White Christmas

     ...This is a good movie, but it doesn't really appeal to me. I can appreciate the music and the dancing, but the plot, the comedy... Time has not been kind. A lot of the plot is now quite banal and clichéd, and the movie feels way too long. It comes in at 2 hours when it feels like it should only be 80 minutes.

     The plot of the movie... to sum it up, a man with a good voice is taken advantage of, he meets a girl, they put on a show, there is a misunderstanding but it is reconciled, and everyone lives happily engaged ever after. Sounds like a large number of romantic comedies. Doesn't mean it is a good plot, but a lot of people use it.
     But, a poor plot can be saved by good characters right? I mean just look at Yes Man, cliché and overdone plot but Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel make it very enjoyable with their performances and characters. And hey, Bing Crosby is playing one of the characters!

     ... I don't really like any of the characters... The friend of Crosby's character is unsympathetic for how much he uses Bing, and he isn't very bright or funny... The love interests are pretty stiff and dull, they barely have personality...
     How to best describe the love interests... They basically run off of reactions to events. They don't really do much themselves, and if they do it comes of no consequence. They don't make many choices, and they tend to stay in one emotion throughout the movie. True, the love interest in It's a Wonderful Life didn't have much character either, but at least she had some humor and fun, and was memorable. Bing Crosby's character is just pretty much a stick in the mud with a soft spot for his army general.

     Actually, I haven't touched on that yet... Crosby and his friend were in the army, and the show they are putting on is for their general. you know what would've made for a more interesting and less banal plot? Setting it all in December 1942. Keep them in the war, and have it all take place overseas. The girls are the weakest part, so remove them altogether, and replace them with some other more interesting and colorful male characters. Introduce some actual drama, rather than just romance.

Wait... I'm crossing the wires here... I'm thinking about how to improve it if it was made back then, but imagining it as if it was done today...
    Well, point blank, don't try to update it. If it must be done again, remake it from the ground up. rewrite the plot, the characters... Give some reason as to why we should care about the general, the girls... or hell, even the main Characters. We aren't going to like them just because they are the protagonists and sing good. Tell us why we should care!


This has been Fixer Sue... Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. This is a fairly negative review, so I think I'll do something that I give my whole hearted approval for.