If they remake this, Britt Robertson is getting the first call, right?
I don't know how else to phrase it. This is an odd little movie. This is more subdued than I imagined a Vincente Minelli MGM musical would be. The numbers aren't that loud and overpowering. The choreography is statelier and quieter. It's like they decided it isn't proper to be raucous in civilized society, so the musical elements would reflect that. I liked it. I just wasn't prepared for it. And I'm a little surprised that the Oscars went so nuts for it. It won all 9 categories that it was nominated for (a record it held for only one year). What's even odder is that none of the performances were nominated. It makes some sense, because the principles weren't big names. Leslie Caron picked up a couple Oscar nominations in her career, as did Maurice Chevalier, but there's no one in this who I'd call a Hall of Fame movie star or actor. Normally, for a movie to get this many nominations and wins without even an acting nomination, it needs to be some kind of epic or be a complete director's showcase. Movies like The Last Emperor, Slumdog Millionaire, or Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Gigi seems like the kind of movie that would succeed by being star driven.
The story of this is even pretty strange. I'll be honest, I got confused by the dynamics at play a few times, because they were not what I expected. Like, is it common for a man to spend so much time with a woman and her granddaughter? Much of the movie is about how Gaston ruins things by telling Gigi he loves her. Ultimately, she decides she'd rather be miserable with him than miserable without him, which is...romantic? I don't know. This is a fine movie, but is left me befuddled. I think in a good way.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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