Movie Review: Legally Blonde (2001)

Hello, friends! 

Today at last I'm breaking my hiatus of reviews. It's been a few years since I did a movie review even though the whole point of me starting this blog. But it can't be that difficult, right?

Enjoy the following spoiler-free thoughts!

Legally Blonde (2001):

Premise: When Elle Woods's boyfriend, Warner, leaves her to go to Harvard, Elle decides she's going to become the kind of girl Warner would want to marry. A serious girl, aka a lawyer. She applies to Harvard to follow in his footsteps but is met with skepticism not only because of her outfits but her whole way of living; her undergrad degree being in fashion merchandising. Can a previous sorority queen turn into a attorney?

Based on: the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and Brigid Kerrigan. Screenplay written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Law and Order, Drama. It's marketed as a Rom-Com, but I don't think it really fits either of those genres, because while they are present in the set-up, it morphs into a court room drama about making all kinds of statements about the world.

Originality: I feel like this movie sparked a whole new genre which is why it's hard to place it! Another film people usually associate this movie with is Mean Girls (2004) but I don't think the color pink is a fair resemblance, because that is the only thing I see it being close to. Mean Girls is all about leaning into stereotypes to the point of destruction while this is challenging those stereotypes in a tongue-in-cheek manner. As for other films that are similar in my opinion, I can see Barbie (2023) getting some influences from this, not in a copying way but in, as I said, pioneering a new genre. I always forget about the play on words of "legally blind", but when I remember it I'm again awed by the brilliance of the concept and execution.

Length: 96 minutes.

Age Range: It's rated PG-13 for a smattering of language (from swearing to name calling) and innuendo. A portion of the film is about a court case centered around murder and affairs are accused and hinted at. In class debates can have some harsh words but they are all about learning how to have better persuasion skills.

Crew: Directed by: Robert Luketic. Produced by: Marc Platt and Ric Kidney. Cinematography by: Anthony B. Richmond. Music by: Rolfe Kent.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Davis, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, and Moondoggie (as Bruiser Woods).

Cinematography: The opening shots are well-known and are referenced in other things, for example, the show Wednesday (2022). Cinematography can help keep a courtroom story interesting and this does that without any unnecessary flairs.

Costumes: Elle is known for her style and her reputation for pink is not lying. She's not always dressed for the occasion (when lied to...) but she always goes full out.

This is what I want my hair to look like every day and I think I'm pretty successful in my effort.

Music: The first song on the soundtrack "Perfect Day" is pretty iconic, but listening to the rest of the soundtrack I couldn't remember where most of the songs came into play. That's not a bad thing, I'm just so focused on the story that I don't pay attention to the background music.

Quotability: The opening gif I have is arguably the most famous line, but there are so many other zingers! Besides the inspiration parts about not losing faith in yourself, Elle can keep the ball rolling in a conversation like no one else.

"Whoever said 'orange is the new pink' was seriously disturbed." 

Good For: Blondes! And for our non-blonde friends to get a look into our little worlds. I'm sure those in law could tell you about the accuracies for the profession, but regardless of the precision, I think this would be fun for lawyers to watch to get a new perspective and analyze why this holds up.

Worth watching?: At this point, this film is a cult classic, so understanding cultural references are enough to recommend checking this film out (raise your hand if you know what is "hard"). Besides that, there are many reasons to speak favorably of this film. Whether it's a comfort film or a "pick me up" or an inspirational tribute to fighting against the trials in the world, I believe it's worth the time.

Will I watch again?: When I first watched it I didn't fully lean into it and therefore didn't get the full experience. I thought it was okay, but no great shakes. Ever since then, though, I've been thinking about rewatching it, and when I finally got around to doing that this year it did not disappoint; my view of it skyrocketed. I definitely will watch it again in the future.

Thoughts: I relate to Elle in a lot of ways because, well, I'm blonde. And I have been treated like a Blonde---capital B!---many a times. It doesn't usually bother me because I prefer people underestimate me that have high expectations. But every once in a while I get annoyed at the stereotype and love to find power in thinking of this movie.

