Carefree

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Carefree

Released Sep 2, 1938

1h 25m

Musical

Comedy

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57%

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7 Reviews

75%

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1,000+ Ratings

When lovely singer Amanda Cooper (Ginger Rogers) has trouble accepting the marriage proposals of her beau, Stephen Arden (Ralph Bellamy), he calls upon his psychiatrist friend Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire) to analyze her. Though Tony initially tries to maintain a typical doctor/patient relationship, it's not long before he's falling for Amanda. After a session of hypnosis, Amanda remains stuck in a happy-go-lucky state, leaving her disarmingly footloose and fancy-free.

W. Stephen Gilbert

Time Out

Not quite as unrelievedly marvellous as the earlier films

Feb 9, 2006

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

The dancing is excellent and so, outside office hours, is the picture.

Jul 22, 2019

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Shtick crept its way into the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers dynamic with this later collaboration.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 8, 2016

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Though not one of the best Astaire-Rogers musicals, this screwball comedy has a nice score and Oscar-nominated song by Irving Berlin.

Rated: B-

Jun 22, 2012

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The story is slight and the comedy never quite jells.

Rated: C+

Mar 23, 2008

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

You could probably call Carefree more of a screwball comedy than a typical Astaire-Rogers musical.

Rated: 6/10

Oct 22, 2006

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Gary R

A waste of Fred and Ginger talents but then the studio had to get something out to capitalize on their waining popularity. Near the end of their partnership and it shows why it needed to end. Watch it once for the few good tunes. Don't expect much dancing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

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Joel H

It's always nice to see Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers together on the screen, and Carefree is no exception. To be honest, the story is a little ridiculous. There's a whole subconscious/hypnotism subplot that takes control of the third act and that's when things get weird. However, I loved the beautiful look & choreography of the "I Used to Be Color Blind" musical number, and seeing a loopy Ginger Rogers cause some chaos made me chuckle. I don't think this is the strongest Fred & Ginger offering out there, but those two are undeniably charming and this movie did bring a smile to my face as I watched it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/08/23

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Steve D

I actually think it is one of their best together.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/18/23

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ashley h

Carefree is a fantastic film. It is about a psychiatrist who falls in love with the woman he's supposed to be nudging into marriage with someone else. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers give terrific performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in place. Mark Sandrich did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and romance. Carefree is a must see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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deke p

real cute song & dance comedy. Astaire psychiatrist & hypnotist. GINGER young &cute. good cast. I shd porbly give it full max 5 stars. I could not believe it was Ginger doing that ballet dance bending backwards impossibly while on tip toes for long time. Nvr saw or even heard of before 12.31.2021 on The Movie Channel 13.3

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

This one is easily skippable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Mark Sandrich

Director

Fred Astaire

Tony Flagg

Ginger Rogers

Amanda Cooper

Ralph Bellamy

Stephen Arden

Luella Gear

Aunt Cora

Jack Carson

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Synopsis

When lovely singer Amanda Cooper (Ginger Rogers) has trouble accepting the marriage proposals of her beau, Stephen Arden (Ralph Bellamy), he calls upon his psychiatrist friend Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire) to analyze her. Though Tony initially tries to maintain a typical doctor/patient relationship, it's not long before he's falling for Amanda. After a session of hypnosis, Amanda remains stuck in a happy-go-lucky state, leaving her disarmingly footloose and fancy-free.

Director: Mark Sandrich
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 2, 1938, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 25m