The Army has a problem. 104 men has been in an Arctic base for 7 months but they can't all go on furlough. Psychiatrist Lt. Vicki Loren (Janet Leigh) suggests giving one man their perfect furlough. Cpl. Paul Hodges (Tony Curtis) leads the men to demand a trip to Paris with movie star Sandra Roca. Paul schemes his way to winning the lottery. It turns out that he was forced to go to the Arctic due to his womanizing ways and Vicki is forced to be a chaperon.

The premise is too complicated but a screwball comedy can do that sometimes. At least, it allows Tony Curtis to have some fun in the Arctic. His charm is cinematic and the movie shows it off. This is an early Blake Edwards comedy and there are a lot of his touches. My only complaint is Sandra Roca's revelation. It cuts short the possibility of a love triangle. That has so much potential but most of it is left behind. I also don't think Janet Leigh is a great comedic actress. Her seriousness can be used for comedy but in this case, it is simply a case of frustrating misunderstanding. It's not as funny as it could have been.

Whenever I post a review to IMDB, I have learned that certain words, often innocent words, cause IMDB to refuse to post a review or hold it up for a long time. But sometimes it's difficult NOT to use certain words...and with "The Perfect Furlough" I'm going to have to talk around it or use 's*x' because the review might not pass muster with imdb. But the film is a comedy all about libido...so it's awfully difficult to not use the word s*x!

The story is EXTREMELY contrived. A group of over a hundred soldiers are stationed up in the Arctic and they're just about going mad due to the conditions...and because there are no women. For some inexplicable reason, the Army can't furlough the men but instead come up with the bright idea of furloughing ONE guy...and giving him the perfect vacation. But, unfortunately, Corporal Hodges (Tony Curtis) is the lucky guy...unfortunate because he has a serious reputation as a ladies man. And, he's supposed to go to Paris and spend the trip with a hot Latin actress...and the Army is extremely worried about her retaining her virginity. So, they assign a couple officers to accompany him as well as MPs....but it appears late in the film they weren't thorough enough.

I'm divulging a plot element here...fortunately I indicated the review has a spoiler. It seems that the beautiful actress is pregnant and they blame Hodges...which makes no sense as the furlough would have to be a couple months long ...and it's only been a couple weeks. Basic physiological facts are all wrong here and the writer could have used a s*x ed refresher course. It also didn't help that the film was pretty stupid. And, while Curtis basically plays the same sort of guy he played in "Operation Petticoat", this film is not nearly as entertaining...just a bit dumb.

By the way, for fans of silent comedies, late in the film look for the house detective...it's Snub Pollard, the Aussie film star. After his career waned during the sound era, he played a variety of supporting and bit roles...and this one is truly a bit...lasting but a few seconds.

'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