The Audience are all singin' in the rain!

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2013)

Since the time I first began viewing films with a certain passion, there haven't been too many- in fact, very few- musicals that have impressed me and lent me to revisit them appraisingly. Firstly, very few of them actually contain interesting characters and subject matter with Les Miserablés being a recent, remarkable musical/example. Then, there was the whole eventual boredom that would emanate from the film's constant dancing, singing, and stylistic and unnatural reliance on choreographic performances. Fortunately, in this case, Singin' in the Rain managed to surprise me with its sheer quality and entertaining nature.
Attuned to what I previously claimed, the picture features incredibly charming characters with Don Lockwood (played by the great Gene Kelly) being a very clear exemplar. Normally, Hollywood films in that era would portray relationships in largely superficial and (negatively) theatrical fashion. The couple would persistently utter hackneyed lines to one another. Some might find them beautiful, but I find them horribly clichéd- that is unless the pairing has a charisma and charm to them that's able to separate the two from the generic Hollywood romance that was customarily depicted on-screen during those times.
In this instance, Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden (a rare beauty played by Debbie Reynolds) commence their unorthodox relationship with a stir of skepticism in which Kathy doesn't quickly wrap herself up in the famous star's arms. Her likability and credibility is earned by her resistance to his glamour. This effectively displays her character as strong-willed and alluring- she's not the kind to thoughtlessly sleep with a guy the day she met him because he's a worldwide sensation; no, she's the kind that's hard to obtain. At this point, the male audience (or, at least, me) immediately find themselves resonating with Don because I'm sure most of us have come across a woman we painstakingly loved but were unable to attract without great effort. This fascinating relationship follows in a similar manner throughout the film until they realize the appeal of one another. In sum, the terrific chemistry between the two characters is self-evident from the absolute start, which is also wondrously contributed to by exceptional acting performances.
On another note, the soundtrack is quite delightful and classic in its melody and rhythm and provides for astounding choreography. With that being said, though the feature is predominantly entertaining and clever, it slightly loses its pace with its middle act in which we're introduced to non-stop singing and dancing. The intriguing story is compromised and temporarily paused while the filmmakers use this precious time to showcase the musical performances as this is a musical at the end of the day. Unfortunately, that particular segment (prolonged, indeed) lowered the film's overall quality and troubled it with a highly noticeable flaw. When I was discussing the unrealistic look of musicals at certain moments towards the beginning of my review, this is exactly what I meant by their unattractive aspects. When all is said and done, Singin' in the Rain was a pleasing experience, and although it was considerably hurt by its second act, I hope my memory of the film will be dominated by its satisfying plot, characters, music, and cinematically historical significance, which all drastically overshadow that one meandering element.