Singin' In The Rain (1952)

Singin' In The Rain, for those who don't know, is a musical released in 1952 and it stars Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor. It also happens to be one of my favorite movies.

Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a silent film actor who rose to fame starring alongside leading lady Lina Lamont (played by Jean Hagan). But, when 'talkies' become the new hot thing, all the studios jump on the bandwagon. A romance also soon starts between Don and a talented, though unknown, actress named Kathy Selden (played by Debbie Reynolds), and the "You Were Meant for Me" scene between the two is one of several really memorable moments early on.

Well, it's quickly decided that the latest Lockwood and Lamont picture The Dueling Cavalier is going to be the first 'talkie' for Monumental Studios. There's just one problem; in addition to being both dumb and pretty insufferable, Lina Lamont has an atrocious voice, and an early screening of the film is met with a less than ideal response. Fortunately, Kathy and Don's best friend, a musician named Cosmo (played by Donald O'Connor), have the brilliant idea to dub over Lina's lines using Kathy's voice and to turn The Dueling Cavalier into a musical. It's here, during the heart of the film that we get two of the best song and dance sequences: The "Good Morning" scene with the three dancing and singing through Don's house, and the iconic "Singin' In The Rain" scene with Gene Kelly at his best, joyfully dancing with his umbrella down the street in the rain.

 The next day, Don and Cosmo pitch the idea of a musical re-titled The Dancing Cavalier to the head of the studio and filming begins.

At the premiere, The Dancing Cavalier is a huge success and the audience, not knowing Lina's voice was dubbed over, cheer for her to sing a song live. Don, Cosmo, and the head of the studio tell her to just lip sync while Kathy, hidden behind the curtain, sings the actual song. While Lina is pretending to sing, they raise the curtain, exposing Lina as a fraud and Kathy as "the real star of the film". The film ends with Kathy and Don in front of a billboard advertising their new film, Singin' in the Rain.

This isn't just arguably the best musical ever made but, also one of the great films of all-time. It's fun, the comedy works, the characters a very likeable, the songs are catchy, the choreography is top notch... I challenge anyone to watch it and not crack a smile. 

It's an absolute joy and a true classic.
 I give it a 5 out of 5.

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