Review of Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) by Jacob S — 09 Feb 2012

'Meet Me In St. Louis' is based on a series of short stories by Sally Benson. The best way it can be described is a film that doesn't go by the traditional three act structure, but instead shows the life of the Smiths, a well off family living in St. Louis during the turn of the century. The film mainly focuses on the girls, particularly Esther (Judy Garland) who is in love with her neighbour and her sister who is anxiously awaiting a proposal from the man who is pursuing her.

I know people are going to disagree with me when I say this, but 'Meet Me In St. Louis' has got to be one of the most over-rated movies of all time. I know it's considered a classic, but sometimes I wonder whether people are just forgiving of the movie's faults because it's old, or if they like it purely for nostalgic reasons. I know people might say that I'm being harsh on this movie because it's old and standards of entertainment were different back then, but there are several old movies that I can still watch and enjoy because they are timeless.

First of all, one of the biggest problems with the movie was the costume design and hairstyles. Most movies made around that time had inaccurate costumes and hair because it was the standard in Hollywood at the time. For that reason, I find many period films made during those decades distracting to watch. A lot of people would say that costume design isn't that important, but in reality it is. The movie is set in 1903 and none of the costumes are accurate, and most of the girls have 40's style hair that is really distracting. Judy Garland's fringe was incredibly 40s and I seriously wanted to chop it off. One of the important parts of watching a movie is suspension of disbelief, the idea that you're not watching a movie; you're watching real life. It's impossible for me to forget about the costumes and just enjoy the movie when the characters clearly look 40s. Instead of getting into the story, all I can think is, 'This is a movie made in the 40s.'.

In other aspects, 'Meet Me In St. Louis' is about as dated as a movie can get. It may have been a product of the time it was made in, but that doesn't stop it from being boring. The story was boring, the characters were boring and the performances were really annoying. I have no problem with the whole idea of a movie simply showing life and ditching the three act structure. I actually like it because it feels more realistic, but only when it's done well. 'Rabbit Hole' is one of those movies, but it works because the characters are realistic and the pain that they're going through is relatable. 'Gone With The Wind' also has an unconventional structure, but it is entertaining because the performances are compelling and the characters are interesting. In 'Meet Me In St. Louis,' the life of the Smith family is annoying to watch because I don't care about any of the characters. None of them have distinctive personalities that are truly memorable. It's funny how Esther was so boring, given the fact that she was played by Judy Garland who is usually entertaining and talented, but in reality it seemed that her only purpose was to meet a guy and fall in love. That's it. We don't see her learning anything and we don't see her character change or develop. The same goes for her sister, who's name I can't even remember.

One thing that also annoyed me about the movie is its message. The characters love St. Louis because it's their home, but the father in the family accepts a contract at work meaning his family has to move to New York. Of course, none of the family wants to move and he learns that he should stay in St. Louis because it's what his family wants. The supposed message of the movie is 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' but the stupid thing about it is that the characters already know it. The only person who doesn't realise it is the father, and he's only in a couple of scenes. He was the only character in the movie who actually developed and learnt something in the end. If it weren't for him (and the songs, I guess) I would've given this movie no stars. In fact, the whole movie should've been about him!

Looking back on it, I think the reason why people like this movie so much is that the songs are good, especially 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' and 'The Trolley Song.' I guess for that reason, people tend to forgive the annoying characters and the lack of an interesting story. Oh well. The movie may have sucked, but at least we got some great music out of it. Next Christmas I'll just listen to that great song and try my best not to associate it with this awful, awful movie.