Judy Holliday is such a star! Someone in a popular review compared her to Carole Lombard and I think it's such an apt comparison. They both showed that comedic chops and beauty do not preclude intelligence and wisdom. I know this is the only Holliday picture I've seen, but I can see all that so clearly.
I really like Vincente Minnelli's directorial style. It has the glamour of Old Hollywood, the artificiality of Golden Age musicals, and a human core that feels similar to, but is still distinctly different from, Douglas Sirk. I don't know if this movie would soar without Holliday, but Minnelli knows she's the star and focuses the spotlight on her. Rightly so.
Dean Martin has a smooth voice and that's all he really needs in this role. I think it would've been a nice role for Rock Hudson to elevate (and I have not seen Pillow Talk but I'll get on it, I promise!).
The music is the real low here. "Just in Time" and whatever Holliday's solo is when she leaves the party are the only good and hummable tunes. The rest are so strange. There's a song about name-dropping that's genuinely one of the strangest and sadly dated songs I've heard in a musical. No person who doesn't actively know classic Hollywood stars would pick up a single name. Also the tune is boring and weird.
Besides all that, the story is cute. I liked it a lot! It also has one of the BEST first kisses! But it would be nothing without Judy Holliday.
Judy Holliday is such a star! Someone in a popular review compared her to Carole Lombard and I think it's such an apt comparison. They both showed that comedic chops and beauty do not preclude intelligence and wisdom. I know this is the only Holliday picture I've seen, but I can see all that so clearly.
I really like Vincente Minnelli's directorial style. It has the glamour of Old Hollywood, the artificiality of Golden Age musicals, and a human core that feels similar to, but is still distinctly different from, Douglas Sirk. I don't know if this movie would soar without Holliday, but Minnelli knows she's the star and focuses the spotlight on her. Rightly so.
Dean Martin has a smooth voice and that's all he really needs in this role. I think it would've been a nice role for Rock Hudson to elevate (and I have not seen Pillow Talk but I'll get on it, I promise!).
The music is the real low here. "Just in Time" and whatever Holliday's solo is when she leaves the party are the only good and hummable tunes. The rest are so strange. There's a song about name-dropping that's genuinely one of the strangest and sadly dated songs I've heard in a musical. No person who doesn't actively know classic Hollywood stars would pick up a single name. Also the tune is boring and weird.
Besides all that, the story is cute. I liked it a lot! It also has one of the BEST first kisses! But it would be nothing without Judy Holliday.
