To me, this movie is perfection.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Fantastic!

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

First the good- Louis Armstrong-the grace Kelly and frank Sinatra your sensational number a convincing flirtation.grace Kelly was lot more attractive and less irritating than Katherine Hepburn in the 1940 film. the rest- Bing ludicrous as the ex suitor- looked old enough to be her grandpa. john lund twice as attractive made you wonder why she had a pensioner fixation Instead.Frank Sinatra with black hair looking like a left over from the munsters sang well enough but wasn't convincing. as a newspaper hack -then there was the always middle aged Celeste Holm in girly dresses looking like Sinatra's ma- finally there was father figure looking like serial killer, top that up with awful colour and ghastly sets- the garden was particularly awful.As it was Kelly's last film she looked as though she was already the true princess she became- .there was sense of her being above the whole dreary caper . all in all flat champagne with a plausible title change from high society to slumming it

C. K. Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby) invites a band (Louis Armstrong and His Band) to his Newport estate to practice. His neighbor and former love Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) is getting married to the respectable George Kittredge. She disapproves and broke up with Dexter over his lowly music career. Tabloid Spy Magazine uses scandalous information about her father to blackmail the family to gain access to the wedding. They send Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra) and photographer Liz Imbrie. Tracy decides to fake out the tabloid by switching uncle Willy and her father.The cast is high-powered. Based on The Philadelphia Story, a musical remake is not absolutely necessary. It doesn't have quite the same amount of screwball fun. Grace Kelly may not have the comedic chops to deliver fully on the role. She gives off an air of someone trying to be quirky. Part of it is that her character is a little fake but it does translate into Kelly faking it. She's too high maintenance to be appealing. Crosby and Sinatra have the easy charms. I'm not a big fan of the Cole Porter songs. This has all the fire power in the world but it is not quite as fun.

I'm one of those who don't admire this film much.On the positive side, it's a lush production. It has a Cole Porter score -- my favorite composer -- although I'm impressed with only a few of the songs: "True Love" (of course), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (with a swellegant turn by Celeste Holm), and the bright "Well, Did You Evah!" (in a terrific duet by Bing and Frank); the other songs are forgettable.Another positive note are a number of the supporting actors -- Celeste Holm as a reporter, Louis Calhern as an uncle, Sidney Blackmer as the father, Margalo Gillmore as the mother, and young Lydia Reed as the younger sister.Unfortunately, I can't say as much for the lead cast. Bing Crosby is always very natural on screen, and is here. Grace Kelly has another turn as a spoiled brat, and as far as I'm concerned flubs the role terribly. Frank Sinatra plays the smart ass that he seemed to be in real life...which may have gone over well in the 1950s, but isn't as attractive today; and ironically, he played a poor drunk (type casting from the Rat Pack days?). John Lund as the fiancée????? Stick with the original "The Philadelphia Story", or watch this one as a comparison. Frankly, about the only reason this film was made was Bing's whim and Grace Kelly's rising star (in terms of the latter, thankfully it was the last film with her that we had to suffer through).

Following a wonderful adaptation of the play in The Philadelphia Story 1940 here comes a potentially great musical. I was very excited to see it and very disappointed afterwards. How do I loathe this musical - every scene feels like it will never end and the songs seem out of place. Gone is the vivacity, wittiness, poignancy and the romance of a wonderful story. Am I supposed to believe that a beautiful young woman of 27 is happily marrying a not very attractive 45 year old? That she finds nothing surprising at being surrounded by short unattractive men who are each older than the other and the main love interest is 53 years old! Watching her surrounded by these old guys I felt the same disgust and distaste I felt when watching The Seven Year Itch - beautiful Ms Monroe being ogled by a a pervy old man. And everyone acts as if this is normal! It is beyond comprehension and utterly unconvincing. Sure the guys can sing - well then find them a love interest of their own age! I do wonder if this film could have been saved by an appropriate casting. Maybe it could have helped avoid implausible scenes, unconvincing dialogue and wooden acting...