Part of what makes the movie so full of heart is Elle herself. Elle has so much integrity and that's why she gets along with so many people. She's brimming over with kindness! Going to Harvard is a shock because instead of people understanding her good intentions, they make mock of her. That's a hard lesson to learn, but Elle uses that power to be all the stronger for the people who need her, like Paulette. It can be very lonely to be in a place where no one has anything in common with you and it is important to find strength in your community. However, with the development of friendship between Elle and Vivian, it shows that we are sometimes too quick to judge others about outside appearances.

Elle is a diva but she's got brains! She has a higher GPA than I do. This is all about breaking the stereotypes about what is important, because her passions give her a step up in the most unexpected ways.

Don't try to fool her.

This movie is mostly about fighting against sexism, but I should acknowledge that everyone here is very privileged to be attending this school. From my one film class and my literature major graduate sister, I've learned that it's important to understand which stories aren't being told. Though I don't like the term, this could be boiled down to "first world problems". However, I think it's deeper than that because fighting against one kind of injustice always leads to questioning other social systems in the world. 

Besides, it's about working hard, which Elle does. She gives everything her all. I love that Elle finds that her passion for life can go beyond marketing and speaking for those without a voice or suffering from the same kind of social persecution.

There is also a sequel that I'm not tickled pink over because I feel it loses that sense of purpose that Elle had in the first one. It's played up more for laughing at ridiculous situations instead of calling out biases in the world.

But the world of business also has the world of marketing and franchises. There is a spin-off about twins called Legally Blondes. There have been reports of a third/a prequel.

However, further developments brings us to why I'm talking about this today. This is my entry in Taking Up Room's Seventh Broadway Bound Blogathon! 

I already commemorated my trip to Broadway this spring, but I still wanted to bring it up somehow so I decided to talk about the movie that I watched on the plane.

Besides, Legally Blonde did indeed become a musical! My favorite song is "There! Right There!" which is all about wondering if a suspect is "gay or European" based on clothing style, which is too true. The songs about Ireland are a little much for me, but my friends and I were cracking up while playing cards and listening. We also had a slight mishap while listening to the soundtrack; I was amazed that the first and second songs were so far apart! Turns out we were listening on shuffle. 

How well does the story carry over into musical form? The singing makes sense because it holds up the assumed frivolity for the sorority girls in the first song, but I'm not sure that it works for every situation. Then again, it is a musical so we must suspend our disbelief from the beginning. Of course the color palette (pink!) stands out enough to make a memorable set, I imagine. Though the props and sets people might get a little tired of it after a while (just speaking from personal experience with the color gold...).

Broadway show continuation is a make or break when it comes to the new cast. This was true for this show because it was such a big deal, there is a reality show about the recasting: The Search for Elle Woods.

All in all, the story is about looking at things from a new perspective, so even if it isn't your traditional musical, it's challenging the format and way things are done which is the moral.

Maybe the world isn't black and white; maybe we should look through those rose-colored glasses every once in a while.

Thank you to Rebecca for hosting! It's been an honor. Make sure you check out the other blog posts HERE.

Today is actually the Tony awards, so by the time I have this posted the results might already be out, but I'm rooting for Water for Elephants to win as many as it can. 

What do you think of courtroom dramas? What do you think makes for a good carryover to a musical? What stereotypes do you get put into? Thanks to all of you for reading!

Chloe the (Blonde) MovieCritic

Movie Review: Holiday Inn (1942)

Greetings, folks!

I hope that you are all going to have a lovely occasion. Did I say occasion? I meant day. Whoops, slip of the tong--er--hand. If you’ve been around my blog for awhile, you know that I love reviewing things for special occasions. It isn’t likely that I would randomly review a Christmas movie in July (my sister insists that it would work because “Christmas in July”...but no.) Today I’ll be talking about a movie that has so many holidays that I could chose to review it on, but I think I finally found the right one. Why? Read on!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. The main review is spoiler free, but later on there will be some spoilers. I will warn you in time, though!

