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Anchors Aweigh Movie Review

Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. It’s a thinly plotted, but reasonably diverting musical flick.

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“Look at me, I’m dancing“

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A pair of sailors on leave try to help a movie extra become a singing star. This movie was a huge hit when it was released and it ended up receiving five Oscar nominations, winning one for score. It’s a film that didn’t quite stand the test of time, but if you are a musical lover, it is bound to offer at least some enjoyment.

First off, I have to criticize this picture for not having any story to speak of. Well, there is a story here, but it seems too similar to the movie ‘On the Town’, which would be released a couple of years later and that one is much stronger and more timeless. This one has a basic premise, but it then becomes too convoluted with too many romantic subplots and comedic overtones that don’t quite work. Though charming in its own right, the movie felt too fluffy and slight.

But the performers and the music elevate this film from just okay to pretty solid status. Kathryn Grayson isn’t as memorable, but Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra proved to be a commendable pairing. Their dynamic positively veered toward being a bromance and they were just immensely charming together. Sinatra’s singing was as beautiful as ever here while Kelly’s dancing was as astonishingly kinetic as ever.

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Let’s talk about the songs and the dances. There is this gorgeous musical number called I Fall in Love Too Easily. It was sung by Sinatra and that was his character’s finest moment in this film. It’s a wonderful, romantic number that was rightfully nominated for an Oscar. Another highlight is the opening number that is positively energetic and grandiose.

This movie is actually more focused on dances and instrumental score than songs with lyrics and singing, which to me worked as those numbers were for the most part the better of the two. By far the most memorable scene in Anchors Aweigh has to be the sequence where Gene Kelly dances with Jerry Mouse.

Apparently, they wanted Mickey Mouse first, but when Disney refused, they got the permission from MGM to use Jerry, and it paid off. The result is a wonderful live-action/animated hybrid sequence that was beautifully choreographed and just instantly iconic.

It’s a shame, then, that the rest of this film was never as memorable as that section. The beginning and the ending are more forgettable while the second act is where the movie shined the most. A couple of strong orchestral pieces and superbly choreographed numbers made that act thrilling, but the film still suffered from a lack of any meaningful screenplay whatsoever.

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The dialogue is also rather cheesy and so are the characters themselves, though there is a lot of charm to be mined from those dated, but enjoyable moments. The cinematography, sound and score are great, but the directing and editing were nothing to write home about, and a more capable director would have made this picture much more accomplished.