Anybody who likes Technicolor musicals made during World War II may get a kick out of this. At the same time it is easy to see why it won't appeal to all tastebuds. There's a good deal to like about 'Something for the Boys', but it could also have been much better.
Don't go looking for a great story here. Admittedly the stories were often weak points of a lot of Technicolor WWII-period musicals, but 'Something for the Boys' is particularly so, being little more than a silly wafer thin trifle with a lot of over-obviousness and a sometimes very odd structure, almost like it was not in order. The script has occasional energy and wit, particularly from Carmen Miranda and Phil Silvers, but too often is by-the-numbers and painfully cornball.
The romance is underdeveloped and doesn't feel much like one, while Michael O'Shea is rather bland, charmless and like he wanted to be somewhere else. The choreography is a mixed bag, electrifying with Carmen Miranda but too much of everywhere else is done indifferently.
However, 'Something for the Boys' still looks positively lovely, with lavish set and costume design, big, bold, rich colours that leap out at the screen that always dazzle rather than nauseate and photographed in a way that shows a lot of love and care. The music is pleasant and has energy and beauty, but some fare more memorably than others, Perry Como and Miranda having the best of them.
Vivian Blaine brings a lot of polish, charm and passion to the film and sings soulfully. Perry Como (although restricted pretty much to just singing) sings with soul and verve, and Sheila Ryan and Cara Williams have fun.
Miranda comes very close to stealing the film, with her unique stage presence, her wonderfully colourful and wild outfits, her hilariously exaggerated facial expressions and butchered English. Her numbers have the most colour and most exuberance and Miranda performs the heck out of them. Phil Silvers shows that he has a talent for comedy and can be funny, which wasn't always the case in a few of his films where he was overused and made to act grating. Here in 'Something for the Boys', like Miranda, he comes very close to stealing the show, particularly terrific in a routine that indebts much to his vaudeville background.
All in all, pretty mixed for me, some good elements but also an equal number of elements that could have been much better. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Don't go looking for a great story here. Admittedly the stories were often weak points of a lot of Technicolor WWII-period musicals, but 'Something for the Boys' is particularly so, being little more than a silly wafer thin trifle with a lot of over-obviousness and a sometimes very odd structure, almost like it was not in order. The script has occasional energy and wit, particularly from Carmen Miranda and Phil Silvers, but too often is by-the-numbers and painfully cornball.
The romance is underdeveloped and doesn't feel much like one, while Michael O'Shea is rather bland, charmless and like he wanted to be somewhere else. The choreography is a mixed bag, electrifying with Carmen Miranda but too much of everywhere else is done indifferently.
However, 'Something for the Boys' still looks positively lovely, with lavish set and costume design, big, bold, rich colours that leap out at the screen that always dazzle rather than nauseate and photographed in a way that shows a lot of love and care. The music is pleasant and has energy and beauty, but some fare more memorably than others, Perry Como and Miranda having the best of them.
Vivian Blaine brings a lot of polish, charm and passion to the film and sings soulfully. Perry Como (although restricted pretty much to just singing) sings with soul and verve, and Sheila Ryan and Cara Williams have fun.
Miranda comes very close to stealing the film, with her unique stage presence, her wonderfully colourful and wild outfits, her hilariously exaggerated facial expressions and butchered English. Her numbers have the most colour and most exuberance and Miranda performs the heck out of them. Phil Silvers shows that he has a talent for comedy and can be funny, which wasn't always the case in a few of his films where he was overused and made to act grating. Here in 'Something for the Boys', like Miranda, he comes very close to stealing the show, particularly terrific in a routine that indebts much to his vaudeville background.
All in all, pretty mixed for me, some good elements but also an equal number of elements that could have been much better. 5/10 Bethany Cox