Phffft!

Don't you love it when the title of a film has no vowels? And when it has an exclamation mark, too! It makes pronouncing it even more fun. Never mind spelling it correctly. (And I am usually a decent speller.)

At any rate, Judy Holliday (whose last name I finally learned how to spell) enjoys an easy chemistry with costar Jack Lemmon in this film. She may very well be one of the zaniest comediennes ever. Her expressions, the way she uses her voice, and the mambo dance number where she contorts her body-- make watching this movie almost illegal. Add Kim Novak to the mix as a light-headed chick that Lemmon dates on the rebound from Holliday and you have a criminally good time.

One reason Judy Holliday fans (of which I am one) are so fervent in their love for the comedienne is that she had mastered timing. In comedy, timing is everything.

Phffft! is an excellent vehicle for Judy to work her magic. The story is pedestrian and the one-liners range from cute to tired. But, in Holliday's capable hands the material takes on new life. Watch her delivery, her pauses, her expressions. All pitch-perfect.

Jack Lemmon is fantastic as well. In this and "It Should Happen To You" he and Judy display a great on-screen comic chemistry. They play off each other very well. Lemmon handles his own scenes in his classic style as well. He was truly a joy to watch.

The film also benefits from excellent support by Jack Carson as Lemmon's best friend/bad influence. Kim Novak makes, I believe, her first major appearance in this movie and does well. She's not as polished as she will later be but her appeal is still quite evident.

For me, the movie gets better with repeated viewings. Always a good sign. The mambo scene between Judy and Jack alone is worth the price of admission! Ole!

The four stars make a marvelous quadrangle, and the physical comedy is great. My one disappointment is Richard Quine's direction. Lemmon must've liked him because they did at least 3 movies together, but he always seems to be trying to unexplicably extract pathos out of screwball situations, and this technique quickly wears thin. That aside, still a lot of fun.

One summer night as a high-school-age teen with nothing to do, I watched this movie on TV. I had never seen Judy Holliday before and I suppose part of my enjoyment of the film was discovering how good she was. I already knew Jack Lemmon was good. I thought the film was funny and delightful from start to finish.

At any rate, a lot of years later, I watched Phffft again, and was very disappointed. I really want to see it a third time, now, because I wonder if I was just in a bad mood, or something. I don't understand how my reaction could be so different. I found it dull and slow-moving, and most surprisingly, not very funny. It also looked kind of cheaply made, and it probably was (cheapness being sort of a hallmark of Columbia Pictures, unless it was a big, important film - and even then, sometimes).

I can usually get into an older film and appreciate the humor based on what was humorous then, but I found a lot of the wit too dated to enjoy, and even at times in bad taste (although nothing like the bad taste of some current movie humor).

I like all four of the main actors a lot, so I'm sorry to report I didn't really get into this listless and rather strained marital comedy this time around.

You wanna know why? Cause she doesn't play Judy Holliday.

Normally of all the Holliday films that get bounced around as great, Born Yesterday and It Should Happen to You are usually what gets mentioned. This one, to me, is her best. She actually plays a character that's not the dumb ditzy blonde. There's no trace of the Born Yesterday character in this. I loved it.

There doesn't have to be a whole lot mentioned about Jack Lemmon because...well...he's just great in just about anything he does. This one is no exception. The chemistry between these 2 is pretty amazing. I'm a little surprised they didn't do more films together.

Watch this on a rainy day with an ice cold glass of milk and a box of doughnuts. It's one of those films you'll fall into on the couch and smile when the credits role.