DailyView: Day 333, Movie 478

The third Best Picture winner of the day for the DailyView is the musical An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly.

According to IMDB: “Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly), a struggling American painter in Paris, is “discovered” by an influential heiress (Nina Foch) with an interest in more than Jerry’s art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise (Leslie Caron), a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.”

I have to say that I was not in love with any of the songs in this musical, but the dance routines are spot on, including the long 20-minute dance routine at the conclusion of the movie. The one exception I would include was “I Got Rhythm” with the kids singing the “I Got” part.

Jerry and Lise are also just a pair of jerks here as they string along their own partners as they fall in love with each other. Lise accepts a marriage proposal even while she is secretly dating Jerry. Her fiancé seemed to be a great guy and was a friend of Jerry which makes it all the worse. Am I supposed to support these two people who are downright cruel to the people they are with?

I was entertained with the dancing. The romance does not work as well for me. I did not hate the romance, but I thought they deserved each other at the end. An American in Paris is a classic, and an enjoyable watch.