Guys and Dolls

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Guys and Dolls

Released Nov 3, 1955

2h 30m

Musical

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

91%

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32 Reviews

83%

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25,000+ Ratings

Gambler Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) has few options for the location of his big craps game. Needing $1,000 to pay a garage owner to host the game, Nathan bets Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that Sky cannot get virtuous Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) out on a date. Despite some resistance, Sky negotiates a date with her in exchange for bringing people into her mission. Meanwhile, Nathan's longtime fiancée, Adelaide (Vivian Blaine), wants him to go legit and marry her.

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Critics Consensus

An escapist and inventive cinemascope delight, Guys and Dolls glistens thanks to the charm of its ensemble.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

The showtunes are weapons-grade: especially Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat, which never fails to get any audience on its feet. A must.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 25, 2014

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Joseph L Mankiewicz's adaptation of the Frank Loesser Broadway musical, itself adapted from Damon Runyon stories, looks a treat. The wonder of the film is that it combines widescreen colour and opulence with an earthy, street-level humour.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 19, 2014

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Brando the singing actor and Sinatra the acting singer make a remarkable pair as sharp-suited gangsters and gamblers, along with their "dolls", Vivian Blaine and the English actress Jean Simmons.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 19, 2014

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Andrew Sarris

Film Culture

Both Brando and Sinatra retain enough personal charm to keep Guys and Dolls moving along as the most entertaining musical from Hollywood since Singing in the Rain.

Feb 3, 2021

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

A handsome and funny wide-screen version of the famous Broadway hit. It's over-long at two and a half hours but liberally loaded with laughter and sentiment in the appropriate Damon Runyon tradition.

Oct 30, 2019

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Jason Solomons

The Mail on Sunday (UK)

The script is perhaps even better than most of the musical numbers, crackling with the Damon Runyon-style dialogue and with the colour of the stories on which Ben Hecht based his screenplay.

Oct 30, 2017

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Matthew T

Sinatra and Brando? Yep, that happened—back in 1955. Guys and Dolls brought the beloved stage musical to the big screen, packed with serious star power. Alongside them, the excellent Jean Simmons and Viviane Blaine round out the "dolls" side of the starring quartet. The musical numbers—aside from the dancing-girl sequences—are memorable and irresistibly fun to sing along with. Naturally, Sinatra is the standout vocalist, but Simmons and Blaine prove to be naturals, and Brando... well, he stays within the comfortable range the songs graciously allow. That said, he delivers one of the film’s best moments with Luck Be a Lady. But for me, Sinatra is the real treat. His short and sweet duet with Blaine, Sue Me, is a personal favorite. Interestingly, Brando plays, Sky Madison, the cool, confident savvy, bible quoting, gambler—the kind of role you’d expect Sinatra to land—while Sinatra instead takes on the part of Nathan Detroit, the nervous, desperate hood with a gambling addiction and a fear of commitment to his long-suffering fiancée, Adelaide. Brando and Simmons (Sarah Brown) may not be as entertaining as watching Sinatra playing the cad, but together they carry the weight of the film's narrative and share a compelling romance between the gambler and the prude with sharp dialogue and playful debates on reality morality and chemistry...yeah chemistry. It’s an excellent musical, a true “roller coaster of emotions,” and a hell—heck (sorry, Sister Sarah)—it’s a heck of a fun time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

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John S

The music is a delight. And the story is fun from start to finish with barely any misogyny!(!!!) What more could you ask of a movie from this time period?

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

Full Review

Brad CKA L

Luck be a lady tonight was ringing in the ears of the casting director as they took the biggest swing of their career on casting Marlon Brando opposite Frank Sinatra. I'm not going to say it doesn't work, but that's because I'm feeling polite right now. Check out my longer review: https://youtu.be/LuoM66_cVrk?si=Ef3DBOhJAXWE5m5Q

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/24

Full Review

Kim P

All I can say is that the trolls who hated Russell Crowe's singing in Les Miserables would've had a field day with Brandon singing "Luck Be a Lady Tonight". Any scene with Stubby Kaye is a plus. Not a bad movie, considering how much Sinatra resented and despised Brando and how displeased and disrespectful Brando felt towards Sinatra's bad attitude.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

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Rami A

This classic from the 1950s can truly take us back to a simpler time. Brando and Simmons are excellent and are the best parts of this film. Even though Brando can't really sing well, the acting is enough.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/31/24

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Leaburn O

Brando and Simmons are excellent but this is a musical, ergo it’s rubbish. Watched on SKY Cinema.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

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Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Director

Marlon Brando

Sky Masterson

Jean Simmons

Sarah Brown

Frank Sinatra

Nathan Detroit

Vivian Blaine

Miss Adelaide

Robert Keith

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Synopsis

Gambler Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) has few options for the location of his big craps game. Needing $1,000 to pay a garage owner to host the game, Nathan bets Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that Sky cannot get virtuous Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) out on a date. Despite some resistance, Sky negotiates a date with her in exchange for bringing people into her mission. Meanwhile, Nathan's longtime fiancée, Adelaide (Vivian Blaine), wants him to go legit and marry her.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Image Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company, Samuel Goldwyn Production
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 3, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 23, 2012
Runtime: 2h 30m

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