Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of Larrabee’s chauffeur. She’s been in love with the youngest of the family, David Larrabee (William Holden), for her entire life, but he was far too busy with his rich, carefree playboy affairs to notice her. One day, she leaves for Paris to have cooking lessons and when she returns, all grown-up and sophisticated, it’s no longer just David who notices her, but his older brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart), too.
It may look that way, but Sabrina is not just another cinderella story: the ending we envision in the first place may very well be the right one, but Wilder’s constant twists and turns towards the end are bound to keep us on our feet.
William Holden is the perfect blend of prince charming and devilish boy, for whom we constantly fall in and out of love. Dressed by Edith Head (who won the Oscar for Best Costume Design), Audrey Hepburn lights up the screen with her usual femininity and sweetness. Despite not being Wilder’s first choice and not being completely comfortable in this role, Humphrey Bogart is swell in a comedy setting.
His character is the one that evolves the most throughout, starting out as the serious workaholic with a much too busy agenda, and ending up as… well, you’ll see. Even though this is not Wilder’s most acclaimed work, Sabrina remains an entertaining movie with enough creativity, plenty of charm, and a set of talented actors that elevate it to its full potential.
