Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

MartinHafer I must admit, I am not a huge musical fan. Now I am not saying I dislike them--it's just that sometimes films have singing that works well and sometimes it doesn't. While Judy Garland's singing in "Presenting Lily Mars" is quite good (as always), the rest of the music really isn't all that good and slows down the film. Too often, there is operatic singing that made my ears ache--and I couldn't resist using the remote to skip a couple of them. It's a shame, as when the singing stops, the film really is a lot of fun.Judy plays the title character--a star-struck young lady who wants to make it on Broadway in the worst way. Unfortunately for a producer (Van Heflin), she decides that he is her best prospect and she spends much of the film badgering him to notice her and give her a chance. If you think about it, the film seems to endorse the idea of stalkers! Regardless, Judy is so cute that he and the audience can't resist and he decides to give her a small part in his next show. Not surprisingly, romance soon blooms between them. And, I must admit that the comedy and romance both worked very well. Too bad it was also a musical. Overall, it's well worth seeing despite the flaws--especially if you are a Judy Garland fan. I liked it and sure wanted to see more of the scenes between Judy and Van.

JLRMovieReviews In "Presenting Lily Mars," Judy Garland is an aspiring actress and singer, who is trying to get an audition with Van Heflin. He's a successful Broadway producer and writer who hails from her home town. When he goes home to visit mom, played by Fay Bainter, who's a friend of Judy's, they both try to set it up for Van Heflin to see what she can do. But he has always insisted on not seeing another eager amateur with no talent. Even for his own mother, no more auditions. In fact, the whole first half of the movie is about her trying to get noticed, even getting one of her younger sisters in on the act of playacting. Her mother, played by Spring Byington, encourages her. I had reviewed this before a couple of years back, when I gave the movie a rougher review, but upon seeing again, I enjoyed it more. As usual Judy is in great voice and the film has an offbeat sense of humor with a brother of hers collecting doorknobs. But what will happen? This movie may be predictable but it makes up for it by being very pleasant and having good supporting actors, and a madcap pace keeps the viewers' interest. "Lily Mars" is another good vehicle for Judy Garland, showcasing her versatility in comedic acting along with some very upbeat songs. Not much is mentioned about the movies she made in this time period between "The Wizard of Oz" and her more well-known MGM musicals like "Easter Parade" and "The Harvey Girls;" but watch "Presenting Lily Mars" and see just how great Judy Garland was whenever she was on screen, even in lesser-known films. She always lit up the screen.

Greg Couture Finally caught up with this one on Turner Classic Movies, in a pristine video transfer, doing full justice to Joseph Ruttenberg's glowing black-and-white cinematography.Opinions on this one among other IMDb-ers seem, not surprisingly, rather mixed, since the clichés that form the basis for this script are not quite sufficiently redeemed by a generally excellent supporting cast, as well as very deluxe art and set decoration, including a stunning nightclub set. (It almost makes one want to exclaim, "Who needs Technicolor?!?")But Judy, looking really lovely, performs her heart out and more than holds her own amidst the sort of sentimental claptrap that Louis B. Mayer insisted be fashioned around her maturing femininity. It's also said that Mayer dictated that the final overblown production number should be tacked on to conclude the picture, with Charles Walters, later to be one of Garland's most congenial directors (after the bloom was off the rose of Vincente Minnelli's Svengali-like love affair with Judy), dancing up a storm with her, making one wish that he'd done quite a bit more performing in front of the camera .Any film, by the way, that gives the wonderful Connie Gilchrist a chance to appear for even only a few minutes of its running time is simply not to be missed. What a treasure she was!

hipthornton One of those Garland flicks that never comes up in a list of her good films,which is surprising considering how much fun it is.She plays an ambitious girl determined to make it to Broadway,and chases producer Van Heflin to do it.He's a local guy in her hometown.For a change,Garland is filled out and quite lovely.She's not the emaciated stick she had been in her previous roles.Also,she's not crying because the boy next door won't have her or singing a plaintive love song dealing with rejection! Garland had a fine comedy flair that was seldom exploited in her films.She interplays well with the cast,especially her siblings and Spring Byington as her mom.The music is good but the finale is just a bit out of place.Supposedly,the big brass thought she needed a big finish to show Lily was a big star after all. Wonder what ever happened to the original number, "Paging Mr. Greenback?"