What a glorious feeling!
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and distributed by Loew's Inc. The film is suggested by Arthur Freed's 1929 song of the same name. It stars Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The film was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Score, but did not win either. In 1989, it was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically" significant.
"I'm singin' in the rain. Just singin' in the rain. What a glorious feeling! I'm happy again!" - Don Lockwood
Plot
Superstar actor Don Lockwood is the face of Hollywood alongside his co-star, Lina Lamont. When The Jazz Singer is released as a smash hit, the film industry shifts into talkies. As Don's studio tries to adjust, Lina also has trouble going from silent to talkies. This leads to a young actress and singer taking over for Lina's voice, and the turmoil that that causes.
My Favorite Part of Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain has always been praised as one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, and I see why. The musical numbers in this film are fantastic. And there's a lot of them. They are full of energy and color and excitement. Gene Kelly is an incredible singer and dancer, and he shows that to full effect in this movie. Every single musical sequence is memorable. The standout is, of course, Singin' in the Rain, which is one of the best and most famous scenes in any film ever. The energy from all the actors combined with the direction and cinematography makes the music and dance numbers in Singin' in the Rain just fantastic.
My Least Favorite Part of Singin' in the Rain
It's a good thing that the musical numbers steal the show, because there isn't much else going on past that. On a story level, Singin' in the Rain is pretty weak. It relies very much on showiness. Great performances, high energy, fun musical numbers, beautiful costumes, and vibrant production design are the things that make this movie. The story is actually pretty boring. The characters are brought to life by the actors, but they're pretty surface-level beyond that. It's a good movie, but it doesn't have the complexity or the depth I feel a film needs to be considered one of the all-time greats.
Why Singin' in the Rain is Good
As I've said, Singin' in the Rain is a technical wonder. A lot of people criticize Avatar for having amazing, ground-breaking visuals but not much story or characters. I think that applies to Singin' in the Rain. This film has incredible, energetic musical numbers, costumes, production design, and performances, but the story and characters are pretty lame. That makes it a very consumable movie. It's fun if you like musicals. But don't expect much more than some great, great musical sequences.
Final Thoughts and Score
Singin' in the Rain is a fantastic musical, but isn't much more beyond that. A more interesting story and deeper characters would've made this truly amazing, but without that, it's just good.
But I settle for just good. I'll go Savory here. Age range is 6+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good)
Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)
"Singin' in the Rain"
Fun Factor: 8/10
Acting: 8.5/10
Story: 4.5/10
Characters: 6.5/10
Quality: 7.5/10
Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
Rated G for thematic elements
Released on April 11, 1952
1 hour and 43 minutes
Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood
Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden
Donald O'Connor as Cosmo Brown
Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont
Millard Mitchell as R.F. Simpson
Comments