Review: Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Oh look! A review that isn't of a book!

Musicals are rather silly by their very nature. It's not exactly realistic for people to burst out singing at random moments. The mark of a good musical is if it can make the viewers overlook the silliness. Or, if it's Singin' in the Rain, use the silliness to make it good.

Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 musical about making a musical, starring actors playing actors. I swear it makes more sense in the film.

I've heard of most of the actors, but I haven't seen any of their other films, so I didn't recognise any of them.

It's 1927. Lina and Don are the most popular stars of Monumental Pictures, but Don makes all their speeches. Approximately fifteen minutes into the film, we learn why. Lina's voice could peel paint. Everyone knows this... except her. But it's the era of silent films, so her voice doesn't matter to the public, right? 😏

Don and Lina

Then the first ever talking picture appears. While Don and Lina are making another silent film, The Dueling Cavalier. Naturally, the producer decides that instead of giving up on the film currently being filmed, they should turn it into a talking picture. There's just one problem: Lina.

The minute everyone realised there might be a few problems with this "talking picture" business 😆

The film gets made in spite of Lina's voice and sound-related difficulties ("The mike's picking up her heartbeat!" 😆). Only trouble is, said film is utterly ridiculous... which everyone only realises at the preview. Don assumes his career's over. But his friends Cosmo and Kathy have an idea: they'll turn The Dueling Cavalier into a musical, and dub Lina's voice with Kathy's!

Don, Kathy and Cosmo

Unfortunately, Lina has an idea of her own. She wants Kathy to keep dubbing her for years. Things look pretty bad... until she decides to make a speech...

One of the best -- not to mention funniest -- endings ever seen in musicals.

From start to end Singin' in the Rain is frothy, ridiculous nonsense. The frequent out-of-nowhere song and dance sequences are just plain weird. Only two of the songs are memorable. But it's funny enough that I don't care. From Lina's mishaps with the microphone, to Cosmo's hilarious antics, to the side-splitting final scene, the film is full of comical moments. So ignoring the silliness and judging it only on how enjoyable it is, it's a pretty good film!

Is it available online?: Not as far as I know.

Rating: 5/10.