Holiday Inn (1942):

Stage performer Jim Hardy is tired of having no breaks. He never has a day off and even has big shows on holidays! He decides to quit it all and buy up a farm, thinking that he’ll have free time whenever he wants it. Turns out he was wrong and it is a lot of work. His new brilliant idea is to only work on the holidays and have everyday off! He forms plans to open an inn that is only open on special occasions. Things are going well until he and his friend Ted Hanover both become attached to the same girl. The catch is that he knows who she is and Ted doesn’t. How long will he be able to keep his secrets and what will happen if they are known?

Genre: Musical, Comedy, Romance.
Length: approx. 100 minutes
Script: 10, absolutely clean as there are no bad words.

“Oh boy, do I go for those! Why they're great on... on ... or even plain!” 

(My whole opinion on food.)

Crew: Directed by: Mark Sandrich. Written by: Irving Berlin, Claude Binyon, & Elmer Rice.
Starring:

Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy.

Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover.

Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason.

Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon.

Walter Abel as Danny Reed.

Irving Bacon as Gus.

Louise Beavers as Mamie.

Shelby Bacon as Vanderbilt.

Joan Arnold as Daphne.

Marek Windheim as François.

John Gallaudet as Parker.

James Bell as Dunbar.

Leon Belasco as the Flower Shop Proprietor.

Bob Crosby's Band as Orchestra.

Costumes: 9, nothing indecent, and they are quite fashionable, all of them. I mean, I wouldn’t mind wearing one of them...

Costumes by: Edith Head.

Have you ever seen Fred were something so crazy? No, you haven't.

Cinematography: 8, it was classic cute old movie, but nothing too big. I had a bit of a dilemma when I started typing this review, as I didn’t remember if it was black and white or color. I watched it back near Easter so it was a long time ago, okay! I pretty distinctly remember color, but my older sister helped remind me. After that, I remembered how long it took me to coax my little sister into watching it, then once we started she yelled out, “Oh no! Not black and white!” because she rarely likes black and white. This one was approved by her, though.

Cinematography by: David Abel.

Music: 9, good songs, as expected from Irving Berlin! My favorite was probably, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”.

Music by: Irving Berlin & Robert Emmett Dolan.

Quotability: 6, I haven’t quoted it since seeing it, but after multiple rewatches I can image myself doing it.

“Dance yourselves into beautiful nervous breakdowns.” (Paraphrase)

Oscars won: 1: Best Original Song (“White Christmas”). We always associate the song “White Christmas” with the musical, again starring Bing Crosby, titled White Christmas (1954), but the song was actually released with the movie, 12 years before that! This is also the start of the famous song “Easter Parade”, which also got a film all to itself, but only 6 years later.

Content: 7, there is some smoking and some drinking where one character got highly drunk. There are some war scenes in a slideshow, but it is very brief. There is also a very controversial scene with the song “Abraham”, which might be offensive to some, as it has some “incorporating images and behaviors” (Source), that could be called racist. Sometimes this scene is completely cut when stations play the film. Personally, it was my least favorite.

‘“Then I had a drink.”

“A drink? Boy, you were fractured!”’

Originality: 9, this was a bucket of fun! You have some classic Hollywood set ups in there, but it just adds to the fun. An Inn that only specializes in holidays? Never heard of it before!

Good For: Fans of the actors, watching on any of the mentioned holidays.

Age Range: This is acceptable for any and all ages. Little kids will love the dancing, as will older people, I’m sure!

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Yes! Ever since I’ve learned that this was the origin for “White Christmas”, I’ve wanted to see it and it didn’t disappoint! The numbers were fun, and the actors worked so well together. I'd never seen anything with Marjorie Reynolds before, so I liked that. My sisters and I keep talking about how strange it was to have a movie where we don’t like Fred Astaire’s character. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t unlikeable, we just like Bing Crosby’s character so much better! The dancing and singing were top notch, as per usual!

Will I watch again?: I now want to make it a tradition where I watch this every year, on one of the many holidays. The fun thing about this movie is that it’s not necessarily Christmas, so there are many chances to watch it.

“You sound sweet, but you don’t make sense.”

For the blogathon:

This movie features the holidays: Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Lincoln’s birthday, Washington’s birthday (those two are now combined into President’s Day), Easter, Independence Day, and...

Thanksgiving!

