Musicals...

Rating: 9/10 (11 July 2000)

Let me start off by saying, I hate musicals. Hate them. I have little respect for a genre with such patently bizarre conventions as the musical. Of course, there will always be a place in my heart for The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music, as they are films that are more rites of passage than actual entertainment, they are part of the American cultural landscape in a way that makes them almost unavoidable. I also, much to my chagrin, like Grease and Hair, but for different reasons.
With all that said, I love Singin' in the Rain. I love it. It is one of the finest films that I have ever watched and I can watch it again and again. SitR is a fun movie, that pokes fun at its own conventions and explodes them in strange and wonderful ways.
Gene Kelly is simply too cool. He is one of the few men that project cool while doing goofy and graceful dance steps (Billy Joel could pull it off sometimes too). Gene Kelly is a damn cool guy with the chops and credentials to make nearly any role legitimate. SitR is no exception. Especially the bizarre, Bernhard-esque dance number at the end, which Kelly choreographed himself. Fantastic.
Donald O'Connor, though, is one of the main reasons why this film works. He is damn funny. His hyperkinetic Make'm Laugh skit still gets me rolling today. He is beyond brilliant in this film and really makes his scenes work.
The plot itself is interesting, it is a musical about the origins of musicals. It is a romance, a comedy, a history lesson and a some of the best dance numbers ever all rolled into one. I don't really know what else to say about this film except... wow.