SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

A lot of talent displayed in 'Thrill of a Romance', and while there are many pleasures the film overall is a mixed bag and one of Esther Williams' weaker films.The problem does not lie with Williams, she has a lot of charm and robustness to her performance, looks luminous and proves herself as ever a superb swimming athlete. Nor with her aquatic sequences, part of you wishes there were more and there are more imaginative ones in her other films but they are still beautifully filmed, elegant, fun and performed with envious poise and energy by Williams.Can't say anything bad about the production values, 'Thrill of a Romance' is beautifully filmed and the Technicolor is exquisite. The music, with the bonuses too of being performed by the likes of the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey and Xavier Cugat (with Buddy Rich providing a killer drum solo), are a great mix of classical music (Schubert's "Standchen" and "Vesti La Giubba" from 'Pagliacci' notable) and songs written for the film, the hits being "I Should Care" and "Please Don't Say No, Say Maybe".Henry Travers and Spring Byington are marvellously dotty, and one wishes there were more of them, and Wagnerian tenor Lauritz Melchior is in resplendent voice and lightens up the screen with his smile and cheeky but well-intentioned charm especially.Van Johnson, on the other hand, despite a relaxed rapport with Williams (though the romance feels underwritten), looks uncomfortable much of the time, and Richard Thorpe (though not an amateur job by all means) could have directed with more verve and imagination.It is the insipid script, with too often leaden humour and vacuous emotional elements, a pedestrian pace outside of the musical numbers and the scenes with Travers and Byington and a story that is full of ridiculous contrivances and over-stretched padding that fare worst in 'Thrill of a Romance'.Overall, bliss in some areas, a failure in others. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Abandon all hope ye who enter here. Hope of a meaningful or interesting story, that is. The film starts out as a typical vehicle for Esther Williams to swim and dive through. I am a fan of hers, and I would have been content with that. Immediately, though, the film has her getting married to an unromantic businessman who is no more a leading man than Robert Q. Lewis. Gee, I wonder where this is going? They go to a resort for their honeymoon and he immediately leaves for a business meeting on the east coast, leaving poor Esther all alone with nothing to do, except maybe meet the GI (Van Johnson) who has the room (and balcony) next to hers. There is no point in describing the rest of the plot. It is interrupted every minute or so by a "comedy" bit or a musical number.My advice is to ignore the plot and just watch the film for the musical numbers (and the occasional shots of the glorious Ms. Williams that are in focus). Unfortunately the musical interludes are often abbreviated. But there are many of them.Enjoy Tommy Dorsey and his band. They somehow pop up everywhere. Buddy Rich delivers a killer drum solo that--though it is brief--shows why he was the best.15-year-old Helene Stanley portrays Dorsey's daughter Susan, who plays piano and sings with some serious chops. Too bad they did not let play more jive. (Interesting fact: later, she would marry Johnny Stompanato.)A young boy named Jerry Scott sings "Please Don't Say No (Say Maybe)" for just a few bars before they cut him off and have him sing the less enjoyable "Because". (Apparently this would be Jerry's only film appearance.)Lauritz Melchoir displays his serious operatic talents in four or five musical numbers.The plot is sappy, silly and requires no acting skills. Jettison any concern for it and you can enjoy the musical treats of Thrill of a Romance. In wartime USA, I am sure the GIs overseas loved this piece of fluff. And in their absence, American women somehow found Van Johnson appealing. But some of the gushing reviews for this film on IMDb are, I feel, unfathomable.

Enjoyed this 1945 film with young stars like Van Johnson and Esther Williams starting out on a brilliant career in the entertainment of swimming and musicals. Esther Williams,(Cynthia Glenn) was a swimming instructor at a pool and was noticed by a very rich business man who immediately swept her off her feet and got married to Cynthia. There honeymoon was a complete disaster because her husband had a business meeting in Washington, D.C. and he left her all alone without even making love. Van Johnson,(Major Thomas Milvaine) has a room next door to Cynthia and notices her crying on her balcony and gets acquainted with her and they begin to start seeing each other off and on. Cynthia finds out her husband will be gone for a whole week and in the meantime decides to teach Tom Milvaine some swimming lessons and they start dancing and taking long walks in the woods. Lauritz Melchior,(Nils Knudsen) sings many songs since he was a great opera star. You will even see Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra and Buddy Rich burning up his set of drums. Enjoyable musical with plenty of romance and entertainment from 1945.

Esther is the brand-new bride of a wealthy businessman on her honeymoon. She apparently packed 4 swimsuits complete with matching colored plastic flowers for her hair. Her clothes, particularly one green gown with white flowers, are captivating. It's also fun to compare this time's concept of the "manly physique" with ours. Van is most appealing when in his tight officer's jacket that shows broad (padded?) shoulders tapering to a flat waistline. But when he's swimming... he has the muscle definition of an office worker. Gorgeous mountain scenery, and the tenor can really belt it out. Has a young black teen tenor, too, and although they do the "shaky knees and rolling eyes" bit - isn't that what all black people do when they're nervous? - they don't condescend to him and the white older tenor pays for his voice lessons. The plot line is so weak, it's funny - you can see a song set-up a mile away, but if you suspend disbelief, you'll enjoy it!