Orla Zuniga
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Benas Mcloughlin
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Prismark10
Bye Bye Birdie is an adaptation of a stage musical into a bright, colourful lit film but some bland songs and rather off acting especially by Jesse Pearson who plays the Elvis like Conrad Birdie.Conrad Birdie is a heartthrob rock n roll singer who is drafted to the army. However he ends up coming to a small Ohio town for a farewell television performance, singing a song written by a local chemistry teacher and aspiring songwriter and kiss a female fan. However his arrival causes a stir with locals and some of the young men are not happy especially the boyfriend of the fan due to kiss Conrad.The film is bouncy, bright and colourful but looks rather quaint now. A bubblegum version of early 1960s teen culture and small town America before the counter culture emerged. The songs rather reflect this and lack a hard edge although there is some subversiveness in the lyrics here and there.There is a talented cast with Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh but the standout is Ann Margret showing early promise.
Dalbert Pringle
Released in 1963 - Bye Bye Birdie's story was inspired by the sensation caused when Elvis Presley was drafted into the US Army in 1957.In this light-hearted Musical/Comedy/Romance it was actor Jack Pearson who played the role of the hip-shaking teen idol, Conrad Birdie. Birdie's name was a word-play on the name of another pop singer of that era, Conway Twitty.Elvis Presley, himself, was the first choice for the part of Birdie, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, rejected the idea as he didn't want Presley to appear in any roles that were parodies of himself.Ed Sullivan, the popular TV host of his long-running show on CBS, appeared as himself.Set in the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, Bye Bye Birdie's story has a lively, good-natured feel to it, but its situations do sometimes get a bit silly and overblown.Before the swaggering pop-star, Conrad Birdie is officially drafted into the service he is scheduled by his publicity agent to appear in a final, farewell performance on the ever-popular Ed Sullivan Show.At this gala event he will sing "One Last Kiss" and, then, bestow upon the one, lucky girl (chosen at random), a "symbolic" goodbye kiss at the finale.Needless to say, Birdie's much-anticipated arrival in Sweet Appple causes hysteria amongst the teenage girls, resentment amongst the teenage boys, and great concern amongst the parents who believe that Birdie is a bad influence on the morals of their impressionable children.Bye Bye Birdie's 2 most notable musical numbers were "Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do" and "Put On a Happy Face". This film also featured a good cast which included Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, and Bobby Rydell.
TxMike
OK, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am an old guy. In fact this movie was being filmed during my senior year in high school, and released near the time I graduated. But somehow I had never seen it, until now. It has great memories for a number of reasons. First, as a teen I was infatuated with Janet Leigh. She was so pretty and with a nice figure, to me it couldn't get any better. I have seen her in a number of dramatic roles, including Psycho, but never in a comedic role, as here, and she does great.Second, as I went into young adulthood I discovered Ann-Margaret, and to me she was about as nice and beautiful as they get. She is only 4 years older than I am, she was 21 during filming of this movie and she lights up the screen in every scene she is in. Plus a darned good singer.And third, Bobby Rydell. His songs were very popular during the 1960s and seeing him play the role of Ann-Margaret's character was total fun and nostalgic. I can still hear him singing "Dream Lover."The title character of this movie is Jesse Pearson as singer Conrad Birdie, mostly a parody of Elvis Presley, drafted to go into the military, and young girls swoon when he sings. But he also sounded a lot like Bobby Darin in some songs.But the story is just an excuse to sing a few songs and to showcase the talents of the main cast, which also included the likes of Paul Lynde and Ed Sullivan playing himself. The story includes having Kim (Ann- Margaret) and Hugo (Bobby Rydell) realize their love for each other, as well as Albert (Van Dyke) and his secretary Rosie (Leigh).Just a fun, silly movie from the 1960s, with fun, silly songs.
ChrisB13
Finally, after more than 45 years, I have watched Bye Bye Birdie all the way through. I have tried to view it many times through these years but could never get through it! In no way does Conrad Birdie remind me of Elvis Presley. He looks like a strange version of a country-western performer that cannot sing a note. It's an insult to Elvis' memory to try and tell us that this movie was based on his career.Well below par are the performances of Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret as well as others who starred in this film. I have never been an Ann-Margaret fan to begin with but I do love Ms. Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Maureen Stapleton and Paul Lynde. None of these talented people could save this movie. The songs are completely unmemorable and the production numbers are not well done. The only performer I enjoyed was Bobby Rydell. At least he was a teenage heartthrob. Maybe they should have given the role of Conrad Birdie to him. Thumbs down on this over rated musical.