This is my entry in Sally of 18 Cinema Lane’s A Blogathon To Be Thankful For!

There are four categories in this blogathon, and this is the one that I am participating with: Write about a movie or television show episode that either revolves around Thanksgiving or features, at least, one scene taking place on Thanksgiving.

I really love the idea of Sally hosting this because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! It is all about being grateful, so how awesome is that? And food, it also involves food. I like this because so many people jump to Christmas after Halloween and tend to forget about it, which is really sad! I celebrate Christmas for a long time afterwards, and not so much beforehand. I know all holidays this year have been different, but it’s good to remember what we’re thankful for.

Alright, time for me to talk about the Thanksgiving scene in here!

Each holiday is proceeded by a short (30 seconds max.) animated feature on a calendar. For Thanksgiving, it has a turkey jumping back and forth between two dates, Thursday the 20th and Thursday the 27th, showing that this was supposed to take place in 1941. This is a fun detail because in all three years of 1939, 1940, and 1941 there was a lot of controversy going on about what date Thanksgiving should be on. From 1863-1938 it had always been the last Thursday of the month, but in 1939 there were five Thursdays instead of four, and President Roosevelt changed it to the week before the last. This stirred up a lot of trouble with people being dismayed over the “breaking of tradition” until finally in 1941 FDR signed a law that it would be the fourth Thursday in November.

(Credit to Cricket magazine and my sister for my expertise on this.)

Okay, from now on SPOILER ALERT. I’m going to be talking about near the end of this movie, so if you haven’t seen it, read no further!

This isn’t the most cheerful part of the movie. Unlike all of the other holidays, Jim is alone for this one. Except for loyal Mamie, of course! He has closed down the inn and let Hollywood start making a movie about it. He has lost Linda as she is off making movies and is overall feeling sorry for himself. He is working on writing the song, “Plenty to be Thankful For”, which is quite the opposite of his current mood, and he keeps making pessimistic comments in reply to the lyrics.

Also, these two kids were adorable.

Mamie brings him a Thanksgiving feast, but he doesn’t really eat, just pushes his food around. Mamie gets tired of his moping and finally tells him to go after Linda, saying:

“You could melt her heart right down to butter, if you'd only turn on the heat!”

There you have it! A huge thank you to Sally Silverscreen for hosting this! Make sure to check out the other entries HERE.

Tell me, what is your favorite holiday movie (for any holiday)? What is your favorite Bing Crosby movie? What about Fred Astaire? Thanks for reading, and happy Thanksgiving in advance!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Hello to everyone!

Being inside is the time to watch movies, right? I have so many notes taken for so many movies, I can't wait to review them all for you! Actually, I have notes on over 85 different movies and books. Yep, kind of insane. My plan is to try to review the ones that I watched/read a while ago and work my way up to the newer ones. Sound like a plan?

This one is next on the list! I watched it back in August. When movies are based on books I usually like to read the book as well and be able to compare the two, and though this is based on a book, I'm not interested enough to read it. I have far too many other books that I do want to read!

Anyway enjoy my review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


The Jane Austen Book Club (2007):

Based on: The Jane Austen Book Club - by Karen Joy Fowler.
A lady comes up with the idea to start a book club to distract her friend from what she is going through. Because she loves Jane Austen she decides that they will only read her books! Six months, six people, six books. As the members read these works they find similarities to their lives and wonder, will they all get a happy ending?
"It's all Jane Austen all the time!"

Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy.
Length: approx. 106 minutes.
Costumes: 5, standard clothing but a lot of low and short things.
Script: 7, there are some bad words, name calling, and using name in vain.
"Is not general incivility the essence of love?"
Crew:
Directed by: Robin Swicord.
Written by: Karen Joy Fowler & Robin Swicord.
Starring:
Maria Bello as Jocelyn.

Emily Blunt as Prudie.

Kathy Baker as Bernadette.

Amy Brenneman as Sylvia.

Hugh Dancy as Grigg.

Maggie Grace as Allegra.

