Funny Face

Jo Stockton, who works in a Greenwich Village bookshop and reads philosophy, is discovered by accident during a fashion magazine shoot. She goes to Paris as a model, though what she actually wants is to hear Professor Émile Flostre lecture. Stanley Donen directed. The songs are by George and Ira Gershwin. Audrey Hepburn plays Jo and Fred Astaire plays the photographer Dick Avery. The age gap is what gets discussed most: Astaire was 58 during filming, about three decades Hepburn's senior. It was also near the end of his musical career. The photographer Richard Avedon set the film's visual signature, working as creative consultant, supplying his own photographs and shaping the opening credits. The National Board of Review gave it a Special Citation for photographic innovations. It opened on 13 February 1957 and failed to break even. It went into profit only after a 1964 reissue that followed the success of My Fair Lady. It took four Oscar nominations including cinematography and costume design. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 85 percent. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood musicals and fashion photography. Who it is not for: anyone for whom the age gap spoils the romance. The film does nothing about it.