---
title: "Singin' in the Rain: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain"
critics_score: 91
critics_reviews: 19
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Singin' in the Rain (1952): what the critics said

Critics' score 91 from 19 reviews: 19 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

Nineteen reviews, every one of them positive, and the praise barely wavers across seven decades. Most critics treat it as the Hollywood musical the others are measured against. The satire of the studios’ scramble into sound is singled out as clever and affectionate rather than sour, and the songs are noted for sitting inside the story rather than interrupting it. Gene Kelly’s dancing draws the warmest notices, the title number above all, with Donald O’Connor’s Make ‘Em Laugh close behind. Jean Hagen’s comic turn is mentioned repeatedly, and Kelly and Donen’s direction is credited with making hard work look easy.

Reservations are scarce. The New Yorker is the coolest voice, admiring O’Connor’s vaudeville skills and Kelly’s tap work without the rapture found elsewhere. Little White Lies observes that the film’s cheer glosses over the industry’s casualties. The Los Angeles Times notes that its early reception was modest, which the later reviews make hard to credit. The spread is narrow.

## Little White Lies — BP Flanagan

Rating 3/5/5. 17 October 2019. 

The timeless musical remains an effervescent, life-affirming wonder that pokes fun at Hollywood’s transition to sound through brilliant comic set pieces and dance numbers. It celebrates joy and dreams while glossing over the industry’s less fortunate side.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/singin-in-the-rain)

## Radio Times — Tony Sloman

Rating 5/5. 

A collection of talents at their peak generated an enjoyable and clever movie that evokes the excitement of making motion pictures. It is the supreme original, an affectionate parody of the sound era whose every incident actually happened, and a unique work of art from MGM at its height.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-56twg3/singin-in-the-rain/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 4/4. 14 February 1999. 

The critic calls it one of the most fun and enduring movie musicals, praising its lighthearted joy, inventive dance numbers, and clever satire of Hollywood's transition to sound. He singles out the title dance and 'Make 'em Laugh' for their exuberance and technical brilliance.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-singin-in-the-rain-1952)

## Sight and Sound — Jason Anderson

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 

It is perhaps the greatest of movie musicals, the product of enormous toil yet defined by effervescence and joy that feels scarce today. Kelly and Donen’s masterwork is a meta celebration of Hollywood history with an inexhaustible bounty of ingenuity and unabashed showstoppers.

[Read the review](https://bfi.org.uk/film/33de2949-3ce8-5f0b-920a-311784964aec/singin-in-the-rain)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2006. 

The critic calls it one of the greatest musicals ever made, an ode to the joy of moviemaking, friendship and dance, with sophisticated integration of songs into the story and timeless appeal.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-singin-rain-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2019. 

The critic calls the film in a class by itself as the most durable example of the Hollywood musical, praising its exuberance and joy of performance as a theme and noting its impressive longevity in critic polls despite modest initial acclaim.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-stanley-donen-appreciation-kenneth-turan-20190224-story.html)

## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2012. 

The review hails the film as the greatest to date about the promises and pitfalls of change in cinema, praising its exuberant musical numbers, technical ingenuity and Kelly’s dual role as star and co-director. It singles out the film’s sincere appreciation of cinema as pure enchantment and the way it relates Kelly’s own artistic journey.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/singin-in-the-rain/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2019. 

The critic praises this sublime 1952 musical for its joyful display of artistry by Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and others in a re-release. It highlights the film's meta-musical qualities, the rain dance number and how Kelly and Donen make entertainment look effortless.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/18/singin-in-the-rain-review-gene-kelly-debbie-reynolds-rerelease)

## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 1952. 

The critic calls the film a gay, tuneful spoof of the late-1920s picture business that is poised to be another MGM hit thanks to its stars, songs, dancing and comedy. Direction by Kelly and Donen keeps a lively, tongue-in-cheek tone, with standout production numbers and excellent performances, especially from Kelly, O’Connor and Hagen.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/singin-rain-1952-review-959758/)

## The Independent

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 1992. 

The critic finds the film exhilarating in its affectionate, non-cynical view of Hollywood's Golden Age and the joy its makers took in their craft. They single out the contrast with more modern, jaded films-about-filmmaking and note how the movie folk are propelled by love and the compulsion to dance rather than cynicism.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-a-cloudburst-and-a-heatwave-1542923.html)

## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 1952. 

The review welcomes the film as a fresh, cheerful musical comedy full of music, dance, color, and Gene Kelly's abundant energy, highlighting its impudent satire of early talkie-era Hollywood. It praises the lively performances, especially Kelly's dancing, and the overall buoyant, entertaining spirit.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1952/03/28/archives/singin-in-the-rain-starring-gene-kelly-ushers-in-spring-at-the.html)

## The Times

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 1952. 

The review calls Singin’ in the Rain one of the few musicals that rises above the formulaic, praising its style, high spirits, affection for the era it satirises and perfect timing in performances and numbers like Make ’Em Laugh.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/review-from-the-archive-singin-in-the-rain-dx009zt27)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2000. 

The critic praises it as one of Hollywood's finest musicals and a Technicolor love-letter to the studio system, highlighting its seamless blending of song-and-dance numbers with the plot and Kelly's iconic title sequence.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/singin-in-the-rain-review/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 1952. 

The critic calls it a fancy package of musical entertainment with wide appeal that glitters with color, talent, tunes and an infectious air sure to click with audiences. They single out the hilarious satire on Hollywood's transition to talkies, the strong cast performances (especially Jean Hagen), the inventive musical numbers including the title song and 'Make 'Em Laugh,' and the topflight technical values.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/singin-in-the-rain-2-1117794912/)

## The New Yorker

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2012. 

The critic finds it good to revisit the film on its anniversary Blu-ray release and singles out Donald O’Connor’s vaudeville virtuosity and the sophisticated story of Hollywood’s transition from silents to talkies for praise, while noting Gene Kelly’s tap dancing remains astonishing.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/08/06/glorious-feeling)

## Collider — Andre Dellamorte

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2012. 

The critic describes the film as one of the greatest musicals ever made, evoking joy and wonder through its smart Hollywood satire, engaging story, and transcendent musical numbers. They single out the pure joy and skill in sequences like 'Moses Supposes' and the title song for praise.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/singin-in-the-rain-60th-anniversary-blu-ray-review/)

## Den of Geek — David Crow

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2023. 

The critic praises Singin' in the Rain as the greatest movie musical for its joyful escapism and masterful dance sequences, particularly highlighting Gene Kelly's performance in the title song as capturing pure happiness and cinematic wonder.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/singin-in-the-rain-still-the-best-movie-musical/)

## Eye for Film — Chris

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2006. 

The critic calls Singin' in the Rain one of the most enduring, effervescent and exuberant of films and the finest musical of all time. They single out its re-creation of the Roaring Twenties with inventive visual and aural contrasts, parodies of silent films, and its revolution in the American musical.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/singin-in-the-rain-film-review-by-chris)

## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2021. 

The critic calls Singin' in the Rain the platonic ideal of the classic movie musical and one of their favorite comfort watches. They single out Gene Kelly's luminous, athletic, and charismatic performance for particular praise.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/581706/the-daily-stream-singin-in-the-rain/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md