Jimmy Smits as Daniel.
Kevin Zegers as Trey.
Marc Blucas as Dean.
Parisa Fitz-Henley as Corinne.
Lynn Redgrave as Mama Sky.
Myndy Crist as Lynne.
Nancy Travis as Cat.
Cinematography: 7, wasn't remarkable or that interesting.
Cinematography by: John Toon.
Music: 7, because I really don't remember any of what the score was.
Music by: Aaron Zigman.
Notes: There are some STAR WARS spoilers in this movie, so watch SW first.
Quotes: 7, every time my sister and I talk about Jane Austen we quote Grigg by saying, "That bother anyone else?"
Content: 3, there are some really suggestive words and actions as well as a part where I actually turned it off until it was past (if you know what I mean by my vagueness). It also deals with divorce and remarriage, talking about body parts, and smoking. Some of these are shown as bad and characters grow from that, but others it is shown as good? I do not like this. Not to be spoilers, but I have to put this for content warning for others. A character lives a lesbian lifestyle and everything with her involves that. I personally don't agree with those ideas of dealing with that, but I don't hate anybody either (which I feel is a common misconception). I plan to do a post more deeply on my thoughts in the future (might be weeks or months from now, I don't know) and I will link it here when I do.
Originality: 8. Everyone loves reading Jane Austen, right? It was fun to see people discussing the books!
Good For: I don't know! I don't really want to recommend this to Jane Austen fans because they might love it or hate it.
Age Range: This movie is PG-13, but I don't think they handled some things very well. This is definitely not clean. Maybe more like 15?
Overall Score: 5.

Bonus thoughts:
Honestly, most of my dislike of this movie is with the content. I had a fun time watching this with my sister because we are both huge Jane Austen fans and we were trying to figure out "who was who". Even though Pride & Prejudice is my favorite, it was refreshing to see a Jane Austen movie that focused on her other works more than that one. I had never seen Emily Blunt in a role like this, so that was a change.
Can we talk about the characters? My sister and I decided that we loved Grigg. He was hilarious and sweet! He was definitely our favorite part (but, we did not like one part with him. We were not happy, Bob, not happy.) I don't see myself ever watching this again, but it was fun for one afternoon. If it were cleaner or the consequences were more sever would I? Probably. Would I possibly just watch it for Grigg? Yeah. He made the whole movie worth it.



Your turn! Where are my Jane Austen fans? Have any of you seen this?
Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Leap Year (2010)

Happy Leap Day, everyone!!

The opportunity for bloggers to post on February 29th only comes every for years so you don't want to pass it up! Even though I've been blogging since the last Leap Year, 2016, I started in July so I missed this! Therefore, this is rather exciting for me.

I'll be reviewing a movie that I watched specifically for this purpose. Let me know what you think in my thoughts!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is spoiler free!


Leap Year (2010):

After a woman's boyfriend doesn't propose to her, so decides to follow her him to Ireland to carry out a tradition where every February 29th, where it is switched: a woman can ask a man to marry her. With bad weather she gets stuck far away where she wants to be and pays a local man to drive her to Dublin. A long, long, trip ensues, and while her companion at first seemed intolerable, she begins to find herself relying on him. But, could he have a past that she doesn't know about?
'"You know what I'm talking about."

"I never know what you're talking about!"'

