SummaryWhen a policeman falls in love with a prostitute, he doesn't want her seeing other men and creates an alter ego who's to be her only customer.
Directed By:Billy Wilder
Written By:Alexandre Breffort, Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
Irma la Douce
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
55% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88
A lavish and sometimes lusty version of the French hit musical, minus the songs but with lots of Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon. [17 Jan 2000, p.Q]
75
A fairly ordinary (for Wilder) adaptation of a play with a great performance by Lemmon as a French cop who falls for hooker Shirley MacLaine. [18 Jul 2003, p.11E]
75
On a scene-by-scene basis, this picture has so much to offer in terms of some fairly unhinged and wild work from a bunch of artists at the height of their powers.
63
If not exactly an endearing experience on the whole, Irma la Douce is a fine example of Billy Wilder’s mid-career eccentricity and cosmopolitan curiosity.
60
Wilder's soft-centred cynicism provides frequent enough laughs without too many longueurs.
60
Lemmon and Maclaine fail to reproduce the chemistry from The Apartment but this slight film is not as ignorable as reputation suggests.
40
Billy Wilder’s soggy and uninspired 1963 adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, minus the songs.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
100% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Apr 26, 2025
8
If the chequered love story between a policeman and a prostitute has its appeal, it is the chemistry between Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. It may not be among director Billy Wilder's best, but even so, the 144 minutes are well spent.
Production Company:
- Phalanx Productions
- The Mirisch Corporation
Release Date:Jun 5, 1963
Duration:2 h 27 m
Tagline:A story of passion, bloodshed, desire and death... everything, in fact, that makes life worth living
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Laurel Awards
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
