#it’s just so upbeat and energetic - I fell in love with it after all💖😊🥰

[mostlydaydreaming]

Hello Dolly! (1969) - My review

This movie is often called a “bomb.” The reason for the downfall of the Hollywood musical. Many downright despise it as miscast, over-blown and too old fashioned.

Honestly, I don’t understand what all the hatred is about. The movie didn’t in fact “bomb.” It finished in the top 5 grossing movies of that year. There was still an audience for it. It lost money because of how much it cost. Some of the money was lost because the movie sat on the shelf for a year, while creditors were waiting and counting interest, because the studio bought the rights for it and insisted on filming it before it ended on broadway, The contract stipulated it couldn’t be released until the end of its broadway run, so the studio had to pay up even more to release it early to stop losing money. The producer also did a poor job of keeping track of the money. The studio wanted something big and grand, even though director Gene Kelly (who accepted the job late), admitted he would have preferred to make something smaller and more intimate, like The Matchmaker.

Second, the cast. A lot has been made of Barbara Streisand being too young for the role. Again, I don’t understand this being such a big thing. Younger women have always been cast in older roles. I’m not saying it’s right, but why was it suddenly such a big deal in this case. I think some of the criticism at the time came from many who thought Carol Channing, the Dolly on Broadway, was snubbed.

People also complain about the age difference. Again, this has been going on (and still is) since movies began. Just think of the movie’s time period. You can’t say she was too young to be a widow. People didn’t live as long back then, so younger widows weren’t as uncommon. Barbara choosing a “Mae West” type portrayal, was a good decision on her part. It infused a sense of fun in the movie and helped her seem more worldly and older than her years.

For those who complain specifically about the Walter/Barbara coupling, haven’t they ever heard about “opposites attract?” I know many couples who seem opposites on the surface. But successful couples, if you look beneath the surface, do have similar likes/dislikes that hold them together. In this movie, they are both equally driven to get what they want, just in different ways. I’ve seen countless movies where one party annoys the first party until they finally fall in love. Why is this so different? I don’t see Walter being with someone as grumpy as he is, any more than I would see myself with someone as reserved as I am (I’m not)

Complaints about the movie being too big and lavish? How can you be too beautiful? Even today, there are small understated films, and movies unabashedly gaudy in 3D, IMAX, CGI splendor. I think there’s room for both.

Some people just don’t like musicals. They usually complain “how do people stop in the middle of a scene and break into a song and dance?” Of course, many of these same people have no problem suspending belief for flying super heroes, attacking aliens in spaceships, and all sorts of other fantasy worlds, not human.

Hello Dolly didn’t “kill” musicals. They continued into the 70s. Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease all come to mind. I also hate it when people say musicals died out in the early 50s, forgetting some of the biggest of all time; The Sound of Music, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins… I could go on but you get the point.

This movie is not my favorite, or my favorite musical. It’s not in my top 10 or even in my top 20. It’s not perfect. It’s just a bit of lighthearted fluff for a rainy afternoon. It’s loaded with talented singers and dancers. It’s beautifully made with excellent direction and choreography.

The only complaint I have would be the length. There could have been bits trimmed or songs cut to speed it up a little. Barbara’s ballad “Love is Only Love” comes to mind. I know it’s probably meant to fill out her character and make her more sympathetic but I think it slows down the action too much. That being said, it’s not a deal breaker for me as I know there are more great numbers ahead. The title song and the waiters dance are amazing. Honestly, there are so many movies today that run 3 hours, I don’t know why people make such a big deal of it being 2 1/2. I’ve squirmed in my seat many times during supposed “blockbusters” waiting for the action to restart. It makes them imperfect, not unwatchable.

Again, it’s the hate or downright distain for this movie that I don’t understand. It’s gotten so much hate over the years! Most of it overstating how poorly it was done (it was not) or how poorly it did at the box office (it did not) or how it ruined musicals for all time (again, it did not). The audiences might be smaller. Audiences today seem more willing to suspend belief over a flying man than over an impromptu song & dance, but there is still an audience out there. Maybe some of it is people reading all the negativity, then when they finally see it that’s all they can see.