Back to trending
Irma la Douce

Irma la Douce

Romance · Comedy · 1963

When a recently fired policeman falls in love with a French prostitute, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego in order to become her only customer.

Movie details

Irma la Douce

“A story of passion, bloodshed, desire and death... everything, in fact, that makes life worth living.”

1963 Romance · Comedy 2h 27m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

When a recently fired policeman falls in love with a French prostitute, he doesn't want her to be with other men, so he creates an alter-ego in order to become her only customer.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Irma la Douce?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Victor/Victoria

Victor/Victoria

Music · 1982

A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life.

Love in the Afternoon

Love in the Afternoon

Comedy · 1957

A middle-aged playboy becomes fascinated by the daughter of a private detective who has been hired to entrap him with a client's wife.

Hollywood Stargirl

Hollywood Stargirl

Comedy · 2022

When Stargirl's mother is hired as the costume designer on a movie, they relocate to L.A., where Stargirl quickly becomes involved with an eclectic assortment of characters.

The Wrong Paris

The Wrong Paris

Romance · 2025

Dawn thinks she's joining a dating show in Paris, France, only to land in Paris, Texas. She has an exit plan — until sparks fly with the cowboy bachelor.

Secret Millionaire

Secret Millionaire

Romance · 2018

When a bored millionaire (Steve Lund) is mistaken for a parking attendant by a beautiful girl (Siobhan Williams) who is protesting against his family’s intention of closing a local park, he uses the misunderstanding to get to know her better.

Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman

Romance · 1990

Vivian is a carefree, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets sophisticated billionaire Edward in a chance encounter that turns into a week-long business arrangement. But Vivian's energetic spirit challenges Edward's no-nonsense approach to life, and soon they are teaching each other – and falling in love!

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

Romance · 2020

Lara Jean and Peter have just taken their romance from pretend to officially real when another recipient of one of her love letters enters the picture.

Little Italy

Little Italy

Comedy · 2018

Former childhood pals Leo and Nikki are attracted to each other as adults—but will their feuding parents' rival pizzerias put a chill on their sizzling romance?

Ghost

Ghost

Fantasy · 1990

After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.

The Woman in Red

The Woman in Red

Comedy · 1984

When a happily married family man, who would never consider an affair, meets a beautiful woman in red, he is totally infatuated and desperate to make her acquaintance. However, as he tries out various schemes to sneak out to meet her, he realizes that adultery is not quite as easy as it looks.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Billy Wilder

Written by

Billy Wilder · I. A. L. Diamond

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine

Irma La Douce

Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon

Nestor Patou

Lou Jacobi

Lou Jacobi

Moustache

Bruce Yarnell

Bruce Yarnell

Hippolyte

Herschel Bernardi

Herschel Bernardi

Inspector Lefevre

H

Hope Holiday

Lolita

Joan Shawlee

Joan Shawlee

Amazon Annie

Court is in session

Put Irma la Douce on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.