A Very Special Favor

The film takes place in two primary locations. The story begins in glamorous Parisian courts, providing a sophisticated European backdrop for the legal proceedings. The action then shifts to New York City, where the main romance and family dynamics unfold amid the bustling urban landscape.

Paris serves as the setting for Paul's early courtroom victory, where he uses his charm to win over a judge. The European setting establishes the film's tone of sophistication and provides the initial premise that brings the characters together before moving to New York.

The film explores three major themes. Romance drives the plot as characters navigate attraction, jealousy, and manipulation. Deception is central, with hidden identities and rehearsed plans driving the comedy. Gender Roles are examined through Lauren as a career-driven woman challenging traditional expectations, while French identity and American independence clash throughout.

Michel Boullard is a French lawyer and proud Frenchman who has been absent from his daughter Lauren's life for years. He travels to New York to reconnect with her, remaining mysterious about his true identity. He orchestrates the scheme involving Paul as a strategic tactic to help spark passion in his emotionally guarded daughter.

Lauren Boullard is a 30-year-old psychologist and career-driven woman who is emotionally guarded and not easily charmed. She is engaged to Arnold Plum but finds herself drawn into a romantic triangle. Her character represents a modern woman challenging traditional gender roles, and her arc involves thawing her controlled exterior to embrace genuine connection.

Paul Chadwick is a wealthy American oilman and notorious womanizer who uses his charm to win both court cases and romantic pursuits. He becomes entangled in Boullard's scheme to helpwoo Lauren, testing his own limits. His arc involves transitioning from a playboy fulfilling a favor to someone experiencing genuine emotional connection.

Gender expectations significantly shape character choices. Lauren is portrayed as a decisive career woman who challenges traditional feminine roles. The film satirizes gendered authority in the courtroom and explores power dynamics between men and women. The resolution shows these dynamics being negotiated through wit rather than force.

The central deception involves multiple layers: Boullard hides his true identity from Lauren and manipulates Paul into an affair by proxy. Paul fabricates a patient-therapist relationship to approach Lauren, and a staged scene creates the illusion of shared intimacy. These lies are used to provoke reactions and expose vulnerabilities, driving both the comedy and romantic resolution.

Arnold Plum is Lauren's fiancé, a willing pushover who lives to serve his fiancée. He provides comic relief throughout the film and represents conventional male support. His lack of assertiveness makes him easily manipulated, and he becomes part of the romantic triangle that develops when Paul enters the picture.

The film juxtaposes French and American identities through its characters. Boullard takes pride in his French heritage and uses strategic tactics rooted in French sophistication. Meanwhile, Paul represents American wealth, independence, and direct charm. The courtroom scene satirizes how charisma influences power dynamics across cultures, while the romance explores how these cultural differences both clash and complement each other.

A Very Special Favor is a light romantic comedy from 1965. The film has a low-intensity tone, driven by character interactions and romantic misunderstandings rather than high-stakes drama. It features steady pacing with comedic situations and a moderate complexity due to its layered deceptions, ultimately culminating in a happy ending with marriage and family.