Movie Review # 651: My Fair Lady (1964)

Well, everyone, now that we have finished up with my 650th review, we now review films from 651-700. For this review following an epic historical drama film by the name of Gladiator, we are now going to review something more lighthearted, and is a musical that was released during the earlier decades when musical films seemed to be much more common. Not to mention that it was a film that I got to sing a couple solos from in high school at different points. So now, let’s discuss the musical film that starred people like Audrey Hepburn, and Rex Harrison, the one, and only, My Fair Lady!

Plot: When a poor English girl named Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) comes into London, England, a rich phonetics teacher named Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) offers to teach her to speak English so well that he could not only help her be more successful in life, but also pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball. Will Higgins succeed in helping Eliza go further in life than she had been before, or will his methods prove to not be helpful in the end?

Now, I remember having memories with this musical long before I actually saw the movie version of this musical, which ranged from me singing solos for songs like “On The Street Where You Live”, and “Get Me To The Church On The Time”, to seeing a stage play of this musical once, and things like that. Though all of that was the case, I surprisingly didn’t get to see this movie version until maybe a little over a decade ago, and remember enjoying it. So, after seeing it again just a couple weeks ago, does My Fair Lady hold up from when I first saw it around late 2012, or early 2013, sometime like that, does this film still hold up? Well, yes, in a lot of ways, this film does. First of all, a lot of the songs are catchy as heck. I mean who wouldn’t want to eventually revisit this film, and then listen to songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night”, “The Rain In Spain”, “With A Little Bit Of Luck”, “Get Me To The Church On Time”, “Just You Wait”, “On The Street Where You Live”, and songs like those on repeat from time to time? What makes this film, especially the songs, all the more creative, and more enjoyable, is how some of them provide some unexpected laughs. Speaking of comedy, this film has a lot of that, especially coming from not only some of the musical numbers, but also from main characters like Eliza Doolittle, and Henry Higgins (although, additional characters like Henry Doolittle, Eliza’s father, brought some charm, and memorable moments to this film as well). But one of the major highlights, besides those aspects, is how this film teaches great lessons about learning to work hard to overcome obstacles in your life, being willing to let others in your life, so long as they are people that provide you with good influence, and lessons like those as well. Oh, and how could I not mention the amazing performances for this film, especially from Audrey Hepburn, and Rex Harrison? I was surprised to hear that Julie Andrews was originally going to play the role of Eliza, but couldn’t, likely partly due to scheduling conflicts, and the fact that she was busy with The Sound Of Music (which, of course, was released the following year, in 1965). It was also surprising to discover that Marni Nixon helped do some lip syncing moments during some of my the numbers that Eliza sang in. Who knew!?!

Now, with all that said, these all make this movie sound like a classic musical, and film in general, right? But I have to tell you all, I don’t think that My Fair Lady is quite one of the best musicals out there. Yes, there are plenty of elements that make this movie really enjoyable. And yes, this film will still go down as a timeless classic, as it once was when it was first released sixty years ago. That all being said, My Fair Lady could have definitely been better in some aspects. Well, one of the major letdowns of the film is that, though many of the songs are memorable, and ones that you’ll want to listen to very often, some of them seemed to keep this film from reaching it’s full potential. One of the main reasons why is because having the amount of songs that there were almost likely prevented some character development from occurring, particularly with some supporting characters that were in the latter part of the film. Also, there were some relationships that didn’t develop as well as they could have in this film. What’s more is that once you get to the end of the film, you’ll find yourself thinking, “Wait, this is how it ends?”. Oh, and what’s even worse is that there were elements that either should have been scrapped from the film entirely, or should have had more buildup if some of the numbers were eliminated, or those elements were developed better in some other way, shape, or form. Well, whatever! It is what it is. Oh, and one more thing! Did we really need to have a slight amount of foul language in this film, especially in a family film? Just a thought there too!

And that’s my review for the 1964 film, My Fair Lady. Overall, is My Fair Lady enjoyable? Very much so! Still, had this film gone through an additional draft, if not two, My Fair Lady could have ended up being an even more memorable classic musical film, and film period, in the end. Though some relationships, and a little bit of character development was lacking, My Fair Lady is still enjoyable. It has catchy songs, some that are funny, creative comedy, and more. Though My Fair Lady could have been a little better, it is still worth checking out for what it is. I would say that if you haven’t seen My Fair Lady, and/or if you like musicals, definitely see it when you get the chance. You may yet have fun experience either rewatching it, or watching it for the first time. So, there you have it!

Final Grade: B

P.S. Happy 60th anniversary My Fair Lady!