West Side Story (1961)
Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Written By: Ernest Lehman, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins
Starring: Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Ned Glass, Simon Oakland, Richard Beymer, George Chakiris, Yvonne Wilder, William Bramley, Tucker Smith
Genres: Romance, Drama, Crime, Musical
Franchise: West Side Story
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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West Side Story belongs to 113 collections
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| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 8 |  |
BeeDub | 92 84% |
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Don't like this movie? Krup you.
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| 6 |  |
jgreenwood | 100 99% |
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For a dancer this is a perfect movie. I was taken to the Melbourne stage version of "West Side Story" at the Princess Theatre in early 1961, when I was six weeks old. Ronne Arnold (born in Philadelphia in 1938, and who unfortunately died in 2020), who was brought out from America to perform in the show, put me on the stage and declared that I was going to be a dancer. He was right! And I still love the movie too.
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| 6 |  |
Paxton | 72 71% |
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Watching this movie with the sound off is like listening to Inception with the video off. As stupid as this is, I know because I've done both.
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| 4 |  |
Anomaly | 74 57% |
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The choreography is impeccable, and the staging and cinematography border on technical perfection. Unfortunately its showiness stays too close to its theatrical roots, and it doesn't truly embrace the medium of film, frequently coming off as filmed theater. A few odd decisions are also made (Natalie Wood as a Hispanic? Really?), but the classic plot retains its emotional punch and provides a much more satisfactory secondary half and resolution.
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| 4 |  |
djross | 93 99% |
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Quibbles aside (the main problem is not the performances or casting but some poor dialogue), no show both created its own style and took a step in the evolution of the musical, and more particularly and more generally of dance, in the way that Bernstein and especially Robbins were able to do with West Side Story. Kael's counter-view: "The dancing is obviously trying to say something [but the] possibilities of dance as an expressive medium are not expanded in West Side Story; they're contracted."
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| 4 |  |
matGuy3 | 8 81% |
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Yes, it can be hard for modern viewers to take 'tough guy gangs' prancing about like ballet dancers seriously. But the choreography and cinematography on display here are still absolutely stunning. I was surprised by how sharp the social commentary in 'America' and 'Gee, Officer Krupke' was, as well. The love story was pretty forgettable, and based entirely on that hideous 'love at first sight' cliche, but the two leads had enough cuteness going for them to make me appreciate it.
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| 3 |  |
Rufam | 65 42% |
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A seriously silly if splendidly made Shakespeare adaptation, "West Side Story" is an awfuly uneven musical. The production is undeniably outstanding -everything from the cinematography to the choreographies is perfectly done. But there are issues: most of the dialogues are tedious and uninvolving, the songs are mostly enjoyable, but they are hardly classics and the acting is tepid, except for Moreno. And the movie really suffocates at 152', although the second half is considerably better.
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| 3 |  |
jimmynmu | 68 52% |
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A great film, but I'm not a fan of musicals. I can't appreciate the dancing fight scenes, it just ruins it for me.
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| 3 |  |
Pickpocket | 0 4% |
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Terribly dated. Opening scene is the gayest thing ever filmed, so painful to watch.
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| 2 |  |
Vesey | 80 65% |
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The acting, dancing, and writing are good But actual vocals aren't that great which is a knock down. Could have been better
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| 2 |  |
Okkervil | 52 41% |
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Supreme technical achivement, but not a film that ever captivates me.
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| 2 |  |
Trooth | 71 58% |
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It's a rotten world where roving gangs of flamboyant dancing men run unchecked through the streets.
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| 2 | county_hell | 50 34% |
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not a fan of musicals and when said musical spends a good portion of it's time dealing with street fights, only to have the "toughs" singing, prancing, and capering about, it's really not for me. but the "officer krupkie" scene is surprisingly hard-hitting in it's detailing of the troubled american teen.
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| 2 |  |
BillyShears | 80 77% |
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Honey you ain't gonna mug me with that sloppy step ... only 5 years Jazz tap. All my favourite parts involve watching one of the background actors just bust out twirls. I'm 100% confident this contains the only fake attempted rape scene in movie history, they just want your blouse.
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| 2 |  |
glumpy_99 | 79 56% |
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A film of two divergent halves; the first half attempting a sense of fun and frivolity fails almost dismally, as the wet blanket of the overly polished and endless dance sequences stifle any sense of spontaneity. However, the second half works incredibly well, as the dramatic elements come to centre stage, and the mixture of dance and drama really starts to work, leading to a powerhouse finale (and giving Wood a couple of show-stopping scenes). A mixed bag, but worthwhile.
