To say I was skeptical about Singin’ in the Rain going in would be an understatement. Out of all the genres in film, musicals are my least favorite. I downright hate them (La La Land and White Christmas being the exceptions). But how could Into love a movie so saturated in all the things I love about movies? 

Beautiful costuming, mesmerizing dance choreography, unbelievable set design, great songs, and just the right amount of heart. It really is as good as it’s reputation suggests. The dancing blew me away. The amount of practice and dedication to the myriad of routines must have been remarkable, and it sure paid off. Every dance number was incredible to watch, and the long, unbroken take style so common during that time was used to perfection. While almost all musicals grate on me, I enjoyed every song here. I always feel like musical numbers in musicals feel shoehorned in to get to the next song, but here it worked. Hell, it slapped a smile on my jaded face, so they clearly were doing something right. 

Also, while Gene Kelly was the most obvious star, my favorite performance had to come from Donald O’Connor. His “Make ‘Em Laugh” number was far and away my favorite of the entire film, combining hysterical antics and great dancing. His physical comedy was on par with Danny Kaye (my go to for physical comedy). 

So even if you’re like me and hate everything to do with musicals, you’ve got to at least watch Singin’ in the Rain. It might not win you over to the musical camp, but it’s just too much fun not to enjoy.