High Society

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: July 17, 1956

DVD Release Date: April 22, 2003

Plot 411: A rich girl takes the safe route and is engaged to a dull guy to protect her heart.

Review: The lovely Grace Kelly plays Tracy Lord, a socialite who is days away from marrying a "nice" guy George (John Lund). George doesn't come from wealth, but he has worked his way through the coal mining business, a business that Tracy's father runs. Tracy is divorced from Dexter (Bing Crosby), a songwriter and her family's neighbor. Because of her father's affair, Tracy doesn't allow herself to open up to people and can be cold and standoffish, but Dexter still loves her. When a magazine rag threatens to print a story on her father, Tracy's mother forces her to allow the magazine to cover her lavish wedding. The magazine sends a journalist (Frank Sinatra) and photographer (Celeste Holm). During the pre-wedding festivities, Tracy finds three men vying for her affections. I didn't find the plot all that interesting, even with several love triangles going on. The characters seem unrelatable, and I'm not sure if this was due to their wealth, the difference in time between now and the setting or if the acting was just bad. What I did enjoy though were the musical numbers. You can just imagine the quality of songs coming out of Cole Porter and being performed by Crosby, Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, who played both narrator and musical guest. Crosby and Sinatra have a great duet, which I believe is the first of its kind on film. The Cole Porter hit "True Love" can also be found in this film being sung by Kelly and Crosby.

Watch It: For the musical numbers that advance the so-so plot and develop the characters.

Skip It: If you're looking for substance.