This would have been a significantly better movie if MGM had built it around Carmen Miranda. The two numbers she does are the high points of the film - especially the second number set in a night club. I would rate the scenes with Miranda a nine. The rest of the movie has a rating of 4.
Another bright spot in the movie is Ann Sothern - one of my all time favorite actresses. While Sothern is given top billing, the star of the movie is clearly Jane Powell who plays her 17 year old daughter. Powell made some wonderful movies - this is not one of them. She does have a lovely singing voice, but her acting style is very dated. In this movie, she come across as very mannered and artificial.
The movie is top notch in terms of cast and production values. Any single clip from this movie is far more appealing than the entire movie. The problem is with the script, no amount of talent can overcome a muddled mess of a plot.
Think of this as a G rated movie which tries, never successfully, to introduce "adult themes" into standard plot. Jane Powell, the beacon of American Virginity, is mistakenly thought to be pregnant. While this may have been shocking 1950, it makes for a very tired and stale plot point in 2016.
The other problem with this film is that it does not fit into any one specific genre. It is not strictly speaking a musical. In the traditional musical the songs are related to the story line - they serve to advance plot points. In this film they take what appears to be an overly short "women's picture" and pad it out with songs. None of the songs are in any way related to the rest of the movie - they are just randomly spliced into the movie.
I do recommend this movie- if only for the scenes with Carmen Miranda. You can fast forward through the tiresome bits where Jane Powell tries "acting".
Another bright spot in the movie is Ann Sothern - one of my all time favorite actresses. While Sothern is given top billing, the star of the movie is clearly Jane Powell who plays her 17 year old daughter. Powell made some wonderful movies - this is not one of them. She does have a lovely singing voice, but her acting style is very dated. In this movie, she come across as very mannered and artificial.
The movie is top notch in terms of cast and production values. Any single clip from this movie is far more appealing than the entire movie. The problem is with the script, no amount of talent can overcome a muddled mess of a plot.
Think of this as a G rated movie which tries, never successfully, to introduce "adult themes" into standard plot. Jane Powell, the beacon of American Virginity, is mistakenly thought to be pregnant. While this may have been shocking 1950, it makes for a very tired and stale plot point in 2016.
The other problem with this film is that it does not fit into any one specific genre. It is not strictly speaking a musical. In the traditional musical the songs are related to the story line - they serve to advance plot points. In this film they take what appears to be an overly short "women's picture" and pad it out with songs. None of the songs are in any way related to the rest of the movie - they are just randomly spliced into the movie.
I do recommend this movie- if only for the scenes with Carmen Miranda. You can fast forward through the tiresome bits where Jane Powell tries "acting".