Gutsycurene
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Doomtomylo
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
TheLittleSongbird
You'll Never Get Rich had a lot going for it, and while it is slightly disappointing with a very silly, contrived and thin story, Sidney Lanfield having moments when his direction was leaden, a couple of stale army jokes and Cliff Nazarro and his double-talk schtick starting off funny but grew irritating. But it is still makes for pleasant viewing. You'll Never Get Rich boasts lovely costumes for Rita Hayworth and beautiful photography, and probably a better-looking film than the second and superior Fred/Rita outing You Were Never Lovelier(and that was still a nice film to look at). Cole Porter's songs are not among his best, but Since I Kissed My Girlfriend Goodbye deserved its Oscar nomination, The Wedding Cake Walk is a lot of fun and So Near Yet So Far is just sublime. The score suits the tone of the film just fine. The choreography ranges from spirited to graceful, again the highlights being in those three songs, the tap-dancing routine between Fred and Rita being one of the main pleasures of You'll Never Get Rich. Although the script and story don't work entirely, they do have moments, Fred and Rita are really charming in their scenes and scenes like the restaurant one generate some amusement, and for all its flaws the film does have heart too. Of the supporting cast, the standouts are a hilarious Robert Benchley and a perfectly cast Frieda Inescourt. John Hubbard and Michael MacBride are good as well, only Nazarro didn't do much for me. The main attractions of You'll Never Get Rich were always Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, and they are also the best thing about the film. Fred is a suave and charming leading man and makes an effort to not make the comedy seem forced while Rita is effortlessly graceful and you totally see what Robert sees in Sheila in the first place. They are also just magical together. Overall, a decent and pleasant film but there was the potential for it to have been better than it turned out to be. 7/10 Bethany Cox
dougdoepke
Dance arranger escapes to the army after his daffy boss can't seem to keep his women properly sorted.Expert mix of comedy, dance, and glamour. The glamour's supplied by Hayworth who's—in a word—simply dazzling (okay, two words). Her appearance in Gilda (1946) may have supplied the smoldering sex appeal, but this one supplies the sheer beauty. Plus she cuts a pretty good rug with the incomparable Astaire who turns in his usual nimble footed magic. Of course, putting the rail-thin danceman in the army is a stretch, but the script doctors manage to turn his weight trick into a chuckle.Then there's the terminally befuddled Robert Benchley (Mr. Cortland) who can't seem to tell a backscratcher from a bracelet or his wife from a chorus girl. Pairing his nonsense with the classy, no-nonsense Inescort (Mrs. Cortland) is a comedic masterstroke. I love his I'm-caught-again stammer as he withers under her glare. Then too, the chorus girls send-off for the soldier boys in the train station is a real eye-catcher and masterpiece of staging. It may not be the dance centerpiece, but it does brim over with genial high spirits.If I didn't know better (release date, Sept. 1941), I would have guessed this was a WWII morale booster. But clearly the big one is on the horizon, and I'll bet this 90-minutes of escape played in a ton of overseas bases. After all, what GI would not fight to keep the Hayworths back home safe and secure. But happily you don't need to be a GI or his girl to enjoy this expert blend of dance and whimsy, courtesy a stellar cast, a clever script, and Columbia studios.
bkoganbing
Though the 42 year old Fred Astaire was certainly not eligible for the peacetime draft still he plays the would be soldier very well in You'll Never Get Rich. Leaving Rita Hayworth is certain to be a problem though.The first peacetime draft in American history forms the background for this film in the same way as Universal's Abbott and Costello classic, Buck Privates. You'll Never Get Rich bares some resemblance to Buck Privates in the comedy portions of the film though it does stay away from the burlesque aspects that Abbott and Costello brought to it.Remember this is a Fred Astaire film and in the plot it has a lot of resemblance to what Astaire had been recently doing over at RKO with Ginger Rogers. The same kind of kittenish romantic complications with humorist Robert Benchley taking the Eric Blore/Victor Moore part as the one who causes all the problems.The dance numbers bear a strong resemblance to the routines Astaire did with Rogers. But here he is being brought over to Columbia to showcase the woman who would be Columbia Picture's mealticket for the next decade and a half. Rita Hayworth was just coming into her own as a box office attraction when this film was done. On the dance floor she complements the elegant Mr. Astaire divinely. This was the first of two films she did with Astaire and while I like You Were Never Lovelier a lot better than this one, You'll Never Get Rich is still entertaining.Cole Porter wrote the score for this film and it's probably one of his lesser efforts for the screen and stage. Still it did have an Oscar nominated song in Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye. It's not a song that immediately brings Cole Porter to mind for today's audience though.Will both Rita Hayworth and Uncle Sam get the services of Fred Astaire? See You'll Never Get Rich and find out.
Cajun-4
There is the usual silly (even by musical comedy standards) plot but it doesn't get in the way of some funny situations and pleasing dance numbers.Highlights are the beauty of Rita Hayworth (with a dubbed singing voice), vaudevillian Cliff Nazarro with his famous *double talk* routines and one standout musical number " So near and yet so far"Many familiar faces in the supporting cast do their stuff expertly.
