Filmspotter's Top 100 Movies #18:Singing in the Rain
I am not a musicals guy. After deeming both Chicago and Mamma Mia! failures, friends(mostly female) jumped on me, claiming that it's not about story, it's about songs and stuff. Story doesn't matter, as long as the songs work(one problem, they didn't) but of course, while wary of any musicals I was going to see, I felt that before I declare myself a hater of the dancing and singing genre, I should at least one classic of the genre. This then brought me to watch Singin' in the Rain.
I loved it. I mean, my problem with the dreaded duo of Chicago and Mamma Mia is not that they had plots that were not exactly subtle, but that the narrative made no sense. They were messes. Singing in the Rain is not exactly the godfather, but it's plot moves along at a fine pace and allows the numbers to come in. and they are spectacular. Watching Gene Kelly move is just mesmerizing.
But the story is actually very good. It charts the arrival of sound in movies, which makes two huge silent movie stars have trouble dealing with the fact that their voices are not exactly film worthy. While Gene Kelly is not a huge problem, the real problem is Lina Lamont(Jean Hagen), his co-star in almost very movie. Not only does she believe it when the tabloids claim they are in a relationship, but she also has one of the most annoying voices ever known to man. She is despicable, which means that Hagen did her job right.
The story engages the audience, and though the screenplay is nothing groundbreaking, it works. Not to mention that this is actually a very funny movie, even by modern standards("Cosmo, call me a cab!!" "Ok, you're a cab"). All the actors play their non-foot flinging parts well, especially Donald O'Connor, who is a delight. He's fantastic.
Verdict: Gotta Dance!!!
Grade: A