Just to get this out of the way first, I generally prefer musicals in the more over-the-top, fantastical mold. That being said, Meet Me in St. Louis has a charm all its own. Its focus on the life of a family over the course of a single year, while episodic, allowed for a deeper attention to character and relationships than one usually gets in the classic Hollywood musical. It should go without saying that Judy Garland was luminous in this, but her co-stars --Margaret O'Brien in particular-- were excellent as well. The title song is justly famous and really catchy, but it's the Christmas segment which really made the half-star difference for me. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," indeed, and thankfully they changed the original lyric to what everyone knows now. The only negative I can really think of is that, even though coming in under two hours, you start to feel the length by the end. It won't be a Christmas classic in the same way as others I grew up with, but it's still one I'd like to return to at least once a year.
Review of Meet Me in St. Louis
