I'm singin' a review! What a glorious thing to do!
Ok, not really. I think people would freak out if I sang this entire review, and that has nothing to do with my total lack of singing skill. Anyway, we all know the 1952 classic "Singin' in the Rain" and the song that goes along with it.
The plot follows Don Lockwood(brilliantly portrayed by the immortal Gene Kelly) and his co-star Lina Lamont(Jean Hagen) as their carrers in the silent film industry are challenged by the new technology on the block, the talkie. To stand up to this new threat Don, his best friend Cosmo(Donal O'Connor), and his love interest Kathy(Debbie Reynolds) decide to make a musical out of Lockwood and Lamont's flop of a first talkie.
This film is called a classic for a reason, because it sets a standard not easily met by most. The last few years have seen the semi-resurgance of the musical genre(Hairspray and Sweeny Todd being the tow biggest offenders), but nothing seems to hold a flame to this film. Now i'm not a big fan of musicals, but this movie is just so much fun to watch. The songs are captivating(the title track being the most obvious along with "make 'em laugh"), however the whole "Broadway Meoldy" seemed to go on a little too long. The dancing is even fun to watch(in particular, Cosmo and Don at an alliteration coach and they start danicing in his office...thus scuffing the hell out of the guy's floors).
The acting is top notch, and the singing adds a feeling of depth to the characters and seems to give the actors a good chance to show off thier pipes. Gene Kelly gives a mesmerizing performance, and Donald O'Connor's song and dance number "Make 'em Laugh" was spectacular(considering they had no special effects to speak of, those stunts are impressive).
Overall, this is a must see. Even if you're like me and very skeptical of musicals(something about throwing songs in to advance the plot randomly irks me I guess). This is a great movie, regardless of your views on the song and dance thing.