Debbie's hammy performance
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zoltan42 — 9 years ago(June 11, 2016 01:09 PM)
I've always liked the film ever since I first saw it as a kid, and that wasn't too long after it came out. I still like it, and I generally like her performance.
The generally part is that, to me, there are times that her performance was more of that of someone on the stage, trying to fill the theater and reaching the people in the back of the theater. Yeah, it may be in keeping with the real Molly, but the shout of the lines seemed more what I'd expect on Broadway and not a movie.
So, yeah, it is a bit hammy, but not so much that it really hurts the movie.
As that great philosopher Bugs Bunny said, "Something tells me I shoulda stood in bed." -
pontevedro — 9 years ago(January 27, 2017 06:26 PM)
I certainly wouldn't put this movie in my top 10 (or top 50) movie musicals, but Debbie Reynolds is playing the character as written. If it's broad and over the top, that's Molly Brown, not Debbie.
For me, the major flaw is that the music is unmemorable. That's a big reason why Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and West Side Story are enduring classics. It's why Molly Brown, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Dr. Doolittle are not.