Genre: Romance, Comedy.
Length: approx. 100 minutes.
Costumes: 6, nothing great, and we see people in their underclothing.
Script: 6, a few bad words here and there as well as some name calling.
"Throw them in the wash, it'll be grand."
Crew:
Directed by: Anand Tucker.
Written by: Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont.
Starring:
Amy Adams as Anna Brady.
Matthew Goode as Declan O’Callaghan. "You're a con artist."
Adam Scott as Jeremy Sloane.
John Lithgow as Jack Brady.
Noel O'Donovan as Seamus.
Tony Rohr as Frank.
Pat Laffan as Donal.
Alan Devlin as Joe.
Ian McElhinney as Priest.
Maggie McCarthy as Eileen.
Peter O'Meara as Ron.
Kaitlin Olson as Libby.
Cinematography: 9! This was the one thing that I really liked about this movie, the lovely shots of Ireland!
Cinematography by: Newton Thomas Sigel.
Music: 8, bonus points because I heard a few songs that I know ("Irish Rover" and "Tell Me Ma"), but other than that not memorable.
Music by: Randy Edelman.
Notes: Okay, so the geography is absolutely incorrect. She is stuck in Wales and wants to go to Dublin so she takes a ferry and ends up in... Dingle? As someone who has been to Ireland, I know where Dingle is, and Wales is way, way, way closer to Dublin than Dingle.
Quotes: 6, really not very quotable, but I did find the continual suitcase joke funny.
"Can I help you into the car, Louie?"
Content: 8, it is a romance so there is kissing, and a few suggestive things, in addition to gross things, fighting, and blood.
Originality: 4, I'm sorry that this rating is so low, but the whole plot was so predicable and I feel like I've seen it a million times. So cliche. The setting of Ireland was fun, but that was the only thing to distinguish it.
"You can dish it, but you can't take it, can you?"
Good For: People who want to see images of Ireland.
Age Range: Besides the few things that I mentioned this movie is clean and fine for all ages to watch it! It depends on who would be interested in the story.
Overall Score: 6.5!
Bonus thoughts:
Let me get this out first: This movie is very clean and I really appreciate that. I just didn't like it because of the fact that it was so predictable. If you feel like watching a rom-com this could be in your options, but I don't need to see it again. I wasn't really paying attention while I was watching because I was cleaning and playing with dogs, but I got the idea.


Have any of you seen this movie? Did you like it better than I did? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Royal Wedding (1951)

Good evening to everyone!

As you have seen I haven't been blogging as recently as I usually do, and that is because I have been really busy. And I will continue to be busy for a couple of months, so while I will be popping in to review things from time to time, my usual schedule won't be back in place until May. Anyway, as tradition on this blog, I do a post on the 19th of every month and for tonight I will be reviewing the first Fred Astaire movie that I saw!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Royal Wedding (1951):

A brother and sister dancing duo are going to preform in London around the time of the royal wedding. The sister, Ellen, has people admiring and falling in love with her all the time and meets a Lord who has the same problem. The brother, Tom, always makes fun of marriage, but in London he finds a dancer, Anne, whom he finds himself falling for. Ellen and Tom are determined to stay the team that they have always been, but will their hearts lead them elsewhere?

'"If you think nice things then doors open for you."

"Is that your message for the day."'

Genre: Comedy, Romance, (Musical? I actually really don't know what to call this. There is singing and dancing, but I wouldn't really consider it a musical? I don't know, I'll explain my strange brain and sorting system one day. Every movie back then had music, but it was almost always explained it by saying that they are performers.)
Length: approx. 93 minutes.
Costumes: 8, nothing in appropriate. The styles are fun to see.
My favorite:
Script: 10, no bad words!
"Let's walk a minute, get some nice clean fog."
Crew:
Directed by: Stanley Donen.
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner.
Starring:
Fred Astaire as Tom Bowen.

Jane Powell as Ellen Bowen.

Peter Lawford as Lord John Brindale.

Sarah Churchill as Anne Ashmond.

Keenan Wynn as Irving Klinger & Edgar Klinger. (He does such a good job at playing two roles!)
"This is a pretty box of pickles!"

Sadly, this was the best picture that I could find of him!

Albert Sharpe as James Ashmond.
Cinematography: 10. Okay, can we just talk about something for a minute? The fact that they had no CGI back then, but that they were able to make Fred Astaire do some insanely awesome things while he is dancing? Wowza! Really incredible. And they have good choreography in all of the dances.

Cinematography by: Robert Planck.
Music: 8, there are a ton of fun dance scenes with good music. A few of them are not my favorites (like "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life" [yes, that is the name of the song]), but I love the music for "Sunday Jumps" and whenever I hear "I Left My Hat in Haiti" I have to sing along.

This is from the one with the really long name. 

Music by: Burton Lane & Albert Sendrey.
Quotes: 8, "She's quiet, but also deep. At least I hope she's deep or else she's wasting her time being quiet."
Content: 8, there is some drinking, smoking, a suggestive thing, and a separated married couple.
[highlight for spoilers but they are shown as a possibility as getting together.]
Originality: 9, this is a cute little movie, and while I've seen lots of movies with dancing duos, this is the only one that I can think of who is a sibling team!
Good For: Fred Astaire fans, dancers, families.
Age Range: It is a fun movie for any age, with lots of dancing scenes to keep younger ones interested. I liked when I was little and my grandmother did, too.

Overall Score: 8.5!
"I always smile when I'm heartbroken."
Bonus thoughts:
As I said, this is the first movie that I remember watching with Fred Astaire. I know that I had seen tons of clips of his other movies, but this was the first one that I sat down and watched all the way through. So while a lot of people think of him and Ginger Rogers as a team, I always think Jane Powell. Once my sisters, grandma, and I watched it about once a week for two months and we were all so tired of it, but watching it again the other day I really enjoyed it. This was also my introduction to Peter Lawford who I absolutely love watching and can never find enough movies with him in it. So yeah, this is quite enjoyable way to spend some time! Actually, the dances are quite iconic!


What about all of you? What was the first Fred Astaire movie that you watched? Anyone else as big a fan of Peter Lawford as I am? Thanks for reading!

"Pip now!"

MovieCritic

Older vs. Newer Movie Review (x3): The Shop Around the Corner

Hello all you lovely people!

I am participating in Phyl of Phyllis Loves Classic Movies, Remake of the "They Remade What!?" Blogathon!!

I am really happy that she is hosting this because I bugged her a little about hosting it again since I wasn't here to do the first one!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

Anyway, I am doing three reviews in one post! Yes, I think that is the most I have ever done! As you can see, it is in my Older vs. Newer set up so all of these are all following the basic storyline of the first one.

Which is....

The Shop Around the Corner (1940):

Based on: Parfumerie/Illatszertár - by Miklós László
In Budapest, Hungary, there is a little shop around the corner called Matuschek and Co. A woman convinces Mr. Matuschek, the owner, to hire her, much to the dislike of the head clerk, Mr. Kralik. The two of them always argue about everything. What they don't know is that they are each others anonymous pen-pal who they are each in love with.

Genre: Romance, Comedy (?) [I'm not sure, but it makes me laugh].
Length: approx. 99 minutes
Costumes: 8, nothing too fancy. Maybe a blouse that some people don't like. (teeheehee).
My favorite: The blouse!

Script: 9.
Crew:
Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Produced by: Ernst Lubitsch

Written by:
Samson Raphaelson
Ben Hecht
Starring:
James Stewart as Alfred Kralik

Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak
Frank Morgan as Mr. Matuschek

Felix Bressart as Pirovitch

Joseph Schildkraut as Ferencz Vadas
Sara Haden as Flora Kaczek
William Tracy as Pepi Katona
Charles Smith as Rudy
Inez Courtney as Ilona Novotny

Cinematography: 8, I love the scenes with snow.

Cinematography by: William H. Daniels
Music: 7.
Music by: Werner R. Heymann
Quotes: 9, "I want your honest opinion."

Storyline: 7, there is smoking, and maybe one suggestive thing.
Good For: Anyone anytime. And Jimmy Stewart fans.

Overall Score: 8!!
Bonus thoughts: Do you ever have a movie that just makes you so happy? That is what this is for me! (Sorry, I might have gone a little over the top with the pictures.)


VS.


In The Good Old Summertime (1949):

Based on: Parfumerie - by Miklós László
In Chicago, all is going well for Andy until he runs into a girl outside the post office. Apologizing, he gives her his business card and offers something on sale to make up for it. She shows up looking for a job! It is a music store and she is a beautiful singer, so she is hired, though Andy doesn't like it. They fight with each other all the time, not aware that the person they write letters to anonymously is standing in front of them!

Genre: Musical, Romance, Comedy.
Length: approx. 102 minutes.
Costumes: 7, there is one scene where we see someone in their undergarments.
My favorite: Look at that coat!

Script: 8.
Crew:

Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Produced by: Joe Pasternak
Written by:
Samson Raphaelson
Albert Hackett
Frances Goodrich
Ivan Tors
Starring:
Van Johnson as Andrew Larkin.

Judy Garland as Veronica Fisher.
S. Z. Sakall as Otto Oberkugen.
Clinton Sundberg as Rudy Hansen.
Spring Byington as Nellie Burke.
Buster Keaton as Hickey.

Marcia Van Dyke as Louise Parkson.

Lillian Bronson as Aunt Addie.
Liza Minnelli as little girl (uncredited).
Cinematography: 7, just kind of standard of that era, but I like this dance number!

Cinematography by: Harry Stradling Sr.
Music: 7, my favorite is "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland".
Music by: Fred Spielman, George Evans, Betti O'Dell, George E. Stoll, Jimmy Wakely, Robert Van Eps.
Quotes: 9, "Psychologically, I'm very confused, but personally I feel just wonderful."

Notes:
1. Judy Garland is left-handed. You can really see it here because of the letter writing.
2. Though the name is In The Good Old Summertime, most of it is set in the winter.
Storyline: 9, a little kissing, but that's all.
Good For: Those who like musicals, those who are fans of the actors.
Overall Score: 7.5!!


VS.


You've Got Mail (1998):

Based on: Parfumerie - by Miklós László
"My breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York. Just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you."
In New York City, Kathleen Kelly runs The Shop Around The Corner, her mother's book store. A man named Joe Fox decides to put up a big book store nearby, trying to steal all of Kathleen's business. They detest and criticize one other, though they don't know that they are correspondents, and they anonymously email every day.

Genre: Romance, Comedy.
Length: approx. 119 minutes.

Costumes: 7, just ordinary city clothes.

Script: 7,
"Can you spell cat?"
"F-O-X."

Crew:
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Produced by:
Nora Ephron
Lauren Shuler Donner
Written by:
Nora Ephron
Delia Ephron
Starring:
Tom Hanks as Joe Fox.

Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly.

Greg Kinnear as Frank Navasky.
Parker Posey as Patricia Eden.

Jean Stapleton as Birdie Conrad.

Steve Zahn as George Pappas.
Heather Burns as Christina Plutzker.

Dave Chappelle as Kevin Jackson.
Jeffrey Scaperrotta as Matthew Fox.
Hallee Hirsh as Annabel Fox.
Dabney Coleman as Nelson Fox.
John Randolph as Schuyler Fox.
Cinematography: 7.

Cinematography by: John Lindley

Music: 7.
Music by: George Fenton
Quotes: 9, "When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does."

Notes: 
There are references to the book Pride & Prejudice!
And, "What is with men and the movie The Godfather?"
Storyline: 6, a few bits deal with divorce, there are some suggestive things.
Good For: Anybody, fans of the actors.
Overall Score: 7!


Winner: All of them! They are all awesome.


Spoiler alert! The next bit to the end contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen any of these movies don't read!

Comparing the three:

Aside that they are set in three different places, here is a list of things to show you the similarities.
1. Obviously, they all work around people who communicate with each other anonymously.
2. The first two really have the same plot.
3. In You've Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly's store is called The Shop Around The Corner.
4. In the first two there is a character named Rudy.
5. They all involve the male character finding out first and keeping it a secret.
6. The female characters all get sick at one point and are visited by the male characters.
Side note: Also, the first time I saw the first two I watched them back-to-back and it was great to see the similarities!


James Stewart, Van Johnson, Tom Hanks:

(Sorry that none of these pictures are the best!)
I'm just going to say quickly that in all of the movies I relate to the guys the most. They are all so great.
Who is the best?
Well, James Stewart is my favorite actor of all time. But, recently I have really been enjoying Van Johnson, and this is no exception. And... Tom Hanks is so good, in fact this might be my favorite movie of his.
I'm going to say James Stewart, but the others are excellent!


Margaret Sullavan, Judy Garland, Meg Ryan:

Who is the best?
This is even harder because I can't just go with my favorite! I think this is the only movie I have seen Margaret Sullavan in, and she is wonderful. I have been watching Judy Garland movies as long as I can remember and at one time she was my favorite actress. Meg Ryan's performance here is wonderful!
Nope, can't choose.

Please tell me who your favorites are!


Thank you so much for reading! Big thank you to Phyl for hosting this! Make sure to go check out all the other entries HERE.

MovieCritic