Movie · 1967 · Comedy, Music, Romance · 2h 32m · G · English
Curator score: 3.9/10 (14.4K ratings)
Julie as you love her... in the happiest motion picture hit of the year!
Overview
Millie Dillmount, a fearless young lady fresh from Salina, Kansas, determined to experience Life, sets out to see the world in the rip-roaring Twenties. With high spirits and wearing one of those new high hemlines, she arrives in New York to test the "modern" ideas she had been reading about back in Kansas: "I've taken the girl out of Kansas. Now I have to take Kansas out of the girl!"
Ratings
Curator score: 3.9/10
IMDb: 6.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.28/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
George Roy Hill
Production
Ross Hunter Productions, Universal Pictures
Cast
Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, John Gavin, Jack Soo, Pat Morita, Philip Ahn, Anthony Dexter, Beatrice Lillie, Cavada Humphrey, Herbie Faye, Robert Foulk, Benny Rubin, Michael St. Clair, Leoda Richards, Mae Clarke, Lisabeth Hush, Ann Dee, Marianne Gordon
Curator Review
Verdict
A bright, fast-moving 1960s musical comedy with real charm, catchy numbers, and a terrific central performance, but it’s badly undercut by an ugly, dated racial plotline that’s impossible to ignore. Worth it mainly for viewers who can separate the craft and camp from the film’s offensive material.
Best for
classic musical fans
viewers who enjoy campy studio-era comedy
fans of Julie Andrews and big production numbers
people interested in 1960s Hollywood musical style
Skip if
you’re sensitive to racist or xenophobic stereotypes
you want a fully modern or socially comfortable musical
you prefer clean, light rom-coms without serious baggage
you’re looking for a consistently sharp story rather than uneven spectacle
Overview
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a bubbly, often very funny musical built around a winning star turn and a strong sense of period playfulness. The film has the kind of glossy, high-energy studio polish that makes its dance numbers, costumes, and comic set pieces easy to enjoy even when the plot is wobblier than it should be.
Worth noting
What keeps it from being an easy recommendation is the film’s deeply offensive trafficking storyline and the way it leans on racial caricature. That material is not a minor blemish; it meaningfully alters how the movie plays and makes the whole enterprise harder to embrace.
Bottom line
Still, there’s a reason people remember the movie’s wit, visual invention, and sheer comic momentum. If you’re approaching it as a piece of 1960s Hollywood musical craft, there’s plenty to admire. If you’re looking for something breezy and untroubled, this is not the one.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sally Jane Black · 207 likes
Julie Andrews followed up The Sound of Music with a racist, sexist musical comedy about orphan women being kidnapped and sold into slavery. Certainly some of the tunes are catchy, but holy fuck.
Cate (2★) · 196 likes
Why does this have to have the absurdly racist 'Chinese white-slaver sex traffickers' plot? Why couldn't we just enjoy James Fox limpwristing his way through dance numbers in drag, Julie Andrews' obsession with how necklaces hang on other girls' chests, and Carol Channing as an insatiable human cannonball?
Sasha James (2.5★) · 179 likes
Human trafficking! But also an elevator that runs on tap-dancing!
Sam (3.5★) · 133 likes
If somewhat uneven, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a total delight filled with jazzy songs, vibrant sets and extreme self awareness. There’s always gonna be a sense of nostalgia from watching classic musicals but it’s clear that people were fond of the roaring, screwball like 1920s in New York and this film pays tribute to that era with so much chaotic energy.
There are so many clever jokes implemented within the character of Millie as she is quite mischievous and dirty… more
Han (4★) · 110 likes
Carol Channing saying RASPBERRIES to mean anything really distracts me from the racism and weird sex slavery-driven plot and that’s very cool of her
1966 · Music, Comedy, Romance · 1h 37m · Curator 3.9/10 (18.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A fast, farcical musical with outrageous comic timing and a delight in theatrical absurdity.