Singin’ in the Rain is a movie that needs no introduction. This is one of the most famous movies of all time, and because of its notoriety it’s one of those movies that’s been talked about to great lengths. I won’t be able to add much new to the discussion here, unfortunately. For the longest time, Singin’ in the Rain was one of those holes in my film knowledge that I’ve now just recently filled. I’m happy that I can now cross it off the list of movies I need to see before I die. So, my only real purpose here is to make sure that you do the same.

The plot of the movie is simple. So simple, in fact, that the script was written after most of the songs in the movie were, and so it was written to fit the songs, not the other way around. The movie takes place in the late 1920s, at the time when movies were starting to transition from silent to sound. The movie centers around a few performers who are trying to adjust to this transition.

Singin’ in the Rain is one of those movies that just feels timeless. I’ve always found that a big reason people aren’t likely to watch a movie more than 50 years old is because it ends up feeling dated, and so there’s always this weird disconnect. Singin’ in the Rain typifies the antithesis of this. I have no more of a difficult time watching this than I do any modern movie, and I feel like 50 years from now people will still feel the same. The main reason for this, I think is that it’s just such a visually interesting movie. The biggest example of this is in the flashy song/dance numbers, but even during some of the quieter scenes it all just looks stunning. There’s also some incredibly snappy dialogue that I think makes it entertaining no matter what time period it’s being watched in.

I only have to lodge one complaint towards Singin’ in the Rain, and that’s that it does unfortunately wind up feeling a little slow at times. I felt this at the beginning a little bit, but there were more stretches in the middle of the movie that I wound up feeling a little bored during. And look, don’t not watch the movie just because I’m saying this. There’s a reason why this movie has gone on to be considered one of the greatest movies of all time by so many sources, so I know I’m clearly the jackass here. I also don’t personally hold it against the movie much, it was just something that I wanted to mention because if I’m being honest I wasn’t fully enjoying the movie 100% of the time. More like 90%, which is still worth writing home about.

So, yeah, you should watch Singin’ in the Rain. But you probably already knew that, because that’s what everyone says. There’s a lot to love about this movie, but I think that the dance numbers alone make it all worth it, with “Make ‘em Laugh” being my personal favorite. I had a smile on my face for most of the movie, and this alone is the only endorsement I feel that I need to give. I think that this is a movie that anyone who loves movies should see at least once in their life. It’s a timeless classic, and so we should keep its memory alive.

4.5/5