French Lawyer Michel Boullard (Charles Boyer) is estranged from his cold and prudish psychiatrist daughter Lauren (Leslie Caron) – a 30-year-old virgin who is engaged to card-carrying wimp Arnold Plum (Dick Shawn).
Convinced his daughter is an old spinster at 30 and impressed by wealthy American oilman and notorious womaniser Paul Chadwick (Rock Hudson), Boullard asks Paul to seduce his daughter and make her realise what she’s been missing all her adult life – the “very special favour” of the title.
Paul poses as Lauren’s patient, telling her that he is irresistible to women and that he is too afraid to turn down a woman because it led to one committing suicide in the past.
The relationship between the two is strictly professional until they go out to a restaurant where Lauren tries to prove he can enjoy a night out without worrying about women flirting with him.
Lauren passes out from drinking too much champagne and Paul takes her back to her hotel and creates a scene, which makes it looks as if they have slept with each other. Lauren later learns that the setting was staged.
Reconnecting with his daughter, Boullard works with Lauren to exact revenge on Paul. The subterfuge involves inventing a lover for Lauren – a bullfighter named El Magnifico – and convincing Paul he’s lost his touch in the sack.
Paul catches on and enlists a female friend – switchboard operator Mickey (Nita Talbot) – to impersonate a man so that Lauren will think he’s now gay.
Lauren races to the hotel room where Paul and his “male friend” are to do the deed, sacrificing all to save Paul from the love that dares not speak its name.
The film ends with Paul and Lauren happily married, with several children underfoot and another one on the way.
Paul Chadwick
Rock Hudson Dr Lauren Boullard
Leslie Caron Michel Boullard
Charles Boyer Etienne
Walter Slezak Arnold Plum
Dick Shawn Mother Plum
Norma Varden Harry the Taxi Driver
Larry Storch Mickey the Switchboard Operator
Nita Talbot Pete
George Furth Claude
Marcel Hillaire Rene
Jay Novello Bartender
Stafford Repp Jacqueline
Danica D’Hondt Desk Clerk
Frank De Vol Dr Lambert
John Harding
Director
Michael Gordon
Related Posts
Hot Rods To Hell (1967) Tom Phillips (Dana Andrews), his wife Peg (Jeanne Crain), their teenage daughter Tina (Laurie Mock) and little boy Jamie drive…
Lolita (1962) "How could they make a movie of Lolita?" the adverts for Stanley Kubrick's film demanded. The answer was, they did -…
Eyes Without a Face (1960) At his secluded chateau in the French countryside, Professeur Génessier - a brilliant, obsessive doctor (Pierre Brasseur) - attempts radical…
In Cold Blood (1967) Truman Capote's book about two young real-life murderers was a shocking bestseller in its day and thought impossible to bring…
Follow That Horse! (1960) Scatterbrained young civil servant Dick Lanchester (David Tomlinson) is sent by Sir William Crane (Cecil Parker), Minister of Atomic Energy,…
Hard Day's Night, A (1964) The Beatles first feature film was a surprisingly sensational comedy, which revolved around a fictional 36 hours in their hectic schedule…
All the Young Men (1960) A US Marine patrol is attempting to hold a snowcovered mountain pass during the Korean War when their Lieutenant dies,…
Sex And The Single Girl (1964) Romantic comedy about ruthless newspaper editor Bob Weston (Tony Curtis) who sets his sights on writing a risqué article about…
The relationship between the two is strictly professional until they go out to a restaurant where Lauren tries to prove he can enjoy a night out without worrying about women flirting with him.
