If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

No, this isn't a good movie, despite a lot of talent in front of the camera. The script is uninteresting, and manages to turn some very likable actors, like Billie Burke and Reginald Owen, into unlikable characters. As others have remarked, there is no memorable music here, which is fatal for a musical.What I did get a kick out of, however, was a parody of the quartet from the last act of Verdi's Rigoletto. Four of the leads are on a bus, and Alan Jones, the tenor, starts off, in his best operatic style. As the others, especially Garland, enter in, however, they do jazz variations on the different parts. If you know the quartet, it's really very clever.What I found interesting about it is that it assumes that much of the audience would know the original piece. And, in 1938, they might well have, from the radio, where that sort of immediately likable classical music was common. Today a similar parody wouldn't work, because few would know the original.

Not an awful film, but also not a great one. While Judy Garland doesn't disappoint, generally as an overall whole 'Everybody Sings' is one of her weaker films along with 'Presenting Lily Mars' and 'Little Nellie Kelly'.Judy is certainly the best thing about it. It was always going to be interesting seeing her before her iconic performance in 'The Wizard of Oz', and while it is not one of her best performance she is endearingly winsome, playful and heartfelt and sings an absolute dream. Not all the cast work, but Reginalds Owen and Gardiner are fun and despite having less than subtle characters they avoid being too hammy. Fanny Brice is mostly amusingly zany, and Lynne Carver is lovely.The songs aren't amazing and most don't stand the test of time, but they are still very pleasant, with enough fun and emotion, and well performed. They are mostly energetically and gracefully staged, again not outstanding but little of it is overblown and it's hardly static or indifferent either. 'Everybody Sings' looks good in crisp black and white, handsome enough without being lavish.As said though, not all the cast work. While Allan Jones sounds lovely, he comes over as a very wooden actor, while Billie Burke flutters shrilly to a very annoying degree. While the song and dance numbers are above average on the whole, "Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot" is not for the faint hearted (there are definitely worse examples of black-face and one is very much aware that they were popular then, but that doesn't mean people should like them) and the finale is over-cooked.Some of the script is witty and charming, others are excessively corny and sentimental, with some of the humour that works well in other media not working well on film (especially the "Baby Snooks" routine). The story is thin and old as the hills, with some parts that feel contrived and parts in the second half that drag.In summary, average film as an overall whole but Judy is great and the film is worth a one-time watch for her. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I agree with most of the other comments: dull songs and a somewhat boring movie. I loved Fanny Brice as the Russian maid though: after watching her first scene I wondered "Who is that?" and looked it up. I had only heard of her through the movie "Funny Girl" (which I didn't like and couldn't sit through). The Baby Snooks number was awful, a total embarrassment: imagine a 46 year old woman dressed up like a toddler and speaking baby-talk! I'm surprised no one else has mentioned the jaw-dropping scene where Judy appears in black-face, her hair sticking up in cornrows all over her head, and sings a bouncy down-South number with all the usual racist stereotypical mannerisms of the time. Quite startling to see!

This is strictly JUDY GARLAND before she became the Judy we all know. Ditto for the ill used FANNY BRICE, whose "Baby Snooks" routine on radio was socko with millions during the '40s but looks bad here.The story, a dumb one even for MGM family musicals, is about a bunch of eccentrics in a family that are intent on putting on a show (where have we heard that one before?), and bursting into song numbers at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, none of the numbers are anything worth remembering (or hearing, for that matter). The whole thing falls as flat as a pancake by the time it's even into the middle section.BILLIE BURKE does her usual fluttery act as a dizzy mother and MGM was still, at this point, trying to groom ALLAN JONES for stardom, but he's even more wooden than Nelson Eddy ever was. He too is saddled with some hard to like songs to give his tenor pipes a workout.As one who enjoyed the best MGM musicals which came along in the '40s, from a studio whose musical talent was the uncontested best, this is simply a foolish yawner with no interest except serving as an early glimpse of JUDY GARLAND, who is unable to overcome this weak kind of rubbish. Same goes for the entire cast.Summing up: Strictly below average as entertainment.