rhill-19
I absolutely fell in love with "Living in A Big Way" when I first saw it! Reason #1 is because I LOVE, ADORE, and am a HUGE fan of GENE KELLY. He was such a wonderful dancer, actor, and choreographer. Not to mention his extremely handsome looks and his sensual personality. I love his role in this movie. He was such a gentleman. This movie showcased his wonderful talent for acting. I enjoyed Marie MacDonald as well. It was my first time of ever seeing or knowing anything about her, and this excellent movie made me a fan of her's as well. Actually, the whole cast in this movie was enjoyable and great. The humor between the butler,"Everette Hanover Smythe", and the father, Mr. Morgan; Mrs. Morgan's courtroom humor, and especially grandmother Morgan's immediate attachment to, and concern for "LEO GOGARTY." And GENE'S number "FIDO AND ME" is adorable. The opening dance number with GENE and MARIE is very nice too. I would recommend that anyone see this movie. It will truly remain dear to your heart forever. Or at least it has to mine. And you'll fall in love with GENE all over again. I rate it my #2 favorite GENE KELLY MOVIE, and I've seen and own a quite many of his movies. They're a part of my daily routine! So trust me when I tell you, you'll love this movie! Watch it and enjoy!!
mjdiii-1
The dog, the kids and the dancing were really good. Someone should take the dancing sequences out and put them into a Kelly documentary. The kids were cute especially dancing and in the bathtub. Chris, the dog, was fantastic.It is really hard not to like Gene Kelly. There was a real fault in the screen play in the lack of character development. Phyllis Thaxter's role was underdeveloped as was Marie MacDonald's. Thaxter was as perfect as she could be granted her limited screen time; I would have thought that a lot of her material was left on the cutting room floor. MacDonald had beautiful hair and figure, but the script gave her no consistent motivation.Ideas of divorce and marriage in this film were problematic (or fortyish) but they did not interfere with the dog, the kids, or the dancing. There was a lot of room for further development of the with Morgan family. There seemed to be gaps, which led me to wonder what the exact nature of family tension was. All in all, there were a lot of missed opportunities.
witchaphrodite
This may contain spoilers for some.The storyline could have been an interesting premise. A returning soldier and his war bride coping with their marriage following his return from war. But too many flaws are to be found.The casting was not carefully done. Gene Kelly and Marie McDonald were lacking in chemistry. Gene's chemistry with Phyllis Thaxter was much better.Marie McDonald was beautiful, although she does not seem to have been a great actress (this is the only film of hers I've seen), she is not terrible. I do think she would have been aided if cast opposite an actor she had more chemistry with and with a better script.This film is watchable but not memorable. The character development is lacking. Marie's character Margaud goes back and forth and the writers don't seem to have known whether they wished for her to be a good person who made some mistakes or a selfish one. The instances with the divorce and then her later help with the housing are examples.Gene's character seems to go back and forth about whether he wants his marriage to work or not.The film in general does not seem to know whether it wants to be a drama or a musical comedy. The absence of a direction for the film to go causes it to be wrapped up a little to easily within the last few minutes of the film.For those who are fans of Gene or Marie, then this film should be viewed. Or just for those who are curious about the acting of Marie McDonald who's acting has been heavily criticized and is mostly known for her nickname "The Body".
lzf0
No, this is not "Singin in the Rain" or "On the Town" or "Cover Girl" or "Anchors Away"! It's a simple black and white comedy with a handful of musical numbers thrown in. Kelly does an eye popping dance number on a construction site and does another cute number with a dog. These are as inventive as his numbers in more expensive films, but the "B quality" of the film does not do them any justice. He also sings "It Had to Be You". The plot is totally forgettable comedy fodder and since Kelly was never really known for his comedy playing, it falls a little flat. However, the dance numbers are terrific.
AD
