Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Based on the Tevye stories by Sholem Aleichem, first published in 1894.

The story is set in the last years of the nineteenth century. A milkman living in a small Ukrainian village dreams of getting rich and marrying his daughters into money, but they choose husbands who fail to fulfill his dream. The first one ditches the widower butcher for a young tailor; the second one decides to marry a revolutionary; the third one disappoints him greatly by marrying outside of their faith.

At first I thought I would say this is a greatly overrated movie, but I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. The simple fact is that works of art exist for all kinds of people. When someone says a movie is overrated, all he is saying is that, horror of horrors, not all people are like him, or, even worse, most people are not like him. On the other hand, it all depends on whom you take as representatives of an authoritative opinion. If I chose 100 persons at random from my geographical vicinity, I bet most would find Fiddler on the Roof just as boring as I did. No, on second though, it is likely they would find it even more boring. But one does not get to be a successful movie critic by having common tastes. Not, anyway, by avowing them. On the other hand, a lot of common middle-class people enjoy going to Broadway musicals, and most of them say they like them. I often wonder if they are being sincere. Well, enough of that. I want you all to enjoy the considerations of someone who thoroughly disliked this movie, and then decide if somehow there was a failure of communication, or perhaps a failure of a different sort, somewhere:

From the User Comments section of the Fiddler on the Roof IMDB page:

*quote*

Horrible

abrafocus13 March 2006

Warning: Spoilers

Sadly, this is my dad's favorite movie. The songs are more than annoying. I can't stand them! Now we have the soundtrack, and I have to put up with that so-called "music." If you want a rally good musical, watch "The Sound of Music." (1965)

**Possible spoilers ahead**

"Fiddler on the Roof" is about a Jewish family who is being forced out of their homes via Hitler. I am not Jewish, but that's not why I don't like this movie. I just don't think the singing and dancing are that entertaining. The story is a bit weak, too. One of Tevye's daughters is converted to Christianity, and he denounces her for it. Being a Christian myself, I object to that.

If you must see this movie, skip the "Miracle of Miracles" song. It's more than unbearable. This movie is among my bottom ten movies.

My Score: 0.5/10.

*unquote*

IMDB user bkoganbing has a much warmer review of the movie, in which he remarks the similarities between the plot's setup and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Now I must rush off to see another movie. Too bad they haven't filmed Charles Darwin: Live and in Concert. Sounds like a riot.

Rating: 40