Review of Sweet Charity (1969) by Stuart K — 18 Oct 2009
Stage director and choreographer Bob Fosse made his cinema debut with this adaptation of Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields and Neil Simon's popular 1966 stage musical, which Fosse had done the choreography for.
It came at the tail end of the Golden Ages of Hollywood musicals, but it had a touch of 1960's psychedelia about it, and it put Fosse on track for a short but sweet screen career. It has taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine (Shirley MacLaine), who always seems to have faith in everyone around her, but alot of people take her for a mug.
She has aspirations of greater things, but she seems to be stuck in this dead end. She ends up having a one night encounter with renowned Italian actor Vittorio Vitale (Ricardo Montalban), and she eventually becomes with romantically entwined with shy claustrophobic Oscar Lindquist (John McMartin), but will it be a case of happily ever after?? It's very well made, and it has some good performances in it, but it's plot is flimsy and not the stuff of a 2 and a bit hours musical epic, but the songs and staging are very good, including Big Spender, If They Could See Me Now and The Rhythm of Life, the latter performed by special guest Sammy Davis Jr.
as Big Daddy Brubeck.
This review of Sweet Charity (1969) was written by Stuart K on 18 Oct 2009.
Sweet Charity has generally received positive reviews.
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