Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

"April Showers" is a film that supposedly is based on the life of Buster Keaton and his family during Vaudeville. However, despite the studio paying Keaton for rights to the story, the story is, essentially INSPIRED (kinda) by the Keatons. It is NOT a biographical film and is pretty sanitized. I don't know the full extent of it, but the REAL Keatons used Buster from a very, very young age (not 12 like in the movie) and the act was filled with violent slapstick (such as tossing the young Buster about the stage)! I think the sensitization, in part, was because 1940s audiences probably would have been horrified with how Buster's family treated (and mistreated) him. As for the family, they repeatedly told authorities Buster was a midget (which is mentioned once in the film)...hence no need to send him to school or protect his safety!Joe and June Tyme are down and nearly out Vaudevillians. Their son is off somewhere in a boarding school while his parents work...but Buster wants to join them and runs away from school. He happens to arrive at the right time...as his parents are out of work. But Buster is so talented he immediately helps them get jobs. And, from then on, the act gains popularity and prestige. Unfortunately, Joe becomes a drunk and ruins the act...and June and Buster are forced to go on without him. This part of the film is rather unpleasant to say the least.The odd thing about this film is that it is trying to get you to root for the Tymes to fool the authorities in New York into thinking Buster is a midget. It really is an example of horrible parenting! This movie is entertaining because of young Robert Ellis (as Buster) is an amazingly talented young man--with great athleticism. His dancing scenes are pretty incredible to watch and it's a real shame the actor died when he was only 40. As for the rest of it, it's a bit too maudlin and downbeat to me anything more than a time-passer..that is until the rousing fist fight ending! Overall, it's not a bad film...just not a particularly enjoyable one during much of the time.

Family picture from Warner Bros. hasn't enough comedic or dramatic elements to make an impression. A vaudevillian song-and-dance couple, barely surviving on one mediocre bill after another, finally hit pay dirt after bringing their precocious son into the act--but when the husband gets discouraged and hits the bottle, it may mean the end of his marriage. Jack Carson adds a little kick to the proceedings, but it's a half-empty star-vehicle. Production is surprisingly low-rent, while the athletic boy-star hardly seems the type to lay theater audiences in the aisles. Carson and Ann Sothern appear to have a rock-solid marriage (with lots of backstage smooching), so the addition of a potential romantic replacement for the husband is ludicrous. This scenario was ripe for satire and bite, however the handling is as mawkish and musty as the music. *1/2 from ****

"April Showers" is a cute musical starring Ann Sothern, Jack Carson, Bobby Ellis, Robert Alda, and S.J. Sakall.The film is based on the true story of Buster Keaton, who was responsible for making his parents' vaudeville act successful.Sothern and Carson are husband and wife Joe and June Tyme, vaudevillians who have a lousy show and, when we first come upon them, are fired from their job. However, Joe is always upbeat, and the couple is in love. Plus, they stay at a place where the proprietor (Sakall) carries them.Their son Buster is away at school but is desperate to join his parents' act. He finally shows up and does so. The act becomes a huge hit with the talented dancer and comic working with them, and they ultimately receive an invitation to play New York. When they arrive, the theater manager is appalled -- Billy is underage and the local children's society will not allow him to work. Their troubles are just beginning, as Joe gradually loses his good humor and takes up a battle with the bottle.Everyone is very good, with Sothern singing beautifully. Carson sang beautifully as well, and I think it was his voice, as he was a singer. Bobby Ellis was wonderful. The numbers are cute but not spectacular.I guess I would say there just isn't anything special enough to separate this out from other musicals of the era. The actors rose above the material. There is one section where Bobby imitates a midget (and is dubbed by Mel Blanc) to convince the children's group in New York that he can work -- very politically incorrect. Things like that in old films can be quite jarring. Is it as jarring as seeing Katharine Hepburn as a Chinese woman in Dragon Seed? No, but it's noticeably in bad taste.Some enjoyable moments. Sadly, Carson died at 53 and Bobby Ellis at 40. Two talented people, dead too soon.

This is a charming little musical filled with great old songs. However, the great find of this film, and the real reason to watch it, is the young actor Robert Ellis. He plays a 12 year son of the main characters. He dances and entertains and displays a delightful interaction with Jack Carson. His singing is less than ideal but the whole film is a wonderful example of the carefree style of musicals typical of its day. It is unfortunate that Mr. Ellis never lived up to his potential - for whatever reason - and died at such a young age. I intend to watch this film each time that Turner Classic Movies shows the good sense of airing it.