Pennies From Heaven

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Holly S My favorite film. Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark is a rip-off (or perhaps just a riff) of this. Vernel Bagneris's dance is the most bittersweet, gorgeous thing I've seen in my life and Christopher Walken's dance is just insane. It's a serious piece of art. I watched it twice back-to-back the first time I saw it, and I am really, really not like that. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/06/24 Full Review Audience Member One word: Unwatchable. Mr. Martin was trying way to hard to break out of his "Wild and Crazy Guy" image Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/05/24 Full Review matthias s "Pennies from Heaven" offers a mixed bag of delights and disappointments in this 3-star musical extravaganza. As a die-hard Steve Martin fan, it's tough not to be swayed by his charm, but the main character's flaws make it a struggle to root for him entirely. The film's portrayal of the Great Depression era is immersive, though it fails to fully captivate throughout. The musical numbers, while featuring great tunes, suffer from lackluster lip-syncing that detracts from the experience. Christopher Walken brings a menacing presence, while Bernadette Peters shines brightly, adding much-needed sparkle to the screen. The dancing sequences could use a boost, leaving room for improvement. While it's not the pinnacle of musical cinema, there are still enjoyable moments, particularly the atmospheric scenes set in the movie theater. However, the predictably sad ending feels like a missed opportunity for a more impactful conclusion. Overall, "Pennies from Heaven" is a decent watch for musical aficionados, but it falls short of reaching greatness. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/27/24 Full Review Alec B It does lose a lot of the nuances of the miniseries but that's mostly an issue of time. Ultimately, the staging of the musical numbers are bolstered by Hollywood money and the fact that Americans just understand musicals better. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/24 Full Review Jeff M Arguably the most polarizing musical ever made, there is no middle ground with this movie - you're either going to love it or hate it. As a youngster, I became immediately entranced with the 1940s songs (lip-synched by the cast) and the Busby Berkeley inspired musical numbers. Watching it as I got older, I better realized the sadness and depression portrayed in this film. It is a unique and unforgettable experience. And Bernadette Peters has a musical number that takes place in a classroom with a bunch of young students that is the definition of show-stopper! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Mike P Dark and dazzling, tragicomic, Mehta musical from Herbert Ross; who is the modern maestro of musicals; (i.e. Pennies From Heaven, Footloose, The Turning Point and Dancers...). The Mise en Scene here is a movie within a movie; it's a kind of Walter Mitty-ish narrative which juxtaposes the tragic downfall of music-sheet salesman Arthur Parker; with idealistic Busby Berkeley musical phantasmagoria; where the actors suddenly break into music videos, singing out iconic numbers from the the classic age of film... It's like Singin' in the Rain meets John Steinbeck... I think the movie version of Chicago borrowed a lot from this movie; stylistically; and while Chicago was an Oscar-winning smash; this was (unfairly) abandoned at the box office. Though it does has a strong cult following and a solid range of support from the critical community... (Pauline Kael gave it a rave review; calling it "The most emotional movie musical I've ever seen"...) And I personally think it's one of the more fascinating and entertaining movie-musicals of the last generation or so... Certainly one of the most daring expansions of the musical form;(I mean it ends with Arthur getting hanged for godsakes!). Steve Martin is surprisingly good; Bernadette Peters, (his real-life girlfriend at the time); is predictably awesome; I mean this is her wheelhouse, her jam... and Christopher Walken, who is an expert Fred Astaire-hoofer in real life; gets to show off some seriously awesome tapdancing moves here! And the movie is consistently surprising; moving and effective! Highly recommended. 👍. Definitely worth a look; especially for musical fans. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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