A New Kind Of Love is another attempt by Paul Newman to do comedy. He has a part that maybe Rock Hudson could have carried off. Even playing opposite his wife doesn't do it in the chemistry department. Joanne Woodward is better at comedy than her husband.

In fact for a long time you think you're watching two different films, that's how long it takes for these two to get together. Woodward is on a buying trip for her dress manufacturer George Tobias who takes her and Thelma Ritter to Paris. Woodward's a workaholic career woman who's been burned by romance and wants no more. She even dresses unattractive so much so that Paul Newman on the flight over mistakes her for a man.

Now Newman's been exiled to Paris by his boss Robert F. Simon who he caught kanoodling with his wife. Well if you're going to be exiled, Paris is certainly a good place.

As in all Parisian stories the boy and girl just have to get together, if not in Paris, than where in the world.

George Tobias and Thelma Ritter who are usually a lot better merely walk through their parts. The best reason to see A New Kind of Love is for Maurice Chevalier's cameo as himself when he sings Mimi, Louise, and the title song which incidentally he introduced back in 1930 in The Big Pond. Eva Gabor is around to turn Tobias's head by just being Eva Gabor.

Paul Newman would have to wait more than a decade for triumphant comedy in Slap Shot. He just doesn't cut it in more sophisticated material.

Similar in nature to the same year's "Irma La Douce" with the exception of the era in which it was set, this delightful romantic farce is a charming spoof of the fashion industry with a bit of the lady of the evening thrown in. The team of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward may not be Burton and Taylor, but their pairings on film tend to have better scripts and are less overshadowed by their personal lives. Woodward here allows herself to be de-glamorized as a rather masculine woman who specializes in knock-offs of high end fashion and goes to Paris to find new stock. After perusing such outrageous frocks as a giant feather duster and curtains for the Versaille, she takes on a lesson from guest Maurice Chevalier to seek out womanhood. A trip to Elizabeth Arden changes her image, but sitting alone in a café only brings on the wrong kind of pass.

Paul Newman, who encountered the obnoxious Woodward on the plane over from New York, at first doesn't recognize her, using the name Mimi instead of the more masculine Sam. He is allowed to think of her as paid companionship, a fact she doesn't dispute. But as he becomes wise to her, he has all sorts of bizarre fantasies of how to tame her, setting her up for the inevitable confrontation.

The always sunny Thelma Ritter is a delight as Woodward's love-starved assistant with Eva Gabor, George Tobias and Marvin Kaplan in fine support. The fashion industry is playfully made fun of and there is the obvious feeling that the writer had some truth to his light-hearted attack. Sinatra sings the title tune over the credits which Chevalier repeats as part of a medley.

"A New Kind of Love" is a genuinely bad film--something you'd never expect considering it stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Additionally, having Thelma Ritter for support would also seem to guarantee a much better film. However, despite the talent, the film is terrible--with only a few moments here or there that rise above the rest. The bottom line is that if you have a badly written film, even top stars won't save it.

Paul Newman's character is a HUGE part of the problem. While he's supposed to be a bright and talented newspaper man, he's mostly just a horny guy who spends most of his time chasing women. This is very one-dimensional and makes him hard to like. As for Woodward, she is more interesting--a scared woman who makes herself look far less attractive because of her fears. However, after getting herself a makeover when she's in Paris, he sees her and thinks she's a prostitute--a very expensive prostitute--and that intrigues him. Does any of this sound the least bit romantic? And, does it seem very funny? If your answer to both is 'no', then you see why the film has a lot of problems. All in all, a very disappointing and unfunny movie.

By the way, there really is a Festival of St. Catherines and women really do such silly hats. I assume, however, that most parties for St. Catherines did not involve having Maurice Chevalier showing up to entertain!