Videoguy7579

I like those old MGM musicals - Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, and the gang - but this was not one of them. At a bloated 2 hours and 23 minutes, it goes on long after it should have ended. It seemed like every three minutes, there was some excuse for a musical number. People would just up and sing. Jose Iturbi is a fantastic pianist, but there are so many times that the plot takes a back seat for him to play the piano. Interminable dance routines. All of this gets distracting. Kathryn Grayson is extremely tolerant of these strange sailors who barge in and out of her house, lie to her, and interfere in her private affairs.

The only parts that are worth tuning in for is the wonderful cartoon sequence with Tom & Jerry, as well as Iturbi's performance at the Hollywood Bowl accompanied by a group of teenage virtuosos.

A long drawn-out tale of a father bringing his dysfunctional family together at Christmas after Mom is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The actors are in fine form, and the situations are realistic, but there is scene after scene of bones to pick, icy silence, and family members constantly telling each other (over and over) how much they like don't them. In addition, all of the characters have individual scenes with each other: mother and son, mother and daughter, mother and son's girlfriend, father and cousin, father and daughter, grandson and.... etc., etc., etc. I had some head-scratching moments too where major insults and fights in which I expected a full dramatic blow-up were met with a smirk or complete indifference. If it were slashed in half, (well, at least by a third), this film could have been just as effective.