"Minnelli's gracefully gliding camerawork is at its absolute best here." - Eric Henderson

This was boring and dated. Too sentimental and silly.

I usually appreciate classic musicals but this one dragged on with superficial drama. The ending was the best part, but not quite enough to salvage the whole. Songs were passable.

what a trip. classic.

This is a lighthearted affair that focuses on the private lives of a family in St. Louis. The affirmation of local, introverted American values, with their implicit rejection of the other, is somewhat tiring, but the joy with which the characters embrace their lives is infectious. I would have appreciated it if this film reached just a little bit deeper to get beyond the surface of the issues, but nonetheless enjoyed the experience.

Touching story about a family's pride in each other and their hometown. Features some great songs, including the classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

It's vibrant, colourful, jolly and packed full of Judy Garland, but beneath its positive messages its story is perhaps a little too simplistic. For me, it doesn't come close to the high drama of Gone With The Wind, the exuberance of Singin' in the Rain, or the emotional punch of Wonderful Life - the first few films of a similar era I thought of. Of course, few films do, and it's not to say this isn't decent light entertainment, I just wouldn't rank it alongside other classics of the decade.

#242

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Really wonderful. The plot is pure fluff... based on the mildest of dramatic conflicts, if you could even call them conflicts at all. But it is a warm and inviting story. And anyway, you don't watch a musical for the plot, you watch it for the musical sequences. And oh, how joyous and transcendent they are. "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are glorious, soaring highlights, but there really isn't a stinker in the bunch.

Next to Wizard of Oz, this is Judy Garland's best movie. And she's never looked more beautiful - you can tell that her future husband, Victor Minelli, really adored her.

What a dull uninteresting movie. It wasn't exactly bad but there was nothing compelling about the characters, the music or the visuals. Everything feels contrived and silly and the ending is absurd.

# 201

As a fan of musicals I have to say this could have done with some more light and shade and a stronger editor. However Judy Garland is enchanting and there are some great numbers especially 'Have yourself a merry little christmas' - Strong performances from the child actors but 20 minutes too long by today's standards.

Not bad.

Flat

From the gloroius technicolour to the wonderful songs, the bold and almost surreal Halloween sequence, the genuinely moving ending and the sharp, witty dialogue, every fraction of a fraction of an inch of this film is an absolute joy to behold. A masterpiece.

A wonderful nostalgic comedy. Margaret O'Brien and Judy are absolutely marvelous in this.

One of the more enjoyable musicals I've seen. I appreciated that the bulk of the songs were actually woven into the narrative, rather than people just randomly breaking into song. Also, this is just a beautifully rendered portrait of turn of the century America. And Minnelli is obviously captivated by Judy Garland--the lengthy shot of her singing Have a Merry Christmas is wonderfully expressive.

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