CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

dougdoepke Acrobatic musical from 1953 that spreads screen time between three couples instead of the usual romantic pair. Apparently the movie flopped at the box office (IMDB) despite MGM pedigree. For a musical the screenplay is more plot heavy than usual as three dancers compete for the lead in a Broadway musical. Not only does this divide screen time between the three, but generates unusual suspense for this kind of film. After all, which of the trio of talents will be selected. Also unusual is the general absence of romantic dance numbers. Instead it's flying feet, acrobatic tumbles, and super wide leg-splits-- no Astaire-Rogers here. That's surprising since the Champions would be expected to cuddle up in a few routines, but instead they're separated by plot wrinkles. So, all in all, I suspect normal audience expectations were let down. Nonetheless, Reynolds projects her usual charm and sparkle. But will she win. In my view, screen time should have featured her, with Marge and Gower, who are better dancers than actors, in support. At the same time, the incredibly nimble Fosse makes a compact visual match for Debbie. Anyway, MGM injects its usual color splash along with a load of extras. And fans of acrobatic fast shoe should find much to marvel at. Meanwhile, that opening marathon of the splits still has me crossing my legs. Amazing what they can do.

Michael_Elliott Give a Girl a Break (1953) ** 1/2 (out of 4)A Broadway show is about to open but the main star walks out over a disagreement. The producers go into a panic but decide to hold an open audition. Ted Sturgis (Gower Champion) wants his ex-wife (Marge Champion) to get the part. Leo Belney (Kurt Kasznar) wants his discovery Joanna Moss (Helen Ross) to get the role while Bob Dowdy (Bob Fosse) wants his amateur (Debbie Reynolds) to get the part.GIVE A GIRL A BREAK isn't going to be mistaken for a masterpiece but if you're a fan of the Musical genre then it's certainly worth watching and especially since you've got some famous faces before they were well-known. This here was meant to be a showcase for the Champion team but the film ended up bombing and the two of them were pretty much done with the movies. Of course, when viewing this today the main focus will be on the Reynolds-Fosse connection.In my opinion those two legends are the main reason to watch this as they actually make for a pretty cute couple and both of them turn in fine performances. This is especially true for Fosse who really delivers a believable performance and I thought he was extremely entertaining int he role of the producer who is often pushed around. Reynolds is as beautiful and charming as ever and there's no question that very few couple pull off that small town girl better. The rest of the cast members were okay in their parts but there's no question that they take a back seat.The biggest problem with this film is that there's really not that much of a story. We basically have the competition thrown in so that we can get various dream sequences, which usually lead to a variety of dance numbers. In all honesty, I thought the dance numbers were decent but there's certainly nothing great here. I'd also argue that there weren't any great musical numbers either. It seems MGM was wanting to show off what talent they had on hand without giving away any great moments or musical numbers.

Andrew Schoneberg Interesting what another reviewer said here about this movie originally being written for Kelly, Garland, etc. I suspected it was intended for Kelly or Astaire, with Kazner part written for Oscar Levant, and Fosse part intended for Donald O'Connor. The screen writers were some of MGM's best, who usually wrote big budget films.I wonder if the entire film, or most obviously, the dance number the Champions do with all the vertical poles were shot in 3D. That dance seems smartly designed for 3D, and the film was made in 1953, the year Hollywood made something like 80 3D films.OK now my very brief review. This film is mostly a delight, as were several other early 50's, small scale MGM musicals. All that talent, in front of and behind the screen, make the slim and tired story, and modest production values irrelevant.

mark.waltz I would have given this a higher rating, but there is so much filler in this pleasant but generic musical. The basic story (of three candidates for the leading role in a Broadway musical) doesn't take a brain matter, but there is still a lot of imagination in that filler that it's hard not to like it. In fact, I smiled vividly in watching this again (for the fifth time, last time about six years ago), especially in the opening title song, the balloon/confetti dance, and the elaborate finale, which uses the title of a future Broadway musical based upon "All About Eve".This is also a very historical movie and must for dance students because it features dancing together for the only time on screen future legendary Broadway directors/choreographers Gower Champion and Bob Fosse. As Gower's wife Marge Champion is one of the three girls, it is sort of sad that Fosse's dancer wife Gwen Verdon wasn't. But Fosse doesn't skimp on his dance partner-he gets the wonderful Debbie Reynolds who you can't help but adore. Comedy relief comes in the form of chunky Kurt Kasznar whose character could be compared to Zero Mostel's lecherous Max Bielestock in "The Producers"; In fact, if you don't look close enough, you might think it is Mostel! Larry Keating is the kindly producer who must make the decision (with the helpful advice of the other three), while Helen Wood is the third girl. I didn't think she had as much charisma as the other two; That is probably why you never heard of her. In a sense, this is a re-do of "42nd Street", which Champion would direct to great acclaim and an opening night he never got to see because of his sudden tragic death. But to see the two future Broadway legends together is as dreamy as seeing Mary Martin and Ethel Merman together in their famous TV special.