A good friend of mine once contended that the finest moment in all of cinema is when Cosmo points out to Don that it's morning, and Kathy responds by looking out the window to grey skies and rain pounding against the window and says, "Yes, and what a lovely morning!"

I'm not sure I have much of a reason to argue with him. There are musicals with better music than Singin' in the Rain. There are musicals with a better plot or better dancing (or at least more consistently outstanding numbers). I don't know if there's a musical (or any movie for that matter) that's happier. I don't know if there's any other film that can look out the window on a miserable day and declare, "How lovely!" and have me believe it. Have me smile at it. Have my heart fill about it.

Starting from that declaration up through Gene Kelly's absolutely iconic "Singin' in the Rain" dance that captures young, exciting love more than anything else I've ever seen, I'm not sure there's a happier 10ish minutes in cinema. I'm not sure I've ever been as happy in my real life as those ten minutes make me feel like I could be.

Maybe that's not enough for some people to adore a film. Or maybe those scenes just don't create those same emotions for them. But for me, they're undeniable. Every time it rains, a part of me longs to jump in puddles, to stand under drain pipes, to spin my umbrella around and cry out, just to see, to know...are these the magic words to fill you up with a light and happiness like none other?