Saw On the Town, a goofy little musical number about three sailors (Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and someone called Jules Munshin) who get one precious day to experience New York city. They meet girls, they get chased by cops, they sing that New York New York song. It's a whole thing.
Generally this movie was a miss for me. It's very precious and very sweet. There's some risqué humor, but nothing that wouldn't fly in a high school production. No one's motivations make a ton of sense beyond them just being in love I guess, but the point of the movie of course is to be a big frivolous musical. I'm not a big fan of musicals I gotta say, and this one left me a little cold.
Here's what I liked: the dance sequences were lovely. There's a An American In Paris-style bravura number that recaps the entire film to that point which is beautiful, really some of Gene Kelly's best work. I always start a Gene Kelly movie being indifferent to his smirks and grins but I always fall in love with him again by the end. Apparently a tyrannical perfectionist to work with, but he dances a pretty dance.
So anyway, not a winner for me. It's a little too old and tame. It has aged a bit, and there are sequences where they dress up as primitive tribespeople which I don't think is offensive to any particular group but felt very cringey to me. There's some cleverness and a ton of athleticism, but not enough hysterics or visuals for me to really enjoy. Oh well, here's to the next one!
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