Singin' in the Rain (1952)

[Mofo Rising]

I've previously gone on record that I don't like musicals. But I do watch anything, especially movies that people think are significant. Singin' in the Rain is one of those, and its reputation is that it is one of the few movies that communicates pure joy.

Well, I watched it, and I can't really argue with that viewpoint.

I didn't love it. I found a few of its musical interludes boring, and I have a severe antipathy to any movie that is about the entertainment industry, but this movie was actually pretty good. I enjoyed watching it. It's good goofy fun, and a fun exploration of the transition from silent films to talkies.

So here's a few disillusioned hipster observations:

It shocked me how much Gene Kelly reminded me of Phil Hartman. Phil Hartman made a lot of headway playing this big toothy entertainer character which is a direct continuation of the work Gene Kelly did in Singin' in the Rain. I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. He didn't have the dance chops, and I loved the goofy tap-dance vaudeville that Kelly and his partner, Donald O'Connor, did in this film. That really was fantastic.

Speaking of Donald O'Connor, "Make 'Em Laugh" is an incredible number. The entire number is great, but there is one moment that made me laugh like a maniac. It isn't him jumping off the walls, it's the one moment where he spins around on the floor laughing like a maniac, which is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

You can see it here at 3:13:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oWk4ZiuSHE

I'm pretty sure I'll be laughing at that until the day I die.

But the rest of the movie isn't all that bad either. The "Gotta' Dance" finale number bored me, but if you don't appreciate Gene Kelly stamping through rain puddles during the title song, I'm pretty sure you have no soul.

So, a good movie that deserves its accolades.

[The Burgomaster]

This is one of my favorite musicals.  My wife and I saw a live stage production of it a few years ago.  It wasn't as good as the movie, but it was still very entertaining.  It was presented in a "theater in the round" format, but they still managed to have real water rain down on the stage.

[bob]

I saw this on DVD a few weeks back and enjoyed the hell out of it. As something of a bonus to me when the title song was being sung I couldn't help but picture that scene from A Clockwork Orange.

[tracy]

I adore musicals and this one is a good one.

[Silverlady]

I love this one!  Makes me want to run through puddles 

[Jim H]

I remember being bored out of my mind with the exception of a few bits when I saw this in a class.  I've been thinking about giving it another shot though.

My favorite bit of trivia is apparently Gene Kelly could be a real bastard, and once yelled at Debbie Reynolds for failing to dance.  And apparently Fred Astaire helped her out with it, and she improved.  Good stuff.

[Raffine]

The phrase "I ciiin't stan'im!" is an old running joke with my family.