A pretty good American remake of a great British mini-series. One great moment: Christopher Walken's dance number.

All of the film's most successful elements, the production design, the performances, the wonderfully staged dance numbers, the use of original and aged recordings in lieu of the actors' voices are interesting on an academic level. But they don't have unique and original characters or stories to support, so the film feels less like a coherent whole and more like a series of set pieces. While I've never seen the original Mini-Series, I must admit, something about the film feels very abridged.

cool performances, loved the dance numbers. esp. the one with walken. wtfawesome ending. :D

One of Hollywood's unlikeliest projects: a musical where all the actors lip-sync to old recordings, which features lavish production numbers, Depression-era malaise, stars Steve Martin, is rated R--and is quite good, too. While the story is a bit thin (pared down from a seven-hour miniseries), Dennis Potter's genius shines through, Martin is good, Bernadette Peters excellent, and the lavish, audacious production is often awe-inspiring--including Christopher Walken's wondrous tap dance showcase.

A lovely modern fable that is a perfect companion film to Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. Steve Martin's take on the idealistic Arthur was criminally underpraised, as was the subtle but powerful Jessica Harper. The musical numbers are lovely, and any film that provides a monumental dance number from Christopher Walken is a masterpiece especially when in this rich of a film.

Christopher Walken?

A clever blend of entertainment and social comment about the gap between the happy songs of the Depression, and the grim realities of those caught in the web of fate. Elegantly designed and photographed, and thoroughly unusual.

Bold, original, innovative, extraordinary, unprecedented -- these are some of the adjectives we have been programmed to apply to this Depression-period musical. They all do apply, though only to a moderate degree. Make that, on second thought, a minimal degree.

"Hollywood musical as psychotic episode". Ooooooooookay. Not as clever or as captivating as it thinks it is. There's something to be said, however, for any movie that has Christopher Walken dance and Jessica Harper appear topless