Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Gene Kelly, one of the true masters of the classic Hollywood musical (along with Fred Astaire, among a select few others), is best remembered for the 1952 classic Singin' in the Rain that he starred in and also co-directed with Stanley Donen.  Kelly's costars were Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Jean Hagen, and Cyd Charisse (or Cyd Charisse's legs, depending on your viewpoint).

The film opens with an immensely popular on-screen duo arriving to the premier of their new movie; Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont (whose voice is only slightly less grating than nails on a chalkboard) are commonly linked romantically in their films by the studio and (falsely) by the tabloids.  After an awkward first meeting and an even more awkward second one, Lockwood becomes smitten with a talented wannabe stage-actress named Kathy Selden.  The release of The Jazz Singer heralds the age of the talkies and, as a result, the filming of the  new Lockwood and Lamont picture is fraught with many of the problems facing early sound film; the reactions of a test audience are discouraging (to say the absolute least).  Along with his best friend Cosmo, Kathy, and the studio-head, Don conspires to turn the film into a musical with Kathy dubbing all of Lina's lines and musical numbers; but in Hollywood things are never quite that simple and Lina won't take being usurped by a much more tolerable person like Kathy Selden lying down.

The musical numbers throughout the film are catchy and filled with dance sequences liable to make your jaw drop.  Numbers such as "Make 'Em Laugh" and the titular "Singin' in the Rain" earned their iconic status for their addictive lyrics and the stunning athletic ability demonstrated by the performers (Kelly and O'Connor in particular).  In addition, despite the film's (deservedly) family-friendly moniker, there is a very sultry (and quite memorable) dance sequence between Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.

The acting in the film is exceptional for a musical, as usually there is a choice to be made between a good actor or a good singer/dancer, but Kelly, Reynolds, and O'Connor could do both with the best of them.  At times, the film got a bit too hammy for its own good, but those moments were few and far between as Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen managed to maintain the ideal tone for a great majority of the film.  The film's plot is both enjoyable and interesting, with just a dash of historical relevance thrown in for good measure; Lina Lamont is based on an actual actress (though it is a highly unfair characterization of that said actress) that fizzled shortly after the talking pictures rose to prominence, while Don Lockwood's silent-film persona seems to be heavily based off of Douglas Fairbanks.

Remembered as the most beloved of Gene Kelly's musicals, Singin' in the Rain is an infectious and highly enjoyable ride from start to finish that has stood the test of time in a way that very few musicals have matched.  This particular tale of Hollywood celebrity is bound to leave a smile on the face of anyone who watches it, with a villain in Lamont that is just malicious enough for all the cynics out there to be satisfied.

9/10

Note: Lina Lamont constantly exasperatingly exclaims, "What do you think I am, dumb or something?" I feel the need to give her an answer: yes.

Additional Note: This review was previously posted on another blog I wrote.