Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
90%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
11 wins & 13 nominations total
It contains some ugly anachronisms, but Blake Edwards is at his funniest in this iconic classic, and Audrey Hepburn absolutely lights up the screen.
If you’re looking for a movie that’s got glamour, sophistication, and a touch of the bizarre, then Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the perfect choice. Audrey Hepburn’s performance as Holly Golightly is captivating and style-defining, and the final scene is so tender that you’ll need a sponge to sop up your tears. Sure, there’s lots of drinking and smoking, but that’s just part of the charm. And let’s not forget about the real star of the show: the cat. You’d need a heart of stone not to love that furry little scene-stealer. So grab a croissant and a cup of coffee, settle in, and let yourself be swept away by Miss Hepburn’s magic spell.
Production Company(ies)
Python Pictures, Michael White Productions, National Film Trustee Company,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Tiffany & Co. – 727 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1961
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English, Portuguese, French, Japanese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 1961 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 1999
Genre(s)
Romance/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, Mickey Rooney, directed by Blake Edwards, written by George Axelrod, Truman Capote, romance, comedy, box office success, budget, reviewed by James Breen, James Powers, Peter Bradshaw, Cath Clarke, Nell Minow, Mark Bourne, Frank J Avella, Matt Brunson, A.S Hamrah, Mike Massie, Rachel Wagner, Fernando F Croce, MPAA rating, produced by Martin Jurow, Richard Shepherd, Truman Capote’s novel, New York City, young woman, young man, older woman, wealthy, writer, expensive escort, searching for rich man, iconic classic, Audrey Hepburn’s performance, Blake Edwards’ humor, anachronisms, ugly, magic spell, love story, glamorous, sophisticated, bizarre, heart of stone, cat, ditsy, delightful, charm, drinking, cigarettes, tender sequence, richly detailed, worst racial stereotype, richly detailed, Hollywood mystique, formulaic, Henry Mancini’s score, Manic Pixie Dreamgirl, complex, memorable character
Worldwide gross: $530,864
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,975,028
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,119
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 651,584
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
George Peppard – Paul Varjak
Patricia Neal – 2-E
Buddy Ebsen – Doc Golightly
Martin Balsam – O.J. Berman
Mickey Rooney – Mr. Yunioshi
Director(s)
Blake Edwards
Writer(s)
George Axelrod, Truman Capote
Producer(s)
Martin Jurow, Richard Shepherd
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
11 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (6)
It can be faulted as a narrative and it doesn’t take a serious moral view. But the people who querulously insist on such points have clearly not surrendered to Miss Hepburn’s magic spell.
July 10, 2018
James Breen
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
An unusual love story, glamorous, sophisticated, with more than a touch of the bizarre.
October 3, 2015
James Powers
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Well, the movie still looks very good, and you’d need a heart of stone not to love the cat.
January 20, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
It’s as ditsy and delightful as ever – with charm enough to forgive it plenty.
January 18, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Cath Clarke
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Fabulous, but lots of drinking and cigarettes.
December 22, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
…the final scene, a tender sequence that you can sop up with a sponge, but if you aren’t moved by it you probably stick kittens with pins.
February 2, 2009
Mark Bourne
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Hepburn’s captivating and style-defining performance as Holly Golightly cannot be underestimated and gets better with age.
January 21, 2022 | Rating: A
Frank J. Avella
Edge Media Network
Barring THE worst racial stereotype EVER to disgrace a Hollywood film, this is a richly detailed movie.
October 23, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Edwards doesn’t cut it into pieces. It’s all easy, loping group shots following people from place to place.
January 26, 2021
A.S. Hamrah
n+1
It’s a consistently watchable mix of laughs, love, and heartbreak.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It’s a movie about contradictions which i think is really interesting.
June 28, 2019
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
The crossroads of Fifties and Sixties, party and hangover and romanticism and desperation lustrously distributed across the widescreen by Blake Edwards
November 16, 2015
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion…
Plot
A young woman in New York City, working as an expensive escort and searching for a rich, older man to marry, meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building in the iconic classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Audrey Hepburn’s performance as Holly Golightly is “captivating and style-defining” and “gets better with age,” according to one critic review on Fresh Kernels.
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