I suggested a year ago that it might only be appropriate to see this movie every other year. I think I was fearful that the sugary content might spoil the experience or lead to diabetes. I was wrong. This can safely be enjoyed on an annual basis. I have heard it described as the best, bad Christmas movie, but I think that overstates the weaknesses of the film. As a drama, it is certainly not strong, but the drama is really there to hold the entertainment segments together.
There is a defense of the themes in this article www.dailywire.com/news/white-christmas-is-the-festive-film-for-our-time, and after thinking about it, there is something to the film that can be defended on a thematic level. The context is what makes it hard for most critics to see that point. We live in a different time than when the film was made.
As far as the rest of it, I never tire of Danny Kaye. Bing Crosby can sing kike no one else. Rosemary Clooney is pretty good herself and Vera Ellen is a dynamo that nearly steals the whole picture. I get warm and glow just looking at the color palate of the film and the way it is played off the background seasonal effects of Hollywood. The minstrel show number is a lot more innocent than in the film "Holiday Inn" which is the movie that inspired this film. There is no Blackface, but there seems to be an appreciation of the arts that the genre used rather than the attitude the minstrel show took toward the black population of the times they originated in.
"Choreography" is an hysterical number, and "The Best Tings Happen When You're Dancing" is just magical. For more, check out last years comments here.
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