An American In Paris

Another reminder of why musicals are dead (or nearly so). This is not to say that the Gershwin tunes aren't great, or that Gene Kelly's choreography is not in and of itself an artistic achievement. There are moments of joy here. But the demands of the set musical pieces upon the storyline are so onerous that the overall effect is weird and disjointed. And don't even get me started about that half-an-hour-of-ballet ending. A review this negative is practically heresy given this film's reputation as a classic, but...go ahead and burn me at the stake.