rparker-14
First the good- Louis Armstrong-the grace Kelly and frank Sinatra your sensational number a convincing flirtation.grace Kelly was lot more attractive and less irritating than Katherine Hepburn in the 1940 film. the rest- Bing ludicrous as the ex suitor- looked old enough to be her grandpa. john lund twice as attractive made you wonder why she had a pensioner fixation Instead.Frank Sinatra with black hair looking like a left over from the munsters sang well enough but wasn't convincing. as a newspaper hack -then there was the always middle aged Celeste Holm in girly dresses looking like Sinatra's ma- finally there was father figure looking like serial killer, top that up with awful colour and ghastly sets- the garden was particularly awful.As it was Kelly's last film she looked as though she was already the true princess she became- .there was sense of her being above the whole dreary caper . all in all flat champagne with a plausible title change from high society to slumming it
Hitchcoc
Correct, it is not "Philadelphia Story." No Hepburn. No Grant. But it does have the beautiful Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby at his peak. It is a silly movie with non-stop interactions between characters, people still carrying torches after divorce, and some beautiful Cole Porter songs. One of the most gorgeous songs ever written is "True Love" done as a duet with Crosby and Kelly. She actually sings and the song is just plain pretty, with one of the most touching messages of any song ever written. Of course, everything goes haywire for a while, all the participants running into each other. And in the end it gets worked out.
stephen-lambe
An average of 7 out of 10? With Sinatra at the height of his powers and THOSE songs?Most of the lower scores for this film are from people who get hung up about the fact that this is a lesser remake of the brilliant Philadelphia Story. My advice would be to look on that film as separately as you can. In terms of plot, script and (to a lesser extent) performance this is indeed a simplification. Tracey's "arc" seems clunkier and more hurried and Crosby loses so much romantic screen time to Sinatra that when the final romantic denouement happens you think "where did THAT come from".BUT - it still works just fine and the songs are simply..er..sensational. Grace Kelly is lovely and funny even if there is a bit of a Katherine Hepburn impersonation going on, and Sinatra delivers the funniest lines in the film with great timing. And, of course, the boy can sing.For me the only slight false note comes from Louis Armstrong's monosyllabic commentary on the action. We KNOW where our sympathies lie, Louis - you don't need to tell us! But his songs - and the band - are as great as anything else in the film.Final shout out for Celeste Holm -her performance is the best and most layered in the film.Overall - the simplification of Philadelphia Story works well enough and any minus points are almost entirely made up for by the exuberant performances of Cole Porter's great songs.
vincentlynch-moonoi
I'm one of those who don't admire this film much.On the positive side, it's a lush production. It has a Cole Porter score -- my favorite composer -- although I'm impressed with only a few of the songs: "True Love" (of course), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (with a swellegant turn by Celeste Holm), and the bright "Well, Did You Evah!" (in a terrific duet by Bing and Frank); the other songs are forgettable.Another positive note are a number of the supporting actors -- Celeste Holm as a reporter, Louis Calhern as an uncle, Sidney Blackmer as the father, Margalo Gillmore as the mother, and young Lydia Reed as the younger sister.Unfortunately, I can't say as much for the lead cast. Bing Crosby is always very natural on screen, and is here. Grace Kelly has another turn as a spoiled brat, and as far as I'm concerned flubs the role terribly. Frank Sinatra plays the smart ass that he seemed to be in real life...which may have gone over well in the 1950s, but isn't as attractive today; and ironically, he played a poor drunk (type casting from the Rat Pack days?). John Lund as the fiancée????? Stick with the original "The Philadelphia Story", or watch this one as a comparison. Frankly, about the only reason this film was made was Bing's whim and Grace Kelly's rising star (in terms of the latter, thankfully it was the last film with her that we had to suffer through).
AD
