The Band Wagon

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The Band Wagon

Released Aug 7, 1953

1h 52m

Musical

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Popcornmeter

95%

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20 Reviews

82%

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2,500+ Ratings

Famous musical movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) fears his career may be on the skids, but his friends, Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray), have written a Broadway vehicle to kick-start his professional life. Tony is ecstatic -- until egotistical director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) joins the project and casts ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as the leading lady. Tony's second chance seems to be fading, but he may get more than he bargained for as the show goes on.

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Edward Porter

The Times (UK)

Its song-and-dance numbers (also featuring Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan and Nanette Fabray) are first-rate, and the script's mickey-taking humour is urbane.

Aug 1, 2022

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Lou Lumenick

New York Post

Sorry, the beloved "Singin' in the Rain" isn't the finest of the legendary MGM musicals. "The Band Wagon'' has better music, better dances, better direction, more lavish sets and costumes and a wittier script (by the same writers).

Rated: 4/4

Apr 11, 2015

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

A love song for the narcissistic, and theater people are sure to eat up the film, commentary, extras, and first rate DVD packaging.

Mar 14, 2005

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Though the sets and locales for the first few numbers are engaging, the songs themselves are largely minimal and forgettable.

Rated: 5/10

Aug 9, 2023

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Tim Dirks

Filmsite

Director Vincente Minnelli's and MGM's great "backstage" movie musical, under the guidance of producer Arthur Freed, was satirically self-mocking, and also took shots at show business and those who were involved in musical-dance productions.

Rated: A+

Oct 21, 2022

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Manic Minnelli, which isn't always for me.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 17, 2018

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Eye C

I found it more appealing this second time. The musical numbers are wonderful.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

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Irene M

still don't know the significance of the title. The storyline was contrived, but the dancing was enjoyable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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Alec B

The general outline of the plot is pretty close to what we're used to in these kinds of musicals, however the character's emotions feel more real which I imagine is the result of how closely they mirror their real life counterparts involved in the production. Also there are some truly great and almost surreal numbers in this.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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Steve D

Nothing special but amusing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/04/23

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Red T

An All Time Classic. The acting, and pacing in this is really well done. It can be a bit loaded on expose throughout most of it but its well written dialogue the whole way through. Though the lack of music in the non musical numbers at times can give it a bit of a dry feeling throughout. The editing is excellent as well with a witty and tight script the whole way through. The cinematography is phenomenal with dance number and scenes that pop with color and creativity. The best element is the musical numbers which are all really good to amazing. some are more catchy than others but make up for it with amazing choreography and creativity. The ending Noir Music number is really unique. Everyone should give this a watch once!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/04/23

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Audience Member

Second best movie musical I've ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Fred Astaire

Tony Hunter

Cyd Charisse

Gabrielle Gerard

Oscar Levant

Lester Marton

Nanette Fabray

Lily Marton

Jack Buchanan

Jeffrey Cordova, Theatre Director

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Synopsis

Famous musical movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) fears his career may be on the skids, but his friends, Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray), have written a Broadway vehicle to kick-start his professional life. Tony is ecstatic -- until egotistical director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) joins the project and casts ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as the leading lady. Tony's second chance seems to be fading, but he may get more than he bargained for as the show goes on.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenwriter: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 7, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2008
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Mono

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