Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) ****1/2

Breakfast at Tiffany's follows the exploits of Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) and her new neighbor/writer/gigolo Paul (George Pepard) in New York City in the 1960's. Holly is looking for a husband, but she's not on the prowl for love. She's on the prowl for security- translating to rich husband. She has their names all memorized and how the rank between each other. The problem is that she never seems to catch one. Paul is in the same boat. The struggling writer is being housed by his mistress (Patricia Neal). Paul isn't proud of his situation, but he can't get out of it because he has to survive and hit that one big writing break. Together they become friends and provide a commentary for each others lives.

Based on Truman Capote's story, you can see Capote in both Holly and Paul. One is a struggling writer that enters New York society and Holly is the refined city citizen that is really from deep in the country. It's a charming little story that Blake Edwards crafts into the early blueprint of the modern chick flick. The supporting cast, particularly Martin Balsam and Buddy Ebsen are fantastic with Ebsen shocking the hell out of the audience by playing a country bumpkin (which is what he would be remembered for a year later). Pepard is OK as Paul, though a little stiff at times.

Of course this film belongs to Audrey Hepburn. She is just so damn cute throughout the movie she brings respectability to essentially being a hooker in New York. She's like an angel that's fallen from grace in this film and it stands as her signature role. She turns what would have been a forgotten B romance into a classic film.