Singin' In The Rain (1952)
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Writers: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Actors: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
"I'm siiiiingin' in the rain, just siiiiiingin' in the rain. What a glorious feeling I'm happy again"
Chances are that you have heard that once in your life. Even if you haven't seen this film. That is how famous Singin' In The Rain has become. I bet there are people out there who know the main tune but don't even know there is a movie attached to it. When it comes to these sort of films I am very wary of writing my thoughts on them. I mean what more can I say about the film that hasn't been said before. Its too popular to talk about. So why am I even talking about it? Well I don't really like it........... So, here we go.
I know what most of you are thinking (especially those who love the film), "How can you not like Singin' in the Rain?! It's a classic!". Well unfortunately just because something is a classic doesn't make it good. "But its a feel good movie! What is there to criticize?". Well a lot actually, just because something is feel good doesn't instantly make it a good movie. Anyway, i'll stop having this imaginary back and forth with this person and just get right down to it. This film honestly does nothing to me. Yeah its feel good, and the songs are catchy, but that's just about it. Everything else is so overtly simplistic that there is not point for me to even follow along. I could just skip to the songs and slapstick scenes and get done with it. I understand the underlying commentary on Hollywood and the film industry, but again, it is taken in a very surface level and simplistic way that it just doesn't do anything for me. If you just go back to 1950, Sunset Blvd tackled the same topic in a much more interesting perspective. And it was also a good film.
I constantly talk about "standing the test of time" whenever I review a fairly old movie. Well it still applies here. And I think that statement is the biggest hindrance of this film. Yes, its fun and all that, but it is ultimately silly and relies on very cheap comedy. If I wanted to watch an old feel good movie I would go for Some Like it Hot, His Girl Friday, or even Modern Times! All those movies I mentioned had one thing that Singin' in the Rain doesn't have, and that's that they are timeless. The comedy is still funny, witty, and smart. I know comedy is subjective, which is why I am letting you all know that this isn't the type I enjoy. Which is what I believe hurt my enjoyment of this film the most.
I don't have much else to say about this film. It has been discussed many times by hundreds of people and I doubt that I will add any meaningful discussion. I just wanted to get my thoughts out there, so that you can understand my taste. Which will hopefully set a precedent for later reviews, as most will kind of know how I will react to certain films. All in all, this film is just okay. I am not going to bash it any more because I know that it is beloved by millions. However, I think these films don't really do anything to further our appreciation of cinema. We shift our focus and look for those diamonds in the rough. The excellent films that were forgotten by time and restore their names so that they can be forever remembered.
