Happy Go Lovely is a moderately entertaining British-made musical that falls short of being first rate. What keeps it in the second tier is the confinement of musical talent to female lead Vera-Ellen. This is not to knock the leading lady, for she gives the part her all and is quite winning an actress and a knock-out as a dancer. (Her singing is, as usual, dubbed). The problem is that the male lead is played -- deftly and quite well -- by David Niven, whose many talents do not include those associated with a song-and-dance man. In a typical musical, the most important moments are of course the musical numbers; when the male lead is not called upon to participate in them, it usually creates a serious imbalance, as here. This situation is made worse by the fact that there are several moments when the script seems to cry out for the Niven character to become musical; had Fred Astaire, for example, been cast in the role, the dinner sequence at the swank restaurant would have become a true musical scene that would have made the sequence something truly special. As it is, it's amusing but nothing more. Aside from this, the only serious flaw is the over-the-top performance of Cesar Romero. It's true that the script is contrived, but it still is diverting. It is also offset by some very good choreography, particularly impressive in the street ballet near the end of the picture, and by some nice location shots. Light and breezy, Happy Go Lovely is an enjoyable trifle.
Happy Go Lovely
6.99
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| Release Date: | 04/16/2002 |
|---|---|
| UPC: | 0089218318596 |
| Original Release: | 1951 |
| Rating: | NR |
| Source: | Alpha Video |
| Region Code: | 0 |
| Time: | 1:36:00 |
| Sales rank: | 39,315 |