May 8, 2010

"Cover girl" (1944) or why musicals should be more than dance sequences


Cover Girl (Charles Vidor, 1944)
Who's in it: Rita Hayworth + Gene Kelly
What it's about: A dancer (Rita) must choose between staying with her boyfriend/boss (Gene) or being a famous dancer in Brodway and marrying a millionaire...
The good: There are some great musical numbers (my favorites were Gene dancing with his reflection on the street and "Put me to the test"); Rita is really good in this one, has some great scenes (like the interview for being a cover girl and her drunk scene); Eve Arden (she played Mildred's friend in "Mildred Pierce") is hilarious at some points. 
The bad: the story wasn't very attractive; Phil Silvers's character (Genius) was really unnecessary and boring and he was like in every scene; the whole story about Rita's grandma seemed to be there just to pad out the movie; it felt kind of long; I didn't get why Gene didn't allow Rita to be a cover girl (I mean he wasn't exactly training the girls for the National Ballet Competition). 
Should I see it? Hard to say, I wouldn't see it again complete, but I loved some scenes.

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