Friday, October 24, 2014

The Girl Can't Help It (1956)

Second viewing; first seen between 1983 and 1986.

A gangster wants to turn his girlfriend into a successful singer, and for that purpose hires a down-and-out agent. He and the girl fall in love with each other.

Uneven musical comedy, of historical importance due to the influence its rock-and-roll numbers had on the evolution of that genre. It's a multifaceted film which never reaches a unity among its parts. The plot itself is not that important, and seems to be aware of it. The movie is at its best when it does its satire on sex-symbols (its female star is "a parody of a parody", according to TV Guide's fine review); the musical performances, though impressive, have just a casual relation to the rest of the movie. The film's best line is featured in Dale Thomajan's book Great Movie Lines.

Rating: 51 (down from 58)

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