The film starts promisingly enough, with some very fun songs and a great plot with tangible stakes. I think the central problem of this film is two-fold though: as Hayworth spends time deciding between fame and her "old life", I don't feel like we get a ton of evidence she's leaning either way.
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The film presents itself as if Hayworth was dying to become famous, and then regrets it and misses her old life. She was in love with Kelly and feels scorned by him. But there just seems to be very little supporting this plot. After Hayworth pieces together the telegram, she ends up in the casting office, and she is sort of whisked away to her new life. Early on, she still seems to be leaning towards her old life, but I don't sense that there is ever a moment where it's clear she wants to become famous. Her and Kelly have a blow-out, forcing her out of the company, but there isn't ever a part of the film that shows her tribulations with fame. She spends her time with a boring would-be husband, but he's kind of just there and no chemistry, good or bad, develops.
There are no moments that clarify for the viewer how Hayworth doesn't fit in as a famous person. There's little chemistry between Kelly and Hayworth that really makes clear that they love each other and leaving him is a hard decision. I get that these points are made, but I don't think they are made well. And therefore the payoff at the end just isn't that exciting.
Perhaps worst of all, in the last third of the film, where we should be seeing this conflict play out the most, we get the the three most drawn out musical numbers. Kelly dancing by himself in the window, the Cover Girl performance, and then the back of the army truck ride. Separately they may have been fine, but they all feel so close together and like unnecessary padding.
There are no moments that clarify for the viewer how Hayworth doesn't fit in as a famous person. There's little chemistry between Kelly and Hayworth that really makes clear that they love each other and leaving him is a hard decision. I get that these points are made, but I don't think they are made well. And therefore the payoff at the end just isn't that exciting.
Perhaps worst of all, in the last third of the film, where we should be seeing this conflict play out the most, we get the the three most drawn out musical numbers. Kelly dancing by himself in the window, the Cover Girl performance, and then the back of the army truck ride. Separately they may have been fine, but they all feel so close together and like unnecessary padding.