Royal Wedding is a must-see film simply for two of Astaire's best solo numbers, one involving a hat rack and the other involving the defiance of gravity. There are also a couple of solid number with his co-star Jane Powell, one a bit of bad-boy shtick and the other a very funny dance on a rocking boat.The movie begins well. Astaire and Powell are a sibling dance team off to England. Inveterate flirt Powell meets her match in an English lord, while Astaire falls for a pretty dancer (played by one of Winston Churchill's daughters!).The early scenes are notable for an unusually casual approach to romance, but of course things get serious later on. And as they do, the frothy start gives way to the grind of a standard Astaire story complete with mild obstacle and easy resolution.Powell sings several forgettable songs in her annoying operatic voice and there are some other decent dance numbers, including one set in Haiti that pretends Haiti that ignores that the country is almost entirely populated by the descendants of African slaves. There's also a lot of English people going "pip pip," and I have no idea if that's any more accurate than the Haiti stuff. It comes across as rather cartoonish, but who knows?Anyway, it's a fun movie. Not great, but enjoyable.

The print I saw for "Royal Wedding" was super-ugly and dark. Apparently the film is in the public domain and lots of lousy copies are out there--including the streaming version from Netflix. My advice is to see if the copy from MGM/Turner Entertainment is better--it should be.As for the film, the casting is quite odd. There is a 30 years difference in the age of Fred Astaire and his on-screen 'sister' Jane Powell. Because of this, the chemistry seems a bit odd and you can't help but being taken out of the moment. Too bad they couldn't have gotten Eleanor Powell out of retirement, as she was as close to Astaire's talents as any woman alive and she was much closer in age to him. Seeing these two amazing dancers together would have been a treat, as she was a match for his athleticism and ability to tap.The film is a re-written account of the life of Astaire and his real life sister, Adele. They were a huge act in the 20s and 30s and much of the film is taken from their lives--including her romance with a British Lord. Of course, being a Hollywood film, it's also stuffed with lots of polish and subplots--and the real story is only a starting point! But considering most folks watch films like this only to watch Fred dance, who cares?! As for the dancing, the film has some very nice numbers. My favorite is the very famous scene where he dances up the walls and on the ceiling in his hotel room--quite the stunt. He also had a nice dance with a hat tree! While the dancing isn't as spectacular, I also enjoyed "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life". This song and dance number with Powell had amazingly funny lyrics and is the complete antithesis of what you'd expect from the classy and polished Astaire. While it sure ain't subtle, it is entertaining. As for the rest of the songs and Powell's dancing, they are pleasant but unremarkable. Clearly, the focus is on Fred's dancing in this film.As for my summary, I certainly wouldn't consider this to be among Fred Astaire's best. This doesn't mean it's bad--but considering how amazingly perfect his films of the 30s were (such as "Top Hot" and "The Gay Divorcée"), this doesn't mean "Royal Wedding" is a bad film--it's quite enjoyable and has some great moments. Just don't watch it off Netflix or on a horrible public domain copy.By the way, this film has one of the creepiest lines in movie history when, near the end of the film, Fred and Jane tell their handler (Keenan Wynn) that "We wanna get married". They don't, thank goodness, mean to EACH OTHER (ewww) but I could see someone thinking that!

There's not even enough substance in this movie to call it champagne, its pure soda pop."Royal Wedding" is a true classic Astaire movie. It contains the spectacular number where he dances on the walls and ceiling of his room, and its worth watching just for that.The plot is amusing if only because its so flimsy, even by the standards of movie musicals. Astaire and Powell play a brother and sister dance team who go to England to star in a show at about the same time as the royal wedding of (then) Princess Elizabeth II. They both fall in love. They decided (for like two minutes) that they don't want to get married, and then they change their minds and they both marry their loved ones. That's it, no wacky misunderstandings, no awkward situations, nothing. There are one or two other subplots, but they are resolved in equally effortless ways. Its like the shortest episode of Three's Company ever.Of course the plot is padded by like half a dozen dance numbers, which are nothing special (except the aforementioned dancing on the ceiling routine), but since its Fred Astaire, they are a joy to watch.Keenan Wynne has a really fun part, playing twin brothers, one from Brooklyn and one from London. He clearly has a wonderful time doing several routines where he plays both brothers having long distance phone calls with each other.Anyway, its a very fun more, but totally lacking in any kind of substance.

American brother and sister song-and-dance act sets sail for England after their manager gets them a London booking on the eve of Princess Elizabeth's royal nuptials. Stereotypical Brits litter the phony, contrived scenario (one waits--not in vain--for the first "Jolly good show!" or the proverbial walk in the fog). In the leads, Fred Astaire and Jane Powell are a perky, polite sibling pair; she puts her Yankee beaus on hold to be romanced by a bird-chasing Lord (Peter Lawford, as British a Lord as M-G-M could buy) while Fred fancies Sarah Churchill, a performer whose idea of romance is to dance on the ceiling (cue the next musical number!). Astaire dances (very well) and acts (not so well), while Jane hits the high notes. It's rather a dismaying picture without a single good song. Even Mr. Astaire's solo numbers look like flagrant chapter stops in the bland action. ** from ****