Ma vie de star

Many actresses have "played" the ingenue role, but Audrey Hepburn "was" that role. Modern audiences tend to be rather jaded about such things, and for good reason. No sooner do we discover some seemingly innocent yet precocious girl on the screen, who wins our hearts, but her mug is in the tabloids, all painted up like a tart, and involved in some sordid situation. They pretend they aren't role models, just actresses "playing" role models, but Audrey Hepburn was what she was both off-screen and on.

To the "youth" audience of today, with its Winona Ryders, and for that matter Jennifer Love Hewett, an Audrey Hepburn must seem as remote and irrelevant as a Shirley Temple or Mary Pickford. Yet Audrey personified something sadly missing in these starlets of today - something decent and respectable, unwilling to appear cheap and sleazy. Perhaps through this excellent portrayal of her life, younger audiences will discover that, at least to Audrey, an actress could be "more" than just another painted-up, tinsel-town puppet.

The characterization of Audrey, as portrayed by Hewett, is so perfect that one wonders how anyone like that could ever have pulled it off. To the minutest detail of every look, word and nuance of Audrey Hepburn, she gives a thoroughly convincing rendition. Too bad some of the depth didn't rub off along with mastering the surfaces. The only critical comment is that the film was obviously made for television, with rather jarring breaks to allow for commercials. These are not there for the recorded version, and hence just when we get in the mood for one scene, we are jolted into another. The result seems hacked up and butchered. That's a minor complaint for an otherwise outstanding film, however.

Let me begin by saying that I am extremely biased when it comes to Audrey Hepburn therefore it is perfectly logical from my point of view that no one can play Audrey Hepburn but Audrey Hepburn. Miss Hewitt is (its been said before many times) too full when it comes to her bosom and she didn't flash a huge smile like Audrey did. Audrey's smile could light up a whole room (even better than Julia!) and Hewitt could barely light a candle in a corner so to speak. Her hair was pathetically streaked in the "Tiffany" scenes whereas Audrey's streaks blended perfectly with her natural brown tresses. Also, Audrey's hair was butched at the Oscar ceremony... Hewitt's was the same as it was during the filming of "Roman Holiday". As for the rest of the cast, Emmy Rossum was much better as young Audrey than Hewitt. Frances Fischer (of "Titanic" fame... she was Kate Winslet's self-righteous mother) was believable as Audrey's mother, Baroness Edda Van Heemstra. Eric McCormick was too contemporary to play Mel Ferrer, plus he didn't look a thing like him; the same applies to Gabriel Macht who played Bill Holden but Michael J. Burg captured the essence of Truman Capote to the button. The most embarrassing of all was Ray Landry as Humphrey Bogart; he had way too much makeup on him to look meatier where Bogie was a skinny, ugly railing. Plus, his accent was pathetically forced like he was trying way too hard to impersonate Bogie and he still couldn't do a good job. The film in short, should never have been made... no one can play Audrey Hepburn but Audrey Hepburn!

I must admit that after reading all of the reviews to be horrified by JLH presentation as Audrey Hepburn. But I was somewhat surprised. I didn't think that she was the best actress available, I think Emmy Rossum should have played Audrey the entire movie, but JLH does an alright job. She doesn't do the perfect accent, but then I don't think that any actress could do the accent perfectly.

I never knew of the horrible things that happened to Audrey during her life and this movie made me cry, especially during Emmy's scenes. I have such respect for Audrey Hepburn now. The work she did made such a difference and it's sad that she is gone now.

Well, duh, there'll never be an Audrey Hepburn. She was unique and special and still is inimitable. There'll never be another like her, we all know that. But still, Jennifer Love Hewitt- whom I have yet to see in anything else- actually does a pretty admirable job of pretending to be Hepburn, with the accent and most everything else. It's quite obvious that she's trying very hard, and she is to be commended. She really isn't that bad, though the movie itself isn't quite as good. Yes, the narrative has huge gaps; one minute she's dying of malnutrition, and after the commercial break she's back on her feet and studying ballet. Her films fly by in a flash. The films were more worthwile than the subplot of her undying love for her father, who is portrayed as such a cold fish you just don't see the attraction. And as fine as Hewitt is, since this isn't really Aurdey Hepburn, it's a little difficult to believe that everyone-excpet her father- who knows her immediatly adores her. But other than that,... it wasn't bad.

I do not know much about Audrey Hepburn. All I have seen was My Fair Lady, but there seemed to be something missing in Hewitt's performance. I enjoyed the movie but something was always off about the way she portrayed Audrey.