Okay, fellow movie goers from around the globe. Time for another musical film to prep up for the highly anticipated “Joker: Folie a Deux.” This time, its “Top Hat” starring legendary duo, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. Released in 1935, (same year Monopoly was invented) the film earned positive reviews and saved RKO (before they went outta business 1959) from bankruptcy earning revenue at the box office. In 1990, Top Hat was selected by the Liberty of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.
As I’ve mentioned from previous musical related reviews, I’m not a big fan of musicals. Anyway, an upcoming biopic based on Fred Astaire, is currently in development. Tom Holland will portray the late legend. As of mid-2024, no release date has been confirmed or an actress playing Ginger Rogers. I’m gonna come clean, I never watched a single Fred & Ginger movie. Top Hat’s my first from the pair.
This review contains some SPOILERS.
Top & Bottom Elements
Top: Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers both did a solid job for their respective performances.
Dance Numbers were pretty good. Fred & Ginger are talented dancers.
Cinematography didn’t have any technical problems.
Costume Designs and Set Pieces were manually crafted.
Fun Fact: “Cheek to Cheek” was used in “The Green Mile” when Michael Clarke Duncan’s character, John Coffey watches the movie. That’s the first time I’ve heard of that song. It was also used in other movies.
- The English Patient
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- The Human Stain
- The Boss Baby
- A short promo for Joker: Folie a Deux
At the 17:00 mark, Lucile Ball makes a tiny appearance as a flower clerk.
Bottom: Chemistry between Jerry & Dale felt wooden. They barely known each other for less than a week or two. Then, it happened, an early romance between them happened. In real life, it’ll take more than a week for two people to get to know one another until a relationship is officially established. I have no choice, but to Double Down this con for making me feel miserably bored not caring about Fred & Ginger’s characters.
Musical Numbers are forgettable except, Cheek to Cheek. I can’t remember a single one. They pale in comparison to “The Wizard of Oz.”
A Plot Hole involving why Dale didn’t ask Jerry name from the get-go. She assumes Jerry’s the manager. Absolutely ridiculous. You can’t be this stupid not asking somebody’s name.
Ginger sings less songs than Fred. She only sings one entire song. If you’re gonna make a musical starring an iconic duo, you have to them sing tunes equally. Imagine if all seven members of the Justice League never got their own awesome moment in Bruce Timm’s cartoon? Bad idea!
Pacing felt like a drab. I wasn’t fully invested since the beginning. I’d rather watch an entire season of Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” That’s pretty bad subtracting a boring 90-minute movie.
The Final Verdict: D, FOR DINO DROPPINGS!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, Top Hat is not a timeless masterpiece. At first, I watched it with an open mind seeing Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers singing and dancing together. Afterwards, I didn’t enjoy Top Hat. Look, I have to give classic movies tough love whether or not they live up. My intention isn’t to stir controversy. Just wanna try out other things to open a perspective on a certain subject.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 