chimera3 I was actually first drawn to this through an episode of "NCIS" known as "Dead Man Talking" where the team has to deal with a transgender suspect who kills one of their own. The movie was referenced in the very end when Abby talks to Tony about movies related to their case at hand and it just so happens that "Victor Victoria" comes up. I believe it was my brother who rented the movie from the library first and then we went from there.Victoria Grant (the legendary Julie Andrews) is a struggling singer who has problems earning money with her voice and is forced out of her home because she can no longer afford the rent. She comes upon Carole Todd (the late great Robert Preston), who is forced out of his job through no fault of his own. The two then become fast friends and eventually roommates. With an idea from Mr. Todd ("Toddy" to everyone), Victoria becomes "a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman." (Try to say that five times fast.) She lands her first gig without a problem and comes across King Marchand (the late great James Garner), his bodyguard (the late Alex Karras), and King's girlfriend Norma Cassidy (the ever-funny Lesley Ann Warren) during the opening performance. She wows everyone involved, particularly Norma...who doesn't know that Victoria is actually a woman. King shakes it off and later talks with "Victor" after the show. After the pleasantries are exchanged, King, his bodyguard and Norma head back to their hotel while Victoria heads back with Toddy to their room that just so happens to be in the same hotel. After some "performance issues" with King and Norma and her having a conniption fit, his bodyguard sends her back to the United States. In no time at all, Victoria becomes the talk of Paris in more ways than one. And then there comes a private investigator who is bound and determined to make the woman out to be a total fraud. Needless to say, he has some bad luck of his own (struck by lightning, gets his finger stuck in a closet door, etc.) along the way.Back in the States, Norma does a little performance of her own and then cries to one of King's friends, Sal. After faking tears, she tells the man that King is hooking up with another man and Sal is not too pleased to hear about it. In Paris, King eventually finds out that Victoria is not a man and falls in love with her. In the final 15-20 minutes, Norma, Sal, and a few other members of his entourage come to Paris to confront King about his "homosexuality." However, Victoria comes in and corners Norma in the bedroom, exposing that she is a woman and not a man. The reaction by Norma is priceless, to say the least. Shortly after that, Toddy takes the reins as "Victoria" and the real Victoria is safe to be with King as the woman that she is without being exposed by the sly P.I.Back in 1982, LGBT-related issues weren't so much of a hot topic as they are now. Blake Edwards nailed it perfectly without being blunt, as it were. As the title states, this is truly an LGBT-friendly comedy before its time. After all, Toddy is homosexual, King's bodyguard is homosexual, and Victoria is "a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman." I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you will laugh until you cry, fall over, or both. Enjoy this timeless classic because it is not going away anytime soon.

MoneyMagnet People of this generation might not appreciate the fact that in 1982, the subject matter of this mainstream movie was fairly "adult"! In other words, mainstream movies featuring gay characters and gay lifestyles just weren't being made. So, the tolerance that the straight main characters show the gay characters seems "normal" now but wasn't the case back in the early 80s in American culture... (and honestly, I'm not sure gay characters lived so openly with one another as depicted in 1930s Paris...) This is one of those movies where the trailer is spectacular and really makes the movie look more brilliant than it is. In reality, it's a typically bloated Blake Edwards production which is about a half hour longer than it needs to be. The premise is delicious and easy to grasp, so why does it take... an HOUR for the romantic complication, King Marchand, to show up? And was it really necessary to spend so much time on the not-so-hidden double life that Victoria and King lead together once they finally become a couple? (for example, it was not necessary to spend several minutes of screen time on King picking a fight in a bar because he was feeling not so masculine) Robert Preston's performance in this movie is legendary and I have to agree he was dreadfully robbed at Oscar time. However, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I felt Lesley Anne Warren's performance was really quite overrated and grating (not in a good way).The screenplay makes some choices at the expense of others - for instance, having King discover fairly early on that Victoria is in fact a woman. (In truth... James Garner related in his memoir that he wanted King to NOT know if Victoria was female before kissing her, but the studio felt that no one would ever believe that manly James Garner could ever play a character potentially attracted to a man.) However, it's worth the early reveal, for the scene where King is breathlessly waiting to see if his hunch is true by watching Victoria get ready for her bath.A great premise that unfortunately didn't really perfectly "gel" as a story... but what the hell, it is a fun and delightful movie (loved Alex Karras the best!) Robert Preston's final number in drag is the the most fun scene I have watched in a long time.

MartinHafer Julie Andrews plays an out of work starving artist. However, when she meets a gay man (Robert Preston), he convinces her to fake being a cross-dresser and then she'll hit it big. This turns out to be true but also creates serious problems in regard to her love life.I read through the many very positive reviews for "Victor Victoria" and felt a bit lost. In some ways I wondered exactly what they saw in this film. I mean that "Victor Victoria" was kind of cute and enjoyable--but not much more. Perhaps the earlier versions would might have been a bit better.Although the film is set in France in the 1930s, you might no know that by listening to everyone. James Garner, Julie Andrews and Robert Preston are the leads....and are not exactly French. No one sounded or looked French. I wonder what French folks think when they see films like this... Also, while I know that the film is about a cross-dressing cabaret singer, I STILL felt that there were too many musical numbers. They tended to slow the film down and deflected the comedy. However, overall it's still an enjoyable little comedy that is a bit better than a time-passer.I know I am the odd reviewer here, but I just didn't see this as a really funny film nor did it seem all that special--especially with it coming out the same time as a better cross-dressing film, "Tootsie".

englishtnscones Blake Edwards was a genius! I agree with other reviewers that if you have a problem with THIS movie, then you have issues with your own sexuality that are no one else's problem but your own. I could watch this movie 1000 times (and I think I may have) and still belly laugh all the way through! I've let my kids watch it and all of the 'adult' jokes go right over their heads, like they did mine when I was only 13 (that's how I remember when this movie was released). Blake Edwards, who was not only Julie Andrew's husband but also the director of all the Pink Panther movies, was a brilliant director that more young movie makers should model their craft after. Physical comedy, not necessarily script lines, will always get a huge laugh if filmed properly with proper comedic timing (something that is next-to-impossible to teach). Knowing HOW to shoot a comedy scene is the key to getting those big laughs (watch the cockroach- restaurant scene to the end and note the change in audience perspective; that's what makes that scene a cinematic classic!) Get some popcorn, a glass of good French wine and prepare yourself for an evening of laughs and feel-good entertainment! Great for the whole family...as long as you're not "uptight". Life's too short to go through it uptight anyway so LEARN to be less selfish, LEARN to respect other people's way of thinking (even if it differs from your own beliefs)and LEARN how to be TOLERANT!