Victor Victoria
Originally published on social media on May 15th, 2022
Before I begin this review, I’m curious, do you ever come up with your own movie genres or ways of categorizing film? Our family has a plethora of random genres Netflix has not quite picked up on yet. For me, Victor Victoria falls under “comfort musical” or “rainy day film”. Today was one of the soggiest Washington days this season, making it the perfect day to watch this film.
Though I’ve seen this film before, something dawned upon me as I was watching it this round: I bet Grandma loved this film. Sure enough, she did, and for all the same reasons I love it!
Let’s start with the most obvious reason: Dame Julie Andrews. We LOVE her and her movies. She is phenomenal in this film and very lovable! Did I mention her insane vocal range? It is the stuff of legends, and it’s fitting because she’s a legend!
Another reason: the adorable friendship between Julie Andrews and Robert Preston in the film. Their friendship is endearing in moments when they help each other out, and genuine in moments they sing home on the range (randomly).
We cannot forget the strong chemistry between Julie Andrews and James Garner! James Garner is totally Grandma’s type with his strong and sexy masculinity! I totally agree with her on this one, he is very attractive in this film!
One of the best things about this film are the musical numbers! My favorite is Le Jazz Hot! The costumes are gorgeous, the songs are catchy, and everything is so well executed! In general, this film has such good lighting, set design, and cast! Also, I think Lesley Ann Warren is hilarious in this film and I know Grandma loved her too!
In some way, Victor Victoria was similar to Yentl (but also completely different from Yentl). The idea that a woman pretends to be a man in order to be able to pursue her dreams in what is a man’s world is such a fascinating storyline. I’m very grateful to live in a world where everyone has more opportunities to embrace who they are, and movies like this remind me to count my blessings.
This film is somehow both a classic and totally underrated.