Overview
A spirited young woman navigates love and ambition in the bustling streets of 1920s New York City.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- breezy
- joyful
- classic movie night
- musical marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's buoyant first half, Julie Andrews's spirited performance, and its colorful Jazz Age musical comedy, while finding the overlong second half and forced slapstick less successful.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Millie's bobbed hair, short dresses, stenographer ambitions, and rejection of marriage for love embody the film's playful view of 1920s modern womanhood.
Millie deliberately seeks a wealthy employer to marry while dismissing Jimmy's affection because she doubts his financial prospects.
The film combines flapper imagery, syncopated songs, broad characterizations, and knowingly loose period details.
Millie's investigation begins when Dorothy disappears from the Priscilla Hotel alongside other missing residents.
Films like Thoroughly Modern Millie, and why
The Boy Friend
shared jazz age setting, lavish musical numbers, romantic comedy, and flapper-era satire
Hello, Dolly!
shared classic musical spectacle, romantic entanglements, comic mistaken identities, and breezy optimism
Funny Girl
shared period musical comedy, spirited female protagonist, social ambition, and exuberant choreography
How to Marry a Millionaire
shared screwball romance, workplace ambition, and musical comedy built around an assertive heroine
Movie Details
- Director
- George Roy Hill
- Release Date
- 1967-03-22
- Runtime
- 152 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (103)
Cast
- Julie Andrews
- James Fox
- Mary Tyler Moore
- Carol Channing
- John Gavin
- Jack Soo
- Pat Morita
- Philip Ahn
- Anthony Dexter
- Beatrice Lillie
Common questions
- What is Thoroughly Modern Millie about?
- A spirited flapper-era stenographer pursues a wealthy marriage while uncovering a dangerous mystery at a New York hotel.
- What is Thoroughly Modern Millie like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Thoroughly Modern Millie as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Thoroughly Modern Millie violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Thoroughly Modern Millie as mild.
- What did critics think of Thoroughly Modern Millie?
- Critics broadly praised the film's buoyant first half, Julie Andrews's spirited performance, and its colorful Jazz Age musical comedy, while finding the overlong second half and forced slapstick less successful.
- Which films are like Thoroughly Modern Millie?
- Films with a similar feel include The Boy Friend, Hello, Dolly!, Funny Girl, and How to Marry a Millionaire.
- How long is Thoroughly Modern Millie?
- Thoroughly Modern Millie runs 152 minutes.
