'The Perfect Furlough's' main attraction is the cast (Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn, Elaine Stritch) . Also the talented Blake Edwards, who did many good to great films, so 'The Perfect Furlough' is watchable if one is trying to see as many films of his as possible. The same goes for Curtis, if, like me, you've found yourself unexpectedly watching as many films of his as possible.
Seeing it, 'The Perfect Furlough' is far from the best work of everybody else (Edwards though has also certainly done far worse), everybody here has been better and been in much better work. 'The Perfect Furlough' is most interesting for two things, one being seeing Curtis and Leigh in their third film together and the other being that it is the second time Curtis starred in a film directed by Edwards. As far as 1950s (and 1960s) comedies of this type go, there were far better, namely those featuring Doris Day, which were glossy and frothy but had much more wit, fun and charm as well as more natural chemistry between the cast.
It is certainly watchable. 'The Perfect Furlough' has glossy, but not overly so, production values, being elegantly shot and charmingly designed. The music is neither intrusive or low key and is pleasant enough in its own right. There are amusing and charming moments scattered through, there is a likeable light-heartedness and some chuckle-worthy lines.
Curtis and Leigh are fun to watch and are appealing in individual acting and together, Curtis especially has great comic timing and his expressions say an awful lot. They sparkle together and their love genuine. Stritch and Wynn stand out of the impressive supporting cast.
Edwards' direction however is disappointing clunky and without much pizzazz, got the sense he wasn't very interested in the film. The locations look nice enough but they don't look authentic, being more Hollywood than Paris. There is a constant stuck in the 50s feel and not much that feels current.
Also found the script uneven and more flabby than sparkling, there is not enough wit with too many moments that leaves one stone-faced while there is a lot of depth-less froth and the more risqué elements are not sharp or broad enough and come over as forced. The pace could have been much tighter and the story is contrived to the extreme, it's all very obvious and gets too silly even when taking it for what it's meant to be. At the end of the day, there is not an awful lot that's memorable here.
Summing up, a watchable enough film but uneven and forgettable after a few days. 5/10 Bethany Cox
