Mjeteconer Just perfect...

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

TheLittleSongbird Musicals, especially from MGM and the "classic era", were a large part of my childhood and an even larger part of my lifelong fondness for them. Even if the stories for a lot of them weren't so great, the performances, chemistry, production values, music and choreography more than compensated.'It Happened in Brooklyn' may not be one of the all-time greats, but the talent it promised was immense and that talent was more than lived up to. More could have been done with the ending. It could have done with being much more rounded off and less unsatisfyingly abrupt.Another flaw is that 'It Happened in Brooklyn' (am not sure whether this is going to be a popular opinion) also did very little to cure my general indifference to Peter Lawford, not even giving him a swing number, who again brings little charm and personality and his trademark stuffy, pompous character is annoying. The role also displayed his limited acting, awkward dancing and his inability to sing a note in tune.However, the production values are very pleasing to look at and beautifully shot, the lack of Technicolor didn't bother me at all. The music is wonderful and beautifully and entertainingly choreographed, the highlights being the timeless and ageless "Time After Time" and the show-stopping and enormously enjoyable "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" between Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante. In terms of the operatic excerpts, "La Ci Darem La Mano" from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' also comes off well, with Sinatra sounding remarkably lovely in operatic music and "The Bell Song" from Delibes' 'Lakme' is enchantingly sung by Kathryn Grayson and for a long aria doesn't stop the film dead.While at times fluffy, the script is also very witty and so much fun and endearing that it is very difficult to fall for its charm. For a "classic era" MGM musical too, the story is actually pretty good, somewhat silly but it is more eventful, better paced and easier to remember than most. The direction does nothing to undermine the visuals or the impact of the songs.The performances, with the exception of Lawford, are very good indeed. Sinatra is immensely likable in the lead, and Durante is a hoot, managing to still be hilarious even when slightly subdued. Grayson is spunky and charming, with the voice of a nightingale. Gloria Grahame also shows up and does a lovely job in a role that is somewhat underused.On the whole, brings so much joy as long as not too much is demanded. 8/10 Bethany Cox

MartinHafer Some musicals are filled with great songs and you cannot help but like them. "It Happened in Brooklyn", oddly, is a film with no great songs and , and, believe it or not, the story is by far the strongest part of the film. This is very unusual for a musical and I found that every time they sang, my attention span wavered--especially with some of the more operatic tunes sung by Kathryn Grayson. She was a lovely actress and I liked her in the film, but I just don't like this style of music. Even good operatic music annoys me...and I am pretty sure I am not alone on this.The story begins with a private, Danny (Frank Sinatra) at a party but he just isn't in the mood. Instead, he's mooning about being back in Brooklyn--and he's expected to be sent back there soon. However, at the party he makes a friendship with a member of royalty and his son, Jamie (Peter Lawford). Danny offers to show Jamie around if he ever comes to Brooklyn.Soon, Danny is back in his old stomping ground, though it's funny to watch all the Brooklyners talking about how they hate the place! He's also surprised that finding a place to live and a job isn't nearly as easy as he expected. Fortunately, he finds a nice old acquaintance, Nick (Jimmy Durante) and he invites Danny to live with him. As for Nick, he's a cute character and takes a special interest in Danny and a teacher at his school, Anne (Grayson). Nick thinks they'll make a nice couple and does his best to get them together. However, when Jamie unexpectedly shows up, it soon becomes apparent that he, too, is smitten with Anne. And, Anne might just be interested in Jamie--even though she and Danny are now dating. How will all this work out? See the film!The plot is simple but works very well because you really like the characters. They all seem so nice--and that's why it's a shame when it suddenly becomes a three-way romance. Still, since they are all such nice people, they cannot possibly hurt poor Danny...so they do nothing. Again, how will this work out?By the way, in the scene at the rooftop Italian restaurant, pay attention to the wine that the three folks are drinking with their spaghetti. First, it's a white wine, then it becomes red wine and, finally, it's white again!! Maybe most won't notice this, but I did since I thought 'wow...I wouldn't drink white wine with spaghetti!'--and then it magically changed! I assume this was not intentional....or perhaps it was an inside joke!

Neil Doyle FRANK SINATRA's voice was in a warm and mellow tone when he did IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN and this little musical uses him musically in a nice way. He gets to warble an invigorating ditty as a serviceman joyous to be back in Brooklyn, so he belts out "Brooklyn Bridge" with baritone finesse. It almost sounds like a number out of ON THE TOWN. But it's his mellow rendering of "Time After Time" that brings back memories of how he crooned his way to stardom and became a teen idol in the early '40s.Frank is a kind of shy guy here, but gets to loosen up after awhile thanks to the friendship of JIMMY DURANTE as a fellow Brooklynite, a janitor who lets Frank share his apartment until he can find a job. KATHRYN GRAYSON is the pretty girl Sinatra takes up with, both of them with singing aspirations. He even does a "Don Giovanni" duet with Grayson and it's not bad at all. Grayson does a nice solo spot on "The Bell Song" from Lakme and handles her acting chores in a pleasant enough manner. Likewise, even PETER LAWFORD gets to belt out a number for a bunch of record fans in a music store, loosening up to a little ditty called "Whose Baby Are You?" with a swing beat.Durante and Sinatra have fun on a number called "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" and Sinatra is at his best crooning a ballad called "It's the Same Old Dream."True, it's all rather formula as far as the storyline goes, but it's done in such an unpretentious way that it manages to charm most of the time. GLORIA GRAHAME has a small role at the beginning as a nurse from Brooklyn who doubts whether Sinatra hails from that borough.I can't say much for the direction of Richard Thorpe. It moves at a snail's pace through its running time of one hour and forty-five minutes.

sdiner82 Most MGM musicals of the late 1940s were lavish, Technicolored extravaganzas, which is why this modest, low-keyed, filmed in glorious black-and-white effort has always been overlooked. A pity, because it's one of the most endearing, enduring musicals of all time. Firstly, it has a plot--a bittersweet Isobel Lennart screenplay about an ex-soldier (Frank Sinatra) returning from WWII to his beloved Brooklyn, and realizing it is not the same as he remembered it. Secondly, that dream cast working together in perfect dramatic and vocal harmony--Sinatra (never more likeable and sweet-natured); Kathryn Grayson (whose charming down-to-earth sincerity truly makes the screen glow); Peter Lawford (has anyone ever given this actor the credit for the class and gentlemanly warmth he brought to every film he was in?), and, of course, the immortal Jimmy Durante (bolstering all of his co-stars with his brilliant comedic and dramatic talents). And thirdly, an immortal Jule Styne score to die for. "Time After Time" ranks as one of the most poignant, melodic ballads ever composed. Many artistic greats have recorded it, but no one has ever interpreted it with the wistful perfection of Grayson and Sinatra. Add Sinatra's "The Brooklyn Bridge" and "It's the Same Old Dream". Lawford's delightful jive turn "Whose Baby Are You?" And the rousing Sinatra/Durante showstopper "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" (excerpted in "That's Entertainment II"). "It Happened in Brooklyn" is a wistful, rueful, enchanting musical the likes of which MGM (nor any other studio) ever made nor even attempted. A buried treasure occasionally unearthed by TCM! See it, tape it, and savor one of the most loving and lovely movie-musicals ever made!