is very romantic with a series of comic misunderstandings.Mr. Wilder made a humorous plot between love and morality. The story is simple. One seemingly naive young girl, who is full of adventurous spirit falls in love with the old, clumsy and insensitive womanizer. Dialogues are subtle. Love is presented as a game of cat and mouse. It is in the air, but can not figure out. An easy flirtation turns into a gentle farce. Emotions simply erupt, with strong sentimental moments, at the end of the film.Audrey Hepburn as Ariane Chavasse is a small Cinderella who can skillfully and mysteriously flirt. It is impossible to resist the beauty and tears in the eyes of Ms. Hepburn. Gary Cooper as Frank Flannagan is falsely awkward womanizer, who for the first time in his life shows emotions. Mr. Cooper, during the making of this film, was 56 years old. He looked too old and cumbersome for such exhibitions. Despite everything, the chemistry between the main protagonists is extremely high. Maurice Chevalier as Claude Chavasse is the "culprit" for love. Love matures at the end.

SimonJack For anyone who thinks "Love in the Afternoon" is a nice romance or love story, I posit the following questions to ask yourself. As a mother or father, would you want your daughter to go out with – or "fall" for Frank Flannagan, or someone like him in real life? Or, as a brother or sister, would you want your beloved sister to fall for such a man? I think Maurice Chevalier's character, Claude Chavasse, got it right. He told his daughter, Ariane (played by Audrey Hepburn) that Flannagan was a cad, despicable character – that he was no good. Flannagan, played by Gary Cooper, is an aged American millionaire playboy. He has no qualms or regrets about his many affairs with women – married or not. "Love them and leave them." That's his motto. Is that the type of man anyone would want a daughter, sister or friend to go for? I think not. Of course, we viewers know that Ariane knew about Flannagan's character (played by Gary Cooper), because she sneaked into her father's files. Yet she falls for this guy anyway. Is that romance or love? It may be romantic daydreaming or fantasizing, but love or real romance it isn't. We parents, grandparents and others who have experienced such things ourselves have known it by another term – infatuation. Ariane's father cautions his daughter, but she pursues Flannagan anyway. The demure Hepburn's character feigns a nubile persona, but we audience members can't disregard her puerile innocence, if the Flannagan character can't see through her. So, the first big problem with this film is that it is not a love story, or even a romance. It is a slice of life, of course, with some comedy. I am not averse to a story of young and old love. Some other films have handled this very well. "Battle Circus" was a 1953 film that had a young Army nurse fall for an older Army doctor during the Korean War. Humphrey Bogart (late 40s to early 50s) and June Alyson (late 20s) were very believable in their roles. On the other hand, some other films also have treated age differences quite well – as infatuation. "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" was such a film in 1947. It starred Cary Grant as a late-30s or early-40s playboy artist and professor, with Shirley Temple as the teen sister of Myrna Loy. Most reviewers have noted the huge age difference between the two leads in this film. Many found it a problem that takes away from the films' believability. And thus, its appeal. Audrey Hepburn was 28 playing an 18-year-old; Gary Cooper was 56 playing a 65-year-old – at least he looked it, for that time. And the script never tries to specify what his age is – just that he's an older playboy millionaire. Try as they do, with the old news clips of a wild Flannagan (played by Cooper), the movie makers couldn't convince this viewer – or most viewers – that Flannagan was in his 40s. As "hip" as the script tried to paint him, Flannagan definitely was not so. And that is the problem. A 35 to 45- year-old would have been an older man for a teenage girl in the 1950s. Another reviewer commented that Gary Cooper's was a grandfather character. I agree. Audrey Hepburn and her performance are the main reasons this film earns even 5 stars from me. Maurice Chevalier did very well with his role. Cooper was wooden. The idea of the film was OK and had possibilities. But it needed a younger character and actor as the playboy who could find true love and mend his ways. As it is, this script is terrible. That and the big age differences, and the casting of Gary Cooper as Flannagan made this film a dud.

iamyuno2 Billy Wilder himself called this - his own movie - "a pleasant movie in a minor key." In other words, it's not his very best, in his own opinion.Yet it's eminently worth watching. And I argue that the final 10 per cent of the film contains every bit the Wilder genius we've thrilled over in other films. In find, in the final scene, we find Wilder, Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn at the their classic best (and could Hepburn be any more lovable than we find her here?). The gypsy musician scene, the PI scene and the final train station scene are some of the funniest and most moving scenes you will ever see. And the ending will bring a tear to your eye. Here you'll find a classic romantic comedy brilliance at a level only a great director and writer like Wilder and great actors like Cooper and Hepburn could pull off. Overall, this is an entertaining film and an amusing way to spend an evening. It's a light romantic comedy featuring the creative input of many movie heavyweights (including a writing assist from Iz Diamond - with whom Wilder would later write the great comedy Some Like It Hot and a very charming Maurice Chevalier). A 27-year old Hepburn is very endearing and inspired in a this movie. This is one of her finest performances ever and she absolutely puts this film over the top. Great as Cooper was (and I'm a Gary Cooper fan) - Hepburn could have used a different male romantic lead. Cooper himself had misgivings of playing this part because he felt he was too old. It's not that he's old - it's that the evidence (to those who are aware of it) of his painful fatal illness (he died only four years later) diminished his presence here (he appears ill and lacking in a certain characteristic energy) and it made him less than perfect for this film. Still, you will see notable flashes of Cooper's charm and brilliance here. Chevalier - though although miscast (he was arguably too old to play Hepburn's father) - makes the most of his part and is highly charming. In fact, like Hepburn, he is at his best here as an actor and comic straight man. And in many ways his strong performance keeps this film afloat. In fact, his contribution to the final scene - though small in measured time - is priceless. You'll know what I mean when you see it. He puts the humor in this most touching scene. And he puts the "period" on this film - endorsing and making "nice" the rocky romance that was developing, as only Chevalier could do. With Chevalier's final contributions, we feel super good. It doesn't get any better than this.True - Wilder's comic genius is not at its height especially at the start of this film - but as it goes along, you'll discover so many little classically funny and amusing vignettes - scenes created by a master, scenes you'll remember forever - that you'll be glad you stuck with this film to the very end.Enjoy!

J Tegeur This is totally improbable. Today I suspect this movie would not even be made in the US. Cooper looks like he is approaching seventy and Hepburn appears as a teenager. Their relationship today would be considered totally inappropriate. The scene with the husband ready to shoot Cooper is an obvious weak attempt at comedy but comes across as bad farce and is so unbelievable you wonder how the director accepted that part of the script. From there it drags on and on waiting for the final match up with Cooper and Hepburn and the totally unrealistic outcome of marriage. Maurice and Audrey give rather good performances, Gary as usual acts like a wooden door.