Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Thoroughly Modern Millie is the kind of musical that practically tap-dances off the screen—bright, cheeky, and lovingly dressed in 1920s sparkle, with George Roy Hill keeping the whole confection moving at a buoyant clip. Julie Andrews gives a fizzing, game performance that makes Millie’s wide-eyed ambition feel both satirical and strangely sincere, while Mary Tyler Moore adds a warm, winning sweetness and the songs land with that brassy, toe-tapping confidence great studio musicals used to have. The movie’s vibe is a playful spoof of flapper-era “modernity,” full of crisp visuals, big comic swings, and romance that never forgets it’s here to entertain. It does flirt with darker melodrama in its kidnapping subplot, so it won’t be for everyone, but if you want a high-spirited, old-school crowd-pleaser that knows exactly how to put on a show, it’s an easy yes.

Thoroughly Modern Millie is trying to be a big, candy-colored spoof of 1920s “modern” life—a star-powered musical romp that mixes romance, farce, and Julie Andrews charm into one glossy package. When it’s clicking, the leads are genuinely likable, the period style is a treat, and a few numbers have that old-school Broadway pep. But it’s also long, overstuffed, and tonally messy, swinging from cute slapstick to surprisingly dark kidnapping/“white slavery” plot beats in a way that can feel awkward rather than clever. If you don’t have patience for cartoonish twists, uneven pacing, and songs that sometimes stop the story cold, this may feel like a two-and-a-half-hour endurance test instead of a delight.