Fitzwilly

Name: Fitzwilly
Released: 1967
Duration: 102 min

28/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 28 ↓

Not BBFC rated102 min
Comedy

A butler who steals to keep his employer in the dark about her bank balance is a premise that should curdle…

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Explore this film 3 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

A different kind of Christmas.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas is only the occasion.10/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for the final act.5/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details3 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.5/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: incidentally.5/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

75/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →

What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →

The story

About Fitzwilly

A dignified butler in a grand New York townhouse keeps his kindly, spendthrift employer from learning she is penniless by running the household staff as a polite ring of thieves. When a new secretary works out the scheme and falls for him, and one over-generous donation leaves a hole in the books, the staff plan one last big job on Christmas Eve. It is a light, old-fashioned caper comedy in which Christmas is the deadline and the shopping crowds, more than the subject.

The CineClaus verdict

A butler who steals to keep his employer in the dark about her bank balance is a premise that should curdle, and the film keeps it light by never letting anyone get hurt. Christmas is a deadline and a lot of wreaths rather than the point, so this is a caper that happens to land on Christmas Eve.

Dick Van Dyke plays it straight and Edith Evans nearly steals it. Pleasant, a little long on plot, best with a mince pie and low expectations.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: fine for most children, as the thefts are played as a cheerful lark with no real danger, though younger ones may lose interest in the plot.

Content advice & accessibility

Not BBFC rated: The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.