Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Absolutely the worst movie.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I must confess that every time I try to watch this, I just more and more annoyed with it. Warner Brothers did not have the types of musicals that were being made at MGM or even 20th Century Fox, but at least they had stars like Doris Day and Gordon MacRae to star in them. MacRae gets the leading man role here in this remake of 1938's "Boy Meets Girl", but Miss Day was busy elsewhere in 1952 with leading men Ray Bolger and Ronald Reagan getting her. Phyllis Kirk, best known for the T.V. version of "The Thin Man" replaces her here, and while she's an attractive cookie, doesn't have the spark with MacRae that he had with Doris. Toss in Eddie Bracken and Dick Wesson as MacRae's pals, and the result is a musical comedy where the laughs don't come and as the film runs on, the only emotion you begin to feel is annoyance.The basic plot has the three guys as cadets at SMI (Southern Military Institute) where MacRae is secretly married, which is against the rules. There's also the animosity between the three cadets and Lieutenant Cliff Ferre whom they try to humiliate at every turn, even going as far as to put colored dye into his shampoo which results in a very embarrassing situation. A disciplined and obnoxious "by the books" man, he all of a sudden breaks into a tap dance while trying to hide the fact that he's got blue hair just takes the plot into a ridiculous circumstance that would have gotten the cadets not only kicked out of the service, but most likely court-marshaled. A very young Joel Grey does add some amusement as the eager newbie desperately trying to fit in. While Bracken's brand of comedy can get old really fast, he seems tame in comparison to the truly unfunny Wesson who only ever got laughs from me when he appeared in very ugly drag in "Calamity Jane".Musically, this is not really interesting either, and the songs are instantly forgettable. Years ago, a local Los Angeles station used to show all of the 1950's Warner Brothers musicals on a daily basis, so I got a crash course in Doris and Gordon in seeing their big hits, as well as others such as "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady" and "Three Sailors and a Girl". But when this one came on, I sat there in shock as to how corny it was and how embarrassed I felt siting there watching it. Of course, none of them will ever be considered classics other than the ones which starred Doris, and when you see what was put out at the same time from MGM's Freed unit, you wonder where Warner Brothers' creative head was, especially since they were the studio that re-vitalized the musicals in the 1930's thanks to Busby Berkeley.

"About Face" is not really a bad movie - it's just not as good as it could be. It is a remake of a movie made in the 30's called "Brother Rat", which was based on a Broadway play. "Brother Rat" is a better movie than 'About Face" as it had a better cast and a more subtle approach to the comedy angle; "About Face" is somewhat heavy-handed in this regard.In my opinion, what really sinks "About Face" is the forgettable musical score. For some reason it was decided to remake it as a musical, but the songs are very ordinary. The songs are trifling and unmemorable, except for Joel Grey's number. And a reviewer above is right about the closing tap dancing number. It was a show-stopper, but the show was over.I saw "About Face" when it first came out. I was 11 and I loved it, and saw it several times. Funny how time and age can provide a different perspective. It is harmless fare and entertaining to a point, but sometimes a substantial time lapse can lead to disappointment.

Not nearly as good as Brother Rat, the 1938 black-and-white movie (based on a play of the same name) from which it was remade. The humor is much too exaggerated, and it needn't be. The problems the three friends create for themselves should be funny enough. You don't need the added slapstick to musical accompaniment. I normally like Eddie Bracken, but I prefer Eddie Albert's more subtle take on the same character 14 years earlier. Besides, Bracken's looks too old to be a student. Actually, they ALL look too old, but Bracken could play someone's father. Joel Grey's musical number where he imitates Jerry Lewis is the best thing about this movie, even if it doesn't exactly service the plot. I also liked--I'm not sure if this is considered a spoiler or not so I checked the box just to be sure--Cliff Ferre's tap dance that closes out the movie.

This film is not bad, but a washed out version of "BROTHER RAT" (1938) that starred Ronald Reagan, Eddie Alber and Wayne Morris, three "rats" who are enrolled at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), a real place. There are never any freshmen at VMI, they are deemed "rats", and the bond between them usually is a lifelong one. This film is a black and white classic that is fondly screend at VMI, in Lexington, to this day.