Nicole Bonnet's (Hepburn) father Charles is a master forger of all types of art which he supplements his own vast collection with. Many of his pieces have been sold for a pretty penny at auction and he has yet to be found out.
He loans out a family heirloom, Celini's Venus, to a local Parisian museum for a large exhibition. Meanwhile Nicole catches someone in the act of burglary and it ends up being a handsome young gentlemen (Peter O'Toole). She is given a fright but ultimately is taken by the man who hardly seems the thieving type. She lets him go without calling the police even giving him a ride home.
Eventually they cross paths again and she recruits him to help her steal Celini's Venus from the museum. She doesn't tell him why, but she has her reasons and he willingly obliges. It's all good fun after all.
The caper scenes are no more harrowing than the rest of the film. In fact it gives the perfect setting for more comedy as the two burglars get locked in a broom closet together after closing while also repeatedly setting off the alarm. But it's all part of the man's plan, because after all he's a professional. And their plan works. They get away with the statue and the following day the news spreads like wildfire.
In the end, Nicole finds out that Simon Dermott is actually a private eye specializing in art and criminology. He's no thief and so this was his first heist too. She thinks she's in for it now, but they're too in love for that to matter. He explains himself to Mr. Bonnet who reluctantly agrees to end his forgery career on top.
The two lovebirds drive off mad cap down the streets of Paris with a beautiful life ahead of them. There's not much else to say except Hepburn and O'Toole are fun together while the score of a young John Williams has a recognizable bounciness. Hugh Griffin seems slightly wrong to be Hepburn's father and the film is far from pulse-pounding but these small facts do not negate the charm of the film.
3.5/5 Stars
