Great Movie ... Needs to be seen on a big screen!

Rating: Null/10 (17 June 2008)

Watching this on small TV is hard; I tried many times but was distracted away by other programs. However, when I saw it on a large screen with a group of people ... wow! It was pretty awesome. Suddenly what seemed like a corny old musical for a different generation became lively, engrossing, fun and kind of magical.
The overall story is about a film studio in 1927 that is in trouble because their big new film, their first "talkie" (sound) movie, sounds terrible. Their biggest problem is that the star actress (from silent pictures) has a voice that's pretty painful to hear. However, they find an innovative way to solve the problem ... but it's not without its own problems!
At the heart of the movie is a romance between the studio's lead actor (Gene Kelly) and a new actress (Debbie Reynolds). It's complicated by quite a few things, but like the rest of the film, it's lighthearted and funny.
I'm not really a fan of musicals or dance movies, but I thoroughly enjoyed both in this movie. The music is tuneful and is kind of a substitute for talking and self-expression; it's not done just to insert singing.
As for the dancing ... well, I never appreciated Gene Kelly's remarkable physical prowess until I saw this movie. As mentioned earlier, one really should see this movie on a large screen to appreciate how intense his and his sidekick (the character Cosmo) physical movements are. Their dancing was spectacular and fun to watch. Like the singing, it was also nicely integrated into the movie.
This movie was a lot of fun to watch and should appeal to just about everyone. If you're in the mood for an innocent, fun, romantic comedy with lots of music ... and can get yourself past any stereotypes you might have about this film ... you'll be richly reward with a great experience.