The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000)

Albert#1 from SUTTON COLDFIELD , 02/03/2004

A superb film telling a true life story realistically, with the dignity and praise that this wonderful entertainer so richly deserves.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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RAVI GUHADASAN from London, England , 28/07/2004

The trouble with this film is that it just doesn?t quite hold your attention. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Emmy Rosen both play the role of the Hollywood film star as she struggles to find her place in the world, and, although the two of them are very beautiful and carry off good accents and show similar mannerisms to that of Hepburn, they just do not have her charm. Audrey was an incredibly enchanting woman, perhaps the most the film industry has ever seen, and therein lies the problem with this film: finding someone to accurately portray her is probably an exercise in futility.

The film is told via a series of flashbacks into the life of Hepburn whilst she is on the set of ?Breakfast at Tiffanys?; her nazi-sympathiser father abandoning her and her mother while she was very young, growing up and surviving in Holland during World War Two, getting noticed as a dancer in London, and breaking into film.

All these meaty issues should make good viewing, but the style of direction never really lets us in to see the true Audrey Hepburn. We watch these events happening to our heroine from the perspective of a bystander or someone simply passing by, and as a result never truly get involved with the film or sympathise with the lead character. Pacing is also a major problem; there are various stages, but the film doesn?t seem to go very far, nor does it build to a climax of any sort. She just simply gets older and makes more films (this we knew).

The film seems to suggest that Audrey Hepburn was very much like the character Holly Golightly, whom she portrayed in ?Breakfast at Tifffanys?, in that she was unsure of her place in the world, and perhaps scared to love or be loved. This may not be true, but it does lend a nice angle to the piece. Also quite poignant is her continuing search for her father, who she thinks about constantly, and her love for her mother, who brought her through the war and supported her throughout all her ambitions.

It is a passable film, and not an incredibly bad way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon, but even after two hours of viewing and finding out that she grew up in occupied Holland and wanted to be a prima ballerina, you are still not any closer to discovering who Audrey Hepburn really was. So give up. Don?t bother. You?ll never truly know, and perhaps that just adds to her mystery. Leave this one on the shelf and watch one of her own films instead, such as the delightful ?Roman Holiday?, or the enchanting ?Breakfast at Tiffanys? and get to know her through her own work, and you?ll see why this wonderful actress truly is one of Hollywood?s greats.

  2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Starcross, Devon , 30/03/2005

Jennifer Love Hewitt can only have got the part of Audrey Hepburn because she was co executive producer. I have nothing against Jennifer, she is a beautiful young girl and perfect in girl-next-door roles but attempting to portray Audrey Hepburn she was absolutely dire!

Physically she bears no resemblance to Audrey in her face or figure. In terms of acting, her attempts to mimick Audrey's accent and mannerisms were pitiful. Audrey had more elegance, refinement and charm in her little finger than Jennifer has in her entire being.

The supporting actors put Jennifer to shame especially Emmy Rossum (most recently Christine in Phantom of the Opera) who played the teenage Audrey and Frances Fisher who played her mother.

The characterisation of Audrey was disappointingly superficial and the film was painfully slow moving. I only forced myself to watch it to the end in the hope that it would improve and so that I could give a review based on the complete film.

Do not waste 133 minutes of your life watching this!

Please will another company make a biography of Miss Hepburn with an appropriate actor in the leading role such as Liv Tyler or Claire Forlani?

  1 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Starcross, Devon , 30/03/2005

Jennifer Love Hewitt can only have got the part of Audrey Hepburn because she was co executive producer. I have nothing against Jennifer, she is a beautiful young girl and perfect in girl-next-door roles but attempting to portray Audrey Hepburn she was absolutely dire!

Physically she bears no resemblance to Audrey in her face or figure. In terms of acting, her attempts to mimick Audrey's accent and mannerisms were pitiful. Audrey had more elegance, refinement and charm in her little finger than Jennifer has in her entire being.

The supporting actors put Jennifer to shame especially Emmy Rossum (most recently Christine in Phantom of the Opera) who played the teenage Audrey and Frances Fisher who played her mother.

The characterisation of Audrey was disappointingly superficial and the film was painfully slow moving. I only forced myself to watch it to the end in the hope that it would improve and so that I could give a review based on the complete film.

Do not waste 133 minutes of your life watching this!

Please will another company make a biography of Miss Hepburn with an appropriate actor in the leading role such as Liv Tyler or Claire Forlani?

  1 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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