I love this film, but...

Rating: 10/10 (14 June 2000)

I think the dance numbers, and even some of the songs, are less amazing than those of its immediate predecessor, An American in Paris, made by gene Kelly a year beforehand. I know that the An American in Paris songs were just adaptations of Gershwin songs, but they're great, and they work. That rendition of "I Got Music" is wonderful, and the 20 minute ballet at the end is one of the greatest things I've ever seen in a film. There are several songs from Singing in the Rain which were a little weak, and the "New York Ballet" doesn't feel right at all in this film. It's obviously a grab for the success of An American in Paris and its amazing finale. That one made a lot of sense in that film (and was itself inspired by the even more amazing ballet sequence from The Red Shoes). That ballet sequence had much more substance, and didn't seem excessive. The New York Ballet did seem a bit excessive, although nice to watch.
What puts Singing in the Rain above An American in Paris is its plot. An American in Paris' plot was almost completely filler material between the songs and dance. The ending to that film (after the ballet sequence, that is) was very abrupt and didn't even make much sense. Singing in the Rain is extremely interesting in its setting. It's very interesting from a historical perspective, and that's what pushes it to a 10/10 for me, 1 above An American in Paris.