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| 2 |  |
ImThatDingo | 56 54% |
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Why can't all gang member flit through the air like fairies instead of using guns? (Take a hint from this movie..Baltimore).
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| 2 |  |
deep_green | 20 5% |
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Once you've seen Xanadu, there's just no going back to this vanilla shite.
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| 2 |  |
chemical404 | 76 91% |
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Romeo and Juliet story set in 50's Ney York, with gang of white singing and dancing juvenile delinquents fighting a gang of Puerto Rican singing and dancing juvenile delinquents. What's not to love? I loved it the way I love trashy movies, if it was intended to be taken seriously - tough luck, buster! There are lots of memorable sequences here, my favorite of course is "Gee, Officer Krupke" number (Curb Your Enthusiasm just got even funnier) followed by "America" in close second.
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| 2 |  |
janus | 70 51% |
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Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics are great, and I enjoyed the choreography even though I know absolutely nothing about dancing. My favorite song is probably either "America" or "Cool". However, having so many of the Puerto Ricans played by whites (including the female lead, for god's sake) really undermines the film's message. I was not too into the story or characters either (maybe because they're always dancing around), although Rita Moreno does a great job.
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| 2 |  |
KasperL | 55 39% |
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Not a big fan of musicals so the dancing and the choreography did nothing for me. I much preferred the melodrama, albeit generic. Wood's is a delicate beauty. I can see why some find the casting of her offensive but I didn't mind because she just about made the movie for me. As for the music: I appreciate that you can use lyrics for blunt exposition; both feelings and issues are laid out and explored commendably. The major problem is that the songs suck. And stop snapping your fingers!!
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| 1 |  |
overrated | 42 35% |
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Tony is one of the stupidest protagonists I've seen in any movie ever.
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| 1 |  |
MartinTeller | 73 46% |
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Laughably quaint, but after the rumble scene things become more serious. What lingers throughout, unfortunately, is the awful casting of Wood and Beymer. These two have about as much fiery passion as Fred and Ethel Mertz. And the less said about Wood's pathetic accent, the better. As a modern update of "Romeo & Juliet" with contemporary issues, it pretty much works, and is fueled by its energetic dynamism. And the music is terrific. It's just a shame it's crippled by its uninspiring leads.
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| 1 |  |
Lord Moe | 87 72% |
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While it could've used more actual Latinos "West Side Story" does an admirable job of taking the stage musical and adapting it for film. David Wise would, of course, take what he learned here and perfect it in "The Sound of Music" but West Side Story succeeds because it takes more of a stylistic approach than a realistic approach. Sure the street gangs are ballet dancers and it all looks like a set; it doesn't have to look gritty and real. The music is great and it's got style for miles.
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| 1 |  |
Leonardis | 83 44% |
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A bit difficult for me to rank. Knowing 99% all of the Puerto Rican characters are played by white people (and it’s so obvious) was very distracting and so WRONG! But it’s otherwise really well done. I loved the storytelling, I thought the acting was all really good (especially Morino) and I throughly enjoyed the dancing and all of the music. It’s a really well made movie, if not done in poor taste from a casting standpoint. I’d love to see it on stage someday.
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| 1 | acfowler | 98 99% |
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A great film made of the best musical. The changes made enhance the musical. Great performances. Fun as well as emotionally poignant.
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| 1 |  |
magdabag | 73 26% |
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Having watched the 2021 remake before this on a whim, I wasn't really all that interested in catching this. That being said, I'm happy I watched It. Yes the music is fantastic and the story is still very relevant today, It was more than a little hard to watch due to the blatant blackface. Yes this film was made in the 60s where people were the opposite of "woke" when It came to racial equality, there's really no excuse. Rita Moreno was amazing though! I give 7 sharks out of 10.
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| 1 |  |
talonmalon | 82 63% |
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West Side Story is pretty much a classic, of course. Everyone knows the music.
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| 1 |  |
VengefulKBM | 95 97% |
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One of theater's most classic musicals is also one of film's most classic musicals. I wish we knew how to make musicals now like they did back in the sixties. The acting and dancing are uniformly superb, and though they didn't really hire singers, great singing is not what makes West Side Story what it is.
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| 1 |  |
lisa- | 6 83% |
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i don't care for the story or themes or whatever, but the music and dance is incredible.
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| 1 |  |
backwardsuit | 76 69% |
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Entertaining, well staged and musically very impressive but beyond that it's not really anything special in terms of filmmaking. Not that it really needs to be.
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| 1 | toddsalter | 88 49% |
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Everyone that likes musicals should watch it. But I didn't love it. 3 or 4 songs were really amazing, especially placing them in 1961. But in the end it dragged on about 45 minutes too long.
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| 1 |  |
VinegarBob | 50 25% |
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Pretty good, as cheesy crap goes.
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| 1 |  |
nickeyelysse | 71 39% |
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Terrible terrible acting, not happy with the ending. The songs lasted waay too long, and the singers were terrible. But all that aside, I enjoyed it.
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| 1 |  |
Riverbelle | 0 0% |
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I absolutely loathe this movie.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 81 64% |
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There are a few things I had to struggle a bit to get past but it's quite an entertaining movie and the moral is much more interesting than Romeo and Juliet.
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| 1 | gibberish | 78 42% |
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A little overrated as movie musicals go, but the energy is palpable, particularly in the "America" number.
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| 1 |  |
Filligan | 87 68% |
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I saw this three years ago when I was 15 and I really liked it. Now I'm 18 and I love it more. What I can't understand is why am I the only male teenager I know of who not only will sit through this movie more than once, but loves it more each time? ...Oh right, the homosexuality.
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| 1 |  |
BattleToad | 70 37% |
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West Side Story is a classic musical that everyone seems to enjoy at least at times. Some of it is dull, and the music isn't all great. On the other hand, so of it is fun and memorable. Meh!
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 60 62% |
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Not fond of musicals but this is a classic.
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| 1 |  |
cagedwisdom | 75 65% |
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In the start it seems very silly and weird but once you get over it's nature and weird pace it's really quite good. Cliched and whatnot, but it has some wonderful songs and the story is still touching even though you've seen it before. The lighting is worth a mention, as everything is brilliantly lit. Visually this film has some great, great moments. And Richard Beymer's acting is incredible in this.
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| 1 | citysqwirl | 64 26% |
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Kind of ridiculous, with fantastic dancing and songs.
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| 1 |  |
cowfrappe | 83 93% |
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One of the best movie-musicals ever.
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| 1 |  |
twincinema | 75 65% |
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"By the way, they wanted to say "fuck you," but in the '50s on Broadway, Sondheim, he couldn't write "fuck you."
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| 1 | Ryanscoomer | 15 10% |
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Singing and dancing gangbangers. Yep.
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| 1 |  |
TedDedon | 93 90% |
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A great musical with some important messages and superb songs. There is no wonder why this stands the test of time as one of the best movies to come out.
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| 1 |  |
Stain | 20 19% |
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One of the very famous musicals that just does nothing for me
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| 1 |  |
Shmendrek | 2 33% |
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I really dislike musicals, even ones with dancing gangsters. If you don't like musicals in the first place, this one won't change your mind.
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| 1 |  |
AstralArtist | 98 98% |
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The greatest movie musical ever filmed. Fails to earn a perfect 100 ONLY because of the obvious use of white actors as Puerto Ricans (in one scene, one of the very white background dancers is trying to hide his smudged skin tone makeup). This pretty much set most, if not all, of the standards by which the modern film musical is measured, & has weathered the passage of time better than all of its contemporaries. It also put legendary performer Rita Moreno on the map. Required viewing.
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| 1 |  |
Shephard | 69 74% |
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Uneven casting, but a wonderful example of how well-written and crafted this musical is. Poignant message and great music.
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| 1 |  |
bellamyr | 96 99% |
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Amazing, astounding, a winner ! Brilliant score by Bernstein, hugely engaging performance from all concerned, not a bad line to be found. Stunning dance, great songs and Manhatten is showcased to boot. This is a truly inspiring piece of cinema and keep a tissue or two spare for the end.
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| 1 |  |
rthornhill | 94 89% |
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Shakespeare, Sondheim and Bernstein.... If you haven't already seen it you should rent it "tonight!".....
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| 1 | pepe1958 | 99 98% |
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Dazzling big-screen adaptation of the celebrated Robbin-Bernstein-Sondheim musical, updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the slums of New York; unforgettable songs (Tonight, Maria, America, etc.), stunning choreography, terrific performances; a must.
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| 1 |  |
metalhank | 10 0% |
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Awful tripe! Take out all that annoying singing and dancing and you might actually have a movie, it would be really short though.
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| Average Percentile 56.12% from 3318 Ratings |  |