Caprice (Frank Tashlin, 1967)

Doris Day nominated Caprice as one of her worst films. Leonard Maltin agreed, awarding it a BOMB: "Terrible vehicle for Doris as industrial spy plunged into international intrigue with fellow agent Harris. Muddled, unfunny, straining to be 'mod.'" And okay, the last third, where the screenwriters try to wrap up the spy nonsense, is indeed muddled. But if "straining to be mod" results in such fabulous costumes, objets (a vase holding hairspray that prevents your locks from ever getting wet), sets (check out the gloriously preposterous interior of a private plane below, almost as silly as the one in Airport '77), kooky opening credits, and a meta moment in which Day goes to see a film called Caprice starring Doris Day, then mod on by! And several set pieces are hilarious and rowdy. This may be Day's most physical role of her career. As per Tashlin's cartoon-reared dictates, Day flops around on the screen like a fashion-plate Daffy Duck, falling from balconies and hanging from porch beams. Funniest scene: when Day foils a surveillance attempt by gnawing on potato chips.

Incidentally, I came across a Rate Your Music entry that lists all of Maltin's BOMBs from his various guides. Quite useful for party planners and film programmers.

Grade: A-minus