I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Blistering performances.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Costumes to die for (the iconic white dress!), set design that transports you to another world, music that will stay with you long past the end and a romance for the ages. What more could you ask for?

French version of My Fair Lady. Caron and Jourdan are superb. Chevalier is charming. "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" is a beautiful song. And there are two glorious sequences in which Gaston walks/sings through the gardens of Paris falling in love with Gigi. The first hour could have been edited down after the brittleness and general horribleness of Parisian society had been established. Of course, the attitudes of the time were appalling (you couldn't joke about attempted suicide today) and categorising how "common" someone is (as Gaston and Gigi do on their first date) is hard to watch. I hope by the end they have left behind the attitudes of the society they had both never felt comfortable in anyway - Gaston was always bored and Gigi was a bit of a tomboy and rebel.

"Gigi" is a coming of age story involving a girl (Leslie Caron) and the man (Louis Jourdan as Gaston) whose affections for her become romantic when she becomes a young woman.It won the Oscar for Best Film and all eight others it was nominated for after its release in 1958. On every level it was successful, but was it really the best film released that year? Probably not. However the film is charming and it does possess great production values (e.g. costuming, set design). Each scene is like a Renoir or Cassatt come alive. Filmed in France, it captures a joie de vivre that is perfectly personified by Miss Caron. Though her voice is dubbed, she embodies a spirit that infuses every scene of the film. "The Night They Invented Champagne" is the number I most enjoy, and she gives the scene the boundless energy of the cancan.But this is a victory of style over substance, because the story of "Gigi" is very simple. It lacks the depth of "My Fair Lady", for example, which followed six years later and bore striking similarities.Maurice Chevalier (as Honore Lachaille, the uncle of Gaston) and Mr. Jourdan use the same talk-singing style employed by Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady". It does not detract from "Gigi", but it is noticeable.Some viewers might find the storyline, which deals with the education of a courtesan, less than romantic. And the film--like many others--focuses on the lifestyles of the rich. But "Gigi" is charming nonetheless. It is best to surrender to its charms and appreciate the performance of Miss Caron, whose transformation from girl to woman is flawless.

"Gigi" won more Oscars than almost any other film in history. Yet, very oddly, it currently has an IMDb score of only 6.9! This makes no sense--especially since the film is magnificent throughout.The film is based on the story by Colette. It's about a sweet young lady, Gigi, and her family's insane intention of turning her into a very high-priced mistress to the rich and famous. However, because Gigi is so sweet, she just can't allow herself to have such a life and she insists on more--which causes problems with the man she loves (Louis Jourdan).While the plot is very simple (as it often is with musicals), the film works magnificently for several reasons. Most importantly, the Lerner and Lowe songs are among the best of any musical and are very memorable. In addition, the acting is so nice--and Leslie Caron is radiant and at her very best. Additionally, the film is just gorgeous--and replicates the grandeur of Paris circa 1900. Why this film has such a current mediocre score is beyond me.