Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) **** [1940s Christmas Double Feature Pt. 2]

I only saw Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) for the first time in 2023, but I loved it instantly. The film is filled with all the qualities that make a truly classic movie musical—exuberance, melodrama, memorable songs, beautiful costumes, and wonderful performances. Though it seems tenuous, the illusion of the perfect family dynamic is never shattered. Even in the picture''s darker moments (speaking of, Tootie is delightfully macabre) the Smith family bond seems to be unbreakable. MMISL hits all the precise beats for maximum entertainment—it's joyful, it's fun and fancy free, it's melancholic, and it's a tearjerker. As the saying goes, they don't make 'em like they used to.