Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

dougdoepke Unlike the comedy-driven 1942 version, this one is a musical. Trouble is the songs are forgettable, while director Quine has difficulty blending zaniness with the musical score. The result is a patchwork that fades into a few memorable scenes. Then too, none of the characters have time to really register as the scenes constantly shift focus, and without needed close-ups that would emphasize personality. Nonetheless, two dance numbers remain real eye-catchers. Rall and Fosse face-off in an acrobatic duel that still has me dizzy, while the cute bandstand number shows that Leigh can shake a leg with the best of them. But these are the highlights, and I'm sorry to say Lemmon's comedic talents are almost totally wasted in a rather routine role. Then too, I agree with the reviewer who finds a rather dour Garrett unconvincing as Leigh's sister, maybe because she was just coming off the Hollywood blacklist. However, this movie does something few dare do-- grammarian Ruth reminds us not to end a sentence with a preposition. Now I know why I flunked English.Anyway, director Quine would soon prove a real strength with pure comedy. Among others, catch his neglected Operation Madball (1957), where Lemmon and Dick York carry the laughs superbly, (along with a mockingly villainous Ernie Kovacs). My Sister Eileen, however, remains a harmless time-passer, nicely photographed with expert rug-cutting and candy-box colors that keep the eye entertained, even when the narrative falters.

bkoganbing I'm not sure what the story was with Harry Cohn and this film. Back in the early Forties My Sister Eileen was a big comedy hit for Columbia Pictures starring Rosalind Russell and Janet Blair about the two sisters from Ohio moving to Greenwich Village. So Cohn in fact did own the screen rights. My Sister Eileen moved to Broadway in the early Fifties with Rosalind Russell repeating her role on stage in a musical adaption renamed Wonderful Town. Leonard Bernstein and Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote a fine musical score.So what does Harry Cohn do, he decides to remake My Sister Eileen, but does he shell out any money to Bernstein, Comden and Green for their songs. He does not and pays Jule Styne and Leo Robin to write yet another score. It was one of the weakest scores these two worthy song writers were ever associated. In fact it keeps this version of My Sister Eileen from being a great film.Still it's not a bad one with Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh stepping nicely into the roles created by Russell and Blair. As before and as on stage the film is about the Sherwood sisters from Ohio, sensible and witty older sister Garrett and pretty Janet Leigh with a nice pair of weapons of mass destruction. Men just fall over themselves trying to do for her, two of them in this film are dueling dancers Tommy Rall and Bob Fosse.Jack Lemmon has one of his early roles in My Sister Eileen as a publisher who is interested in both Betty Garrett who is an aspiring writer and the one story that he's interested in is the one she's written about her sister Eileen.Garrett retains all the witty bite of Rosalind Russell and Leigh is guaranteed to get the hormones racing of the male population. My Sister Eileen misses being a great film because of the mediocre songs, but fans of the players shouldn't miss it. Look also for a great performance by Kurt Kaszner as the Sherwood sisters Bohemian landlord.

dmnemaine I recently saw this musical, and enjoyed it very much. There is only one thing that puzzles me though. First, a little history of "My Sister Eileen". It originated as a series of short stories by Ruth McKenney that eventually was published as a book in 1938. In 1940 the book was adapted as a non-musical play. In 1942, Columbia produced a film version of the play. In 1953, Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green wrote the music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical adaptation retitled "Wonderful Town". Then two years later, in 1955, Columbia released this musical version. What puzzles me is that it seems that Columbia completely ignored the hit Broadway show of just two years prior, as if it never existed. It's interesting that they would have Jule Styne and Leo Robin write a completely new score for the film, when the superb Bernstein/Comden & Green score was already there. The Styne/Robin score is very good, but in no way does it compare to "Wonderful Town".

mark.waltz I first saw "My Sister Eileen" years ago as a kid. In the early 90's, I saw the film at a tribute to Betty Garrett at which she was present to answer questions. I found her to be a wonderful person full of humor and warm remembrances of her co-stars and experience in Hollywood. She talked candidly about the blacklist that kept her and husband Larry Parks out of films for several years until she made this film, but did not show any signs of bitterness over the experience. What a wonderful lady!Anyway, the film still holds up 46 years later as a fresh and entertaining remake of the Rosalind Russell film of the 40's which I have yet to see. Russell had done the Broadway musical version, "Wonderful Town", which was also done as a TV special some time during the 50's as well. Since Leonard Bernstein was not willing to let his music go without a huge price, Columbia instead hired Jule Styne to write the music. I have seen the TV version of "Wonderful Town" which is enjoyable, but this film brings the story to life in color and with beautiful location footage of New York's Greenwich Village. Shots of the surrounding area including the famous Washington Square make this a must for lovers of the Big Apple. Having visited Greenwich Village several times in the past couple years, I was amazed by how much it has NOT changed! This aspect alone makes "My Sister Eileen" seem as fresh today as it was during its initial release.As Eileen, Janet Leigh is perky and lovable, but it is Betty Garrett who steals the scene as Ruth with her wonderfully likable personality. The not-so-plain jane, Garrett is a struggling writer who comes to New York from Ohio with her pretty sister (Leigh) whom all the boys go gaga over, making Ruth feel unattractive. Before you know it, Eileen has the attentions of sweet Bob Fosse and scoundral Tommy Rall, while Ruth finds herself attracted to publisher Jack Lemmon. In only his third year in Hollywood films, Lemmon had proved himself to be a versitile actor. This was one of three musical remakes he did at Columbia during the mid 50's. The other two were "Three For the Show" (a remake of "Too Many Husbands") and "You Can't Run Away From It" (a remake of "It Happened One Night"). He sings one song ("It's Bigger Than You or Me"), and doesn't do too badly!Then, there are two other characters who fit into the storyline: shyster landlord Kurt Kasznar, and athlete neighbor Dick York (of "Bewitched" fame). Kasznar, Rall, and Fosse had all appeared together in MGM's "Kiss Me Kate". Rall and Fosse's rival dance shows the potential of the future Broadway legend Fosse who went onto create the dances in such memorable musicals as "Pippin" and "Chicago" (as well as direct several classic musical films). Fosse's creative touch is clearly visible here.The musical highlight is the "Give Me a Band" number with a tipsy Garrett leading Leigh, Rall, and Fosse in a dance number with invisible musical instruments. The other songs are hardly classics, but in this film, that just doesn't matter; the shear magic of New York's Greenwich Village and the wonderful stars make this an all-time classic.In comparing this to "Wonderful Town", I can say listening to the Original Broadway Cast and viewing the video of the TV special, I would like to have seen Bernstein's songs in the film as compared to Jule Styne's. The production number of "Christopher Street" (which is not even mentioned in this film) is ironic considering that 15 years after it was written, Christopher Street would become part of another legend: the Stonewall riots for Gay and Lesbian rights. Then, there are two other production numbers lead by Russell: "Swing" and "Conga", which is done in "My Sister Eileen" as a non-sung dance number. Eileen, as played by Edie Adams, comes off as unknowingly selfish, while Leigh's Eileen is a seemingly goody-goody miss perfect. Russell and Garrett are both perfect as Eileen, and I am glad that Garrett had the chance to play the part which Russell had already done on film the decade before.