"If my wonderful, beautiful, marvelous virtue is still intact, it's no thanks to me, I assure you."
High Society is an irreverent, star-studded, music infused lite-romance set amongst the idle rich of Newport, Rhode Island. Quite funny and rarely serious for long, High Society revolves around wealthy and gorgeous Samantha Lord (Grace Kelly), and the three men competing for her affection as her wedding day draws near.
Bing Crosby stars as her ex-husband, John Lund as her current fiancé, and Frank Sinatra as a visiting reporter come to cover her wedding for a gossip rag. Most of the entertainment from the film comes from Sam bouncing around between the three men, as she goes from a frosty goddess to a warm, fun woman truly ready to marry. I'm sure her behavior in the movie seemed a bit risqué at the time, but it's all ultimately innocent in the end. And of course by the finale, (almost) everyone is happy.
There are quite a few songs sprinkled throughout the movie, with Crosby, Sinatra, Kelly, and Celeste Holm all getting a chance to belt out a tune or two. Louis Armstrong serves as something of an on-screen narrator, and also plays occasionally with his band. The songs are pleasant, with more than one or two likely to have you humming along.
Grace Kelly fans will be quite pleased with this, as she rarely looked more stunningly beautiful and gets to show off both her comedic skills and singing talents. She's quite funny, here, and carries a large share of the comedic burden as the movie goes on. Her chemistry with all the other leads is solid, and she carries off Samantha's mini- transformation quite well. Basically, if you weren't a fan of hers before seeing this, I'd be pretty amazed if you weren't smitten with her by the time the credits roll. This was her last role before leaving Hollywood for Monaco, and she definitely went out on a high note (pun not intended).
High Society is a charming, fun movie that should appeal to fans of classic films, musicals, or any of the cast. It's hard not to smile as you watch it, but why would you want to avoid it, anyway?
