Salubfoto
It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
MikeMagi
Let's see...toss out the original plot of the thirties musical, replace it with a script about an endless series of misunderstandings, bowdlerize Cole Porter's lyrics (four letter words are puritanically slimmed down to three in the title tune) and stage the production numbers mechanically...and what have you got? A misfire. Or maybe proof that Paramount shouldn't have invaded MGM's territory. Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor battle the screenplay, putting some zest into their roles as a song-and-dance man and aspiring Broadway star. But Bing Crosby seems almost disinterested in the shipboard shenanigans and even his performance of Porter's "All Through the Night" lacks the song's wistful irony.
Steven Torrey
This is one of those movies where you think Hollywood done Cole Porter wrong. The Cole Porter tunes are excellent. That vamp Bing Crosby and cast do at the end of the movie with "Blow Gabriel Blow" is excellent; that Bing Crosby lent his talent to such a vamp speaks to his spirit as well as his talent. Changing 'Four letter words' for 'three letter words' is funny in a Hollywood sort of funny.But the deterioration of the movie comes with Donald O'Connor throwing a ball around with a bunch of kids--I never understand this fascination for kids--it was silly, stupid, inane, vacuous. And alas there were three other numbers equally horrendous. That nonsense with a turban didn't work either.But if you like Cole Porter, their interpretations of his music was about as good as it gets. Their vocalizations enhance Cole Porter without taking away from Cole Poter. If Hollywood has a few spare millions hanging around, they might consider a remake of ANYTHING GOES. Though in a million years, I couldn't tell who the cast should be.
glm39
It has all the trappings of an entertaining musical, but the chemistry is not there. A few of the musical numbers are worth seeing, but many are mediocre at best. The most peculiar thing about the movie is its substitution of boring, pedestrian new songs to take the place of Cole Porter's songs. Although Jimmy Van Heusen certainly composed some good songs in his day, the present "Ya Gotta Give the People Hoke," "Bounce Right Back," and "A Second-Hand Turban" are embarrassing. The producers couldn't find 3 more Cole Porter songs to use instead? Adding to the embarrassment is the bowdlerization of the song "Anything Goes," in which Mitzi Gayner is not even permitted to refer to authors' "four-letter words." Instead, we are nonsensically told that authors nowadays use only "three-letter words." Of course, such censoring of the lyrics of this song negate the entire premise of the song, which is that anything is permitted nowadays.Donald O'Connor has a very nice dance routine with children and a lot of bouncing balls in "Bounce Right Back," which is the most original number in the film. The comedy duos by O'Connor and Crosby fall flat, as does the vocal by Jeanmaire. Indeed, after hearing the mangled arrangement of her trying to sing "I Get a Kick Out of You," I actually stopped the movie and played a Frank Sinatra version in order to get the bad taste out of my ears. Mitzi Gayner is lively and attractive and does a good job in belting out her songs. Crosby is always good, although the arrangement and photography of his performance of "All Through the Night" were so anemic that one might doze through it, without danger of anything happening to wake one up.The plot is actually a very good basis for a musical comedy (a mix-up in which both Gayner and Jeanmaire are hired for the same part), but the writing is corny and stilted, there is little real humor, and the comic potential of the situation is simply not realized. Although the drama is of course not the most important part of a musical comedy, if it does not help to motivate the songs and does not create any suspense about what will happen, then the audience is just tapping its feet waiting for the next musical number.I think that if someone were to edit the film to include five or so of the best musical numbers only (no plot, no weaker songs), one might have 20 minutes of decent entertainment. But to watch the film for 106 minutes to get those 20 minutes of entertainment is not that pleasant.
Cara
I had never seen the movie before I went out and bought it the other day. It was an impulse thing I know. But there are very few musicals that I've seen and not liked. Also I have yet to see a movie with Donald O'Connor in it and not love it and him even more than I already do. It was my first Bing Crosby film and though I thought he was okay in it I have to say the only reason for me has to be Donald. I love his dance and song solo number of bounce right back. It makes me smile and laugh each time I see it. It's a cute movie and puts you in a good mood each time you watch it. SO I'd get it a 10. It's one of Donald's best. It's a must see.
