How to Steal a Million (1966)

I found How to Steal a Million one day while looking up great comedy pairings. I was actually looking up Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, but among the comedy pairs was Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. That was months ago, but today was finally the day that this film called out to me louder than the others (also because a lot of the other movies I have to watch are 4+ hours long!). I'd only ever seen Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, so I was eager to see her in another film. Likewise, I haven't seen O'Toole in many rolls besides Lawrence of Arabia, so that was also a draw. Hit the jump to find out if this is possibly something you might also want to seek out.


An elderly art forger (Hugh Griffith) is put on the spot when he agrees to allow a forgery statue to go on display at a museum. Little does he realize that for insurance purposes it will end up being examined, which would undoubtedly discover it is a fake through the scientific methods used. This will bring all his other art pieces, and previous sales of his work into question and likely soon after land him in jail. His daughter Nicole (Audrey Hepburn) puts it upon herself to solve the problem by contacting a small-time burglar, Simon Dermott (Peter O'Toole), that she met (and accidentally shot in the arm) a few nights previous. Together, they must steal her family's statue back from the museum before the authenticity tests can be done.

Peter O'Toole is stunned at the complexity of the job

Both Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn are fantastic in this movie. Their chemistry is really good, and it becomes a cute, charming little romantic comedy as well as a heist movie. Peter O'Toole seemed to be the source of most of the comedy, but it was subtle and not cheesy. It had a bit of a classiness to it. Of course, none of it would work without Audrey Hepburn, and she herself adds to the comedy in her own way thanks to her character's almost unwillingness to do anything immoral, despite her father being a world class art forger. As a fun side note, one of the side characters turned out to be a slightly younger looking Eli Wallach (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Magnificent Seven). I almost didn't recognize him because he's all cleaned up in this and quite unlike the other characters I've seen him play.

Audrey Hepburn is a stunner, and when she wants to, she can really dress up!

A part of the movie that I just found so simply charming was the way they pull off the heist. I don't want to give away how they do it, but it was really quite fun seeing these two beat quite an advanced security system by using not much more than some bent wire, a couple of magnets, and of all things, a boomerang! As viewers we're put in the same position as Nicole, in that she has no idea what Simon is planning, and we're all just kind of along for the ride. Even he seemed unsure sometimes and kinda surprised when it was actually working!

Here is Audrey Hepburn's strange little car. It's funny and innocent, just like this movie.

Before I finish this off, I want to just point out a funny moment I had in this film. You know how sometimes you'll be watching a movie and suddenly recognize an actor in the background that you had seen in another movie? Well has it even happened with movie props? At one point in the story, Audrey Hepburn is delayed by Eli Wallach's character who wants to marry her, and he pulls out a red ring box with an engagement ring inside. The ring is revealed to have a large rectangular diamond on it when the box is opened. "So what does that have to do with anything?" I'm sure you're asking. Yesterday while watching Miracle on 34th Street, the exact same box AND ring inside are used when the the lawyer boyfriend proposes to the little girl's mother! I can't believe I happened to watch these movies back to back! What are the odds?!

You're sure to get a smile from watching this pair

I enjoyed this movie, even though I have to be honest and say that not a whole lot happened. The romance is sweet and innocent and has a lot of sweet innocent kisses. The comedy is charming and kinda classy, never becoming slap-stick or base humour. The big crime is also quite simplistic in the way they go about doing it. But all those things aren't bad in my eyes. Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole are pleasant to watch and have a really good chemistry together. You probably won't be laughing out loud with this one, but I'm sure it'll manage to crack a few smiles and grins in those who watch it. I liked it, and would recommend it to those who like that innocent way life is portrayed that you see in older films.