Excellent, a Must See

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Corny but likable Abbott and Costello comedy about the duo working at a dude ranch and discovering a Nazi plot (this was filmed during WWII after all). Most of the the comedy is their usual Who's-On-First-like word play and like a lot of Marx Brothers and other comedy pictures of the time, this one features several musical numbers. You also have Tom Conway and Kathryn Grayson, so there's a solid supporting cast, for this otherwise forgettable but entertaining enough of Abbott and Costello picture.

I'm watching several of the Abbott & Costello films that TCM is running, and I began to wonder why I had only watched the collection I already had only once. And watching this film, I finally got it. Abbott & Costello cannot compare to Martin & Lewis, and here's why. It's not the fault of Lou Costello. The man is hilarious, and much more able to combine that hilarity with pathos than Jerry Lewis. The problem is/was Bud Abbott. The main had a very limited talent -- he could feed lines to Lou Costello, he could slap Lou Costello around, he could yell at Lou Costello. But Dean could sing and be the romantic lead. So, you could put Martin & Lewis together in a movie and have a complete film. But with Abbott and Costello, Lou could provide all the comedy, but Abbott could not sing or be romantic or dance or do anything to carry part of the film. And that is very clear in this film.Don't get me wrong. This is an entertaining film, And the focus is Abbott and Costello. But, most A&C films have to bring in some romance, so here they bring in John Carroll and Kathryn Grayson. In most A&C films they have to bring in some music, so again, here they turn to John Carroll and Kathryn Grayson. As a result, as with most other A&C films, "Rio Rita" becomes a musical-comedy-variety film...and who does that better than MGM with its high production values? But as a result, some focus is thereby shifted away from Abbott & Costello. But, A&C are very funny here, both in terms of Lou's slapstick, and the team's witty dialog.Due to World War II, the plot of the old musical (by the way, almost every song from the original Ziegfeld production has been eliminated) has been modified to bring in a Nazi spy plot to trigger the action; but it works.As Abbott & Costello films go, this is pretty good, and well worth a watch.

Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Kathryn Grayson.Director: S. Sylvan Simon.Abbott & Costello's three MGM films (RIO RITA, LOST IN A HAREM and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN Hollywood) are slicker, more polished and slightly more sophisticated in tone than their Universal series begun with BUCK PRIVATES. They also lack the brash energy that makes those films so enduring in entertainment value.Even so, one personally finds RIO RITA to be one of the better movies the classic comedy team were associated with. It must, however, be approached with the understanding that it is a Musical with comedy rather than the other way around. RIO RITA is an updated, entirely re-written version of Florenz Ziegfeld's comic operetta, previously filmed in 1929 with star comics Wheeler and Woolsey repeating their roles from the Broadway blockbuster. Bud and Lou receive first billing due to their great popularity, but the new production is a primarily a vehicle for pretty young soprano Kathryn Grayson (ANCHORS AWEIGH, SHOW BOAT, KISS ME KATE!) who was then being groomed for MGM stardom as an answer to Universal's Deanna Durbin. Hence the focus is on Grayson who performs several good songs (including two from the original show) and an operatic aria which displays her formidable vocal ability.Even more than A&C's other early movies, comedy takes rather a back seat to music and romance. Even the dated dramatic situation involving Nazis infiltrating a Western ranch, original to this version, is secondary to the charms of the leading lady. RIO RITA is, not unlike Abbott and Costello's introductory Musical Comedy film ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS, a matter of taste. Fortunately, it is a taste that can be acquired. Personally, one loves Musicals, is fond of Kathryn Grayson and is an admirer of Abbott & Costello; therefore one was thoroughly primed to enjoy this. The movie is recommended to all fans of the comedy team, but some may need several viewings, music and all, to come to terms with it.Rating: GOOD.

Abbott and Costello were huge stars over at Universal Studios during this time, and this was the first time they made a movie for another studio (MGM) during their peak years. The results are quite good as far as the comical shenanigans of A&C are concerned -- they engage in some pretty laughable situations and were really spot-on at their game here, having energetic fun; I wonder if they were trying harder to show that they could be just as good for a rival studio other than their own? But unfortunately it isn't all roses. MGM was noted for their musicals, and there is a lot of singing trickled about here -- though unlike some of the more upbeat ditties from the Andrews Sisters in the Universal movies, these interludes are cringe-worthy. I mean there's some downright AWFUL singing to be endured in RIO RITA. The worst is a lengthy cadenza performed by one of the lead ladies. Just brutal. Too bad, as this could have been a good solid vehicle for Bud and Lou. **1/2 out of ****