Patti (Jane Powell) is coming of age in the early XX century. She sights for Demi (Ricardo Montalbán) and willing to wear corset, a clear sign of becoming a woman. Until then she can not allow any man put his arms around her...or they would discover she is not wearing corset and consequently is not a woman yet. But her parents prefer to wait until she is eighteen. That means waiting a whole year, a difficult thing specially if you have a friend called Valerie (Phyllis Kirk) who is already in the adult world and fighting for Demi's love. Delightful musical comedy that includes many beautiful songs such as Oceana roll, Row, row, row, Aba daba honeymoon (a huge success after film's release that lead to a tour song through the States for both singers), By the light of the silvery moon and a The chocolate soldier's fragment, all of them perfectly fitted. In brilliant Technicolor with wonderful costumes by Edith Head, an accurated set designs and mise-en-scène and great performances by all the cast this is a film not to be missed. Specially enjoyable are the lake boat dream sequence with Ricardo Montalban appearing in Patti's dreams and the tango dance finale A media luz (made famous by tango singer Carlos Gardel) where Mr. Montalbán (a great dancer) shines dancing with Miss Powell. She said this was her favorite film. Great entertainment.

TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE is a rarity, a movie that sets out to capture the innocent charm of the early 20th century, and succeeds. A brave confection, built on a rather silly premise, it artfully presents the conflict in the heart of a 17-year-old girl who yearns to grow up and whose parents yearn to ignore it. Jane Powell is delightful as the adolescent who has a crush on the dashing man, and Ricardo Montalban hits just the right note of sophistication and kindness as he begins to fall for her. Debbie Reynolds is perfect as the wisecracking younger sister who knows what she wants and how to get it (and "it" is Carleton Carpenter), and two little brothers add just the touch of innocent mischief we would expect from little brothers in those days. Louis Calhern is delightful as the fumbling father, and Ann Harding is elegant and regal as always as the mother.I don't see how anyone could interpret this as the same movie as DIRTY DANCING, except they both took place in Catskills resorts. It is truly about a loving family and how they cope with growing pains all around. The later film was no such thing, with a different set of characters and a totally different story line. It was certainly a different kind of resort as well.

This is Jane Powell's best film. It's a perfect film to lift your spirits when you are down. Every song in the film is wonderful. The best songs being By the Light of the Silvery Moon & Abba Dabba Honeymoon & Row, Row, Row. Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter sing the last two. Jane Powell has stated this is her favorite film and you can see why with all the wonderful scenes. Jane plays Patty who has just turned 17 and she wants to start dating and wearing a corset. Her mother(Ann Harding) won't let her until she is 18. Debbie Reynolds plays her kid sister and steals a lot of scenes. I think it's her best part next to her part in Singin' in the Rain. Her father(Louis Calhern) tries to help Jane, but mother wins out. Carelton Carpenter who plays Billie falls for Jane early on and Debbie falls for him. Phyllis Kirk plays Valerie a snobby friend of Jane's. She shows Jane her new corset. She runs out after they see Ricardo Montalban. Debbie continues to offer herself to Carleton, but he wants Jane. Jane finally meets Ricardo and she is responsible for dumping pudding on him. She runs off. She runs into him again and has to turn him down for the dance because she does not have a corset and she is embarrassed. She does not tell him this. She also has a young girl's bathing suit on and she hides when Ricardo walks by. The next scene has the best song of the film, "Abba Dabba Honeymoon. It is performed perfectly by Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter. Jane is rejected again when Ricardo won't take her on a canoe ride because she says she can't swim. She finds out her snobby friend is trying to sabotage her relationship with him so she can get him. Jane goes into a canoe by herself and falls in the lake. Ricardo tries to save her and she struggles to shore so he won't find out she is wearing a corset. She dances with him the next night at arms length. She is having a great time and the the snobby girl tell's all the guys she does not wear a corset and they make fun of her. She also tells Ricardo. Jane runs off crying. Her father decides to buy her a corset the next day. He buys her a surgical corset. Jane and her mother talk it over and she agrees to get her a corset. Jane then has a wonderful dream sequence wearing a pink corset. She looks stunningly beautiful. She really has a nice pair of legs. She sings and dances with Ricardo. The next night she gets to fill in and dance with Ricardo in her new corset given to her by her father. The do a wonderful dance, but her corset locks as the dance ends. The whole family comes to her aide and her mother releases her from the corset. It turns out her father bought her a surgical corset. Ricardo tells her parents of his intentions to see Jane and court her. Happy ending to a great film. I challenge anyone who loves old musicals to not enjoy this film. Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Louis Calhern, Carleton Carpenter & Debbie Reynolds are perfectly cast for this film. Great, Awesome, Incredible Film.