Those who don't like this film (and that's okay), don't really "get" the film (and that's okay, too). It's a spoof. It's all tongue in cheek. And it stars 4 tremendous stars -- Frank, Dean, Bing, and Sammy. No, it's not Shakespeare. Nor is it supposed to be. It's just supposed to be fun with some cool songs thrown in for good measure. Nothing more. Nothing less. And, if you don't like the stars, this wouldn't have been a movie for you to go see. But for the fans of those four big time operators, this film is a ball.
Attention to detail sometimes makes a movie, and starting out a film about Prohibition Era gangsters with a cameo of Edward G. Robinson...well, that's paying attention to detail. The first musical number ("All for One and One for All") is a hoot as sung by that man with the velvet voice -- Peter Falk. Of course he's a lousy singer; that's the point. I don't even like Peter Falk, but he's perfect for his role in this film.
Dean Martin's primary solo ("Any Man Who Loves His Mother") is hokey...and it's supposed to be...I'm not particularly enamored of it...but it does show off his mellow voice nicely. It's also interesting to watch Dean's subtle facial expressions in some of the scenes, and you'll notice that he is often focusing all his attention on Bing Crosby.
Sammy Davis' primary number ("Bang Bang") shows off his vocal and tap dancing abilities very well, although Sammy got a bit short-changed in this film...and you'll note that he's the only main character without a love episode.
But the best role of all -- though he doesn't appear until just about halfway through the film -- belongs to Bing Crosby...a "do-gooder" with some intentions that may be less than honorable. Crosby has 2 notable numbers, one with some kids and the other the lead in "Mister Booze". One can still see the old pro excelling even late in his life, and it's a pleasure.
Of course, Frank Sinatra's big number here is "My Kind Of Town", one of his signature songs.
Additional cast members do their jobs. I especially liked Robert Foulk as the original sheriff. But the cameo appearance of all time -- short lived though it was, was Edward G. Robinson -- a classic touch.
You need to watch for little touches in the dialog that are quite clever. For example, the telephone number at one point is Garfield...", in homage to John Garfield. Lots of little thing like that.
If there's one criticism I have is that the boys (Dean, Frank, Bing, and Sammy) didn't take enough care in lip-syncing the songs, and even some of the dialog. It's really quite noticeable and distracting.
This is a good film. Not one of the great musicals of the 40s or 50s, but a rather pleasant romp with the Rat Pack. Have fun watching it.
The Warner Brothers Blu-Ray disc I purchased was an excellent transfer.
Attention to detail sometimes makes a movie, and starting out a film about Prohibition Era gangsters with a cameo of Edward G. Robinson...well, that's paying attention to detail. The first musical number ("All for One and One for All") is a hoot as sung by that man with the velvet voice -- Peter Falk. Of course he's a lousy singer; that's the point. I don't even like Peter Falk, but he's perfect for his role in this film.
Dean Martin's primary solo ("Any Man Who Loves His Mother") is hokey...and it's supposed to be...I'm not particularly enamored of it...but it does show off his mellow voice nicely. It's also interesting to watch Dean's subtle facial expressions in some of the scenes, and you'll notice that he is often focusing all his attention on Bing Crosby.
Sammy Davis' primary number ("Bang Bang") shows off his vocal and tap dancing abilities very well, although Sammy got a bit short-changed in this film...and you'll note that he's the only main character without a love episode.
But the best role of all -- though he doesn't appear until just about halfway through the film -- belongs to Bing Crosby...a "do-gooder" with some intentions that may be less than honorable. Crosby has 2 notable numbers, one with some kids and the other the lead in "Mister Booze". One can still see the old pro excelling even late in his life, and it's a pleasure.
Of course, Frank Sinatra's big number here is "My Kind Of Town", one of his signature songs.
Additional cast members do their jobs. I especially liked Robert Foulk as the original sheriff. But the cameo appearance of all time -- short lived though it was, was Edward G. Robinson -- a classic touch.
You need to watch for little touches in the dialog that are quite clever. For example, the telephone number at one point is Garfield...", in homage to John Garfield. Lots of little thing like that.
If there's one criticism I have is that the boys (Dean, Frank, Bing, and Sammy) didn't take enough care in lip-syncing the songs, and even some of the dialog. It's really quite noticeable and distracting.
This is a good film. Not one of the great musicals of the 40s or 50s, but a rather pleasant romp with the Rat Pack. Have fun watching it.
The Warner Brothers Blu-Ray disc I purchased was an excellent transfer.