BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) (***1/2)

If romantic comedies were more like this one, I'd have to re-think my general opinion of the genre. Director Blake Edwards, working from George Axelrod's Oscar-nominated adaptation of Truman Capote's novel, is witty and nuanced. Led by an effervescent performance from Audrey Hepburn, the film is light as air and still has meat on its bones.

The story follows the eccentric New York playgirl Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn, SABRINA) as she sets her sights on marrying a millionaire. She has Brazilian Jose da Silva Pereira (Jose Luis de Villalonga, DARLING) and American Rusty Trawler (Stanley Adams, TV's THE TWILIGHT ZONE) on short leashes, while she's getting paid $100 an hour to visit Sing Sing and talk to gangster Sally Tomato (Alan Reed, TV's THE FLINTSTONES). George Peppard (A-TEAM leader Hannibal Smith) plays Holly's new next-door neighbor, Paul Varjak, a writer who's being "sponsored" by a wealthy older woman named Mrs. Failenson (Patricia Neal, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES), who is referred to throughout the film as 2-E.

One thing that the production code in Hollywood did was make writers come up with interesting and creative ways of inferring sex. Today, it's just sex. The film slowly develops its two main characters and slowly reveals their pasts. The film's pacing and plot is what makes the film so good. You're interested in learning about the characters themselves instead of just waiting an hour and a half to see the two leads kiss happily ever after at the end of the film. An appearance from Buddy Ebsen (TV's THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES) later in the movie as Doc changes the dynamic of the story greatly. It makes the audience re-evaluate everything they thought of Holly leading up to this moment.

After watching this film you just can't help but fall in love with Audrey Hepburn. She's what a movie star is supposed to be. Nominated for an Oscar for her performance, she carries herself with grace and wit. Hepburn plays Holly as naïve, but never stupid. Her motivations are clear to her and her past is something she wants to leave behind. Martin Balsam (12 ANGRY MEN) plays her agent O.J. Berman, the closest person to her in NYC, and he isn't sure if she's a phony or the real thing. Peppard plays Paul as a good-looking guy who is struggling to be more than simply a good-looking guy. This is where the connection between Paul and Holly begins — they're both striving to be a better version of themselves.

My only real gripe with the film is the racist presentation of Mr. Yunioshi. The neighbor of Holly who complains about her loud parties is a bad enough "Yellowface" stereotype, but it's exasperated by the fact that he is played by Mickey Rooney in make-up. Both producer Richard Shepherd and Blake have publicly expressed their desire to take it back, but it's there and it taints the film every time the character appears.

From the wonderful characters to the gorgeous costumes to the unforgettable Oscar-winning music from Henry Mancini, which includes the classic tune "Moon River," the film has held up so well over time and has had a lasting impact on film. Holly Golightly is the party girl that every party girl in cinema wishes to be.