I wasn’t expecting Singin’ in the Rain to be quite so…psychedelic. And also, if one is lacking hallucinogenic assistance, so boring. Yes, Gene Kelly’s athleticism is a marvel. Donald O’Connor’s body-and-soul commitment to “Make ‘Em Laugh” deserves our respect. But it’s all so empty. Critics gush over the film’s feel-good purity, but isn’t this exactly what was ugly about the 1950s, in retrospect? Dance the war away, marry the girl next door, keep the pretty suburban world spinning on its axis. The irony is that Singin’ in the Rain is ostensibly a critique of Hollywood pomposity in the Roaring ’20s. The decades flow by, we remake the failed myths, and the tap dance drowns out the sadness of it all. 4
Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, Loew’s, 1952. Reviewed February 1, 2025.