Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Ed Uyeshima Barely five minutes into the film and only thirty seconds long, a small jewel is not to be missed in this vintage 1941 musical, as it ranks among the best dance numbers to be seen from the golden age of Hollywood. It's where Fred Astaire casually asks Rita Hayworth to follow him on a complex tap routine set to Cole Porter's "Boogie Barcarole". That Astaire performs flawlessly is to be expected, but the stunning 23-year old Hayworth is startling in her precision and élan. Not only is she absurdly beautiful in her crisp rehearsal togs, but she matches Astaire step for step with unbridled confidence and with her long, gorgeous gams perfectly synchronized with his. The rest of the number, performed with an army of similarly dressed dancers, is not nearly as interesting especially since the fusion between boogie-woogie and classical feels forced.The movie itself, directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano, is a silly mistaken identity affair that feels lifted from one of Astaire's earlier pairings with Ginger Rogers and then retrofitted into a military theme. Hardly a stretch, he plays Bob Curtis, a Broadway dancer and choreographer who works for philandering producer Martin Cortland, played by Algonquin wit Robert Benchley. Cortland has his eyes on chorus dancer Sheila Winthrop and attempts to give her a diamond bracelet until his wife Julia mistakes the gift for her. He pretends the bracelet is from Curtis, which of course, leads to larger complications, especially when Curtis gets drafted and his superior officer turns out to be Sheila's intended fiancé. Off the dance floor and in her first leading role, Hayworth, already in her 38th film, is charming as Sheila, although Frieda Inescort easily steals all her scenes as the deadpan Julia, a perfect match to the acerbic Benchley.Lowbrow comic shenanigans are interspersed with the Robert Alton-choreographed musical numbers. The highlights are an impressive Astaire tap solo set to "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and two more duets with Hayworth - the alluring rumba, "So Near and Yet So Far", and the infectious "Wedding Cake Walk" where the pair get married amid a dress-alike chorus, do a mean Harlem shuffle and tap-dance atop a white cake shaped like a tank. In fact, opening two months before Pearl Harbor, the film portends the upcoming war with patriotic ensemble numbers like "Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam". The 2003 DVD includes trailers for this film as well as two classic Hayworth vehicles, the career-defining Gilda, and future husband Orson Welles' pulp classic, The Lady from Shanghai. The movie is very lightweight, but Astaire's artistry is always worthwhile in any setting, and it's easy to see why Hayworth became the fantasy figure of many an American soldier.

writers_reign This was one of several transitional movies made by Astaire between his RKO and MGM years which means more or less that it's minor Astaire but let's face it even minor Astaire is light years ahead of major Kelly so that by and large this is an entertaining soufflé'. Most of us weren't of course around on its initial release - anyone who was even ten in 1941 would be 75 in today's money - so we probably buy the DVD for the Cole Porter score as much as the Astaire hoofing. Old King Cole doesn't disappoint though one of his finest ballads 'Dream Dancing' is only heard briefly and orchestrally but this still leaves So Near And Yet So Far and Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye, both top-drawer Porter plus Boogie Barcarolle and Wedding Cake-Walk both of which offer excellent hoofing opportunities. The plot - PLOT! you're kidding, right? - is typical of the time and about as believable as anything that ever came out of Nixon's mouth but Robert Benchley is on hand with his peculiar brand of whimsy and comic timing and Fred gets to dance with the gorgeous Rita Hayworth so whaddya want, blood?

movibuf1962 I initially thought this one was the lesser of the two pairings. But I have to admit this film- which puts its audience squarely into the start of World War II- is quite sharp, script-wise, and quite lyrical, music-wise. Astaire's dance director shows an early but distant attraction to chorus dancer Hayworth (and vice-versa), but is drafted into the Army (not to mention repeatedly banished to the guardhouse for various insubordination) before they can live happily ever after. They were a sweet coupling, despite their 19-year age difference, and Hayworth, as others have mentioned, was quite a revelation as a tap and ballroom dancer. All of their dances are performances only, not love scenes (which are the duets I have always preferred), but they are sensational. The requisite 'big number' is the finale, the "Wedding Cake Walk" (you'll do a double-take at the last image of the tank-shaped wedding cake), and there is an ensemble dance at the start of the film called "Boogie Barcarolle." But two numbers stand out: Astaire's solo dance in the guardhouse, sung by a black jazz chorus (uncredited, called the Delta Rhythm Boys) and entitled "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye." Elegant tapping by Astaire is blended with a rich bass vocal by Lucius Brooks. The other number is Astaire and Hayworth's dress rehearsal "So Near and Yet So Far," a stunning rumba which shows off Hayworth in a sheer black gown and expands into intricate layers of choreography. This is one of the last films to show Ms. Hayworth as a brunette; her hair is no longer black, but it is not yet red either, but shortly after this outing her tresses went completely red as she began doing doing Technicolor films. Their follow-up film, "You Were Never Lovelier," had more of the standard romantic shenanigans and more lyrical dance numbers, but this first one was more screwball comedy and, in a sense, more of a challenge to pull off.

MissPommery1926 Regarding the comments made by a previous poster, Astaire and Rogers were THE BEST dance team together - but who cares? Rita Hayworth is hot and sizzling all on her own!!! Don't get me wrong... I love Fred and Ginger and all of their movies together (they were my first love and intro into the wonderful world of classic movies!) But I just have to clarify that Rita in her own rights was every bit as great a dancer as Ginger ever was - maybe even better... in at least this instance. The "So Near And Yet So Far" dance number by Astaire and Hayworth in this movie is my favorite. However, I can't help chuckling at the fact that it looks as though Fred is slightly uncomfortable in this latin themed song. Rita is heavenly shaking those gorgeous hips of hers and dancing rings around Fred....... and Fred... well Fred looks as though he can't quite keep up with Rita... hee hee hee! Fred dances up a storm from beginning to end of this movie....we all know he's the greatest dancer ever known to the silver screen. But his "gringo" hips just can't keep up with Rita in this number. It was a valiant try though! So Ginger can keep Fred..... who cares.....we're all looking at Rita.