I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Biopic of Charles Lindbergh, directed by Billy Wilder and starring James Stewart as the famed aviator. The story focuses mainly on his transatlantic flight with flashbacks interspersed throughout. It's not a bad movie by any stretch, just overlong and a little dull at times. One of the more traditional and, I suppose for many, uninteresting of Wilder's films. Stewart is too old for the role but the bigger problem is that he's never convincing here as anything other than Jimmy Stewart. That being said, he is always enjoyable to watch and since a lot of this film is him alone he really gets a chance to shine, even if he doesn't hit the mark on capturing Lindbergh. It's not like the script does him much favor in that regard, anyway.I won't complain about historical inaccuracies, nor about sanitizing Lindbergh's story. I've said many times in reviews for other biopics from Hollywood's Golden Age that this is not something that bothers me. The goal of these movies was to entertain. Whatever educational value they have is far down on the priority list. As long as the filmmakers are not going out of their way to assassinate someone's character or something along those lines, I don't have any issues with granting them artistic license with these types of films. Anyway, this is a flawed but ultimately enjoyable movie. There's comedy and drama and a little suspense. I enjoyed the plane stuff and any special effects used in those scenes. It's definitely worth a look for Stewart and Wilder fans, or people who enjoy old-fashioned biographical pictures that they don't make anymore.

Billy Wilder's biopic "The Spirit of St. Louis" (1957) about the historic transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris in 1927 is not among the director's most well-known or highly evaluated films. Back in the day, it was a box office failure and many critics were not pleased. In the course of time, however, the film's reputation has experienced a slight increase, though one can hardly talk of a sleeper, and especially the performance of James Stewart has come to be seen in a different light. Even as a weaker film of its director, "The Spirit of St. Louis" still holds up well, and stands strong as a portrayal of a man, an era, and the power of the spirit. The film follows the months leading to Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic as he recalls them in his bed unable to sleep before the big day. This frame of narrative is important in establishing the use of the flashback sequence as a narrative device for the second half of the film which focuses on the long and lonely flight itself. During the second half, the spectator follows the protagonist's physical and emotional struggle, his thoughts and memories through the ordeal both public and private. Apart from the flashbacks, the only pieces of dialogue are exchanged between Lindbergh and a fly in the plane. As a consequence, one might call the film boring when having to watch a man in a small plane for an hour or so. To this I would reply that it might be boring if it was any man, but not if it is James Stewart who plays Lindbergh in the film. It is indeed Stewart's performance -- although playing a character much younger than he was at the time -- which elevates the film. There is something absurdly realistic about his performance, his enduring boyishness. Stewart considered this as one of his favorite roles and he, as a former pilot himself, identified strongly with the character of Charles Lindbergh. It seems to me that this character may trigger another complaint since he is presented to us as an all American man without dark secrets or perversions, thus possibly making for poor drama. I would, once again, disagree and point out that in simply giving the character to us, Wilder does make him interesting. The viewer follows the development of the protagonist's determination, his obsession if you will, to try the transatlantic flight. He is lonely in this passion of his which, on the one hand, isolates him but, on the other, grants him immortality. A major challenge for the film -- any historical film, I suppose -- is to recreate the historical circumstances in which a sense of wonder and importance could be attached to this kind of an event which now might seem trivial to some. Wilder manages to establish the magic of flight, the feeling of awe before a historical event taking place in front of our eyes. An integral role in this task is played by the narrative. It is of paramount importance that the film doesn't show Lindbergh as an older man, retelling his legendary experience; instead a sense of time is created by a flashback structure, but the present doesn't exceed the main event itself, and thus the viewer is held in suspense in the diegetic world despite knowing the facts of history in the other world. Typically for the director, the film relies heavily on the screenplay, and it is very well structured indeed. The protagonist's experience is associated with ordinary characters, making the event even more universal in its human meaning. It is, after all and above all, a miraculous tale of magic and wonder, a piece of cinema celebrating the power of the human spirit.

"The Spirit of St. Louis" is a wonderful, fulfilling, exciting and beautifully made Motion Picture." It recounts one of the most important events in Human History based on Charles Linburgh's own words. Billy Wildler gives us a version of those historic events with a small mix of fiction that does not take away from the Biography of those actual events played out. James Stewart is perfectly casted although much older than the character he portrays. The usage of Stewart's Voice Over Narrative of his own actions is key in making a much less dramatic scene much more suspenseful. Its a tour-de-force for Stewart, a Military pilot himself. This is Wildler best drama that fits the bill of a great action adventure and some of the best aerio photography ever seen. Waxman's soundtrack is epic with a unforgettable theme and dramatic hues and movements. I find no faults with the film production. The problems I do find is when released in 1957, audiences reacted negatively and it is said the Film release was a box office flop. I believe that this may be because of the fire-storm that Linburgh set off himself in his politics. In 1958 America had a much different view of Lucky Lindy than when he was greeted by Four Million Americans when he returned from Paris in 1927. I'm sure Jack Warner was well aware of the possible backlash on making a Movie that glamorized a man that once stood for the greatest hero in the USA to one that many Politicians wanted to deport. Stewart was uncomfortable with all the media attention and said to have been uneasy throughout Production. The Film did receive a re-cut after its initial release but it did not help. So the reason I'm not giving this incredible film a perfect score is because the Business a Film does is worth at least 2 points. But for my money, this is the best it gets for both Billy Wildler and James Stewart! JEV -

I gave this a five only for Stewart's characteristically fine performance; the film itself deserves about two, I guess, just for keeping the camera steady. Movies about a single character's solitary endeavor need to have a hook to keep the audience's interest, and this movie has more than a bait & tackle shop. Whether it's talking to a fly who's hitched a ride or chatting to himself, Stewart's okay in the moment. But the film shoehorns in one needless flashback to Lindbergh's early life after another, almost none of which are interesting in and of themselves. Put it this way: If the flashbacks were placed chronologically at the beginning of the movie, the audience would be asleep before Lucky Lindy took off for France. The film's first hour suffers as it is (it takes about that long for our hero to begin his landmark journey). Thrill as Lindbergh haggles with an old man for his first plane! Witness the provocative fundraising scene! Forget it. There are better ways to learn about Charles Lindbergh than this dull, factually questionable biopic, and better films to see by both Stewart or director Billy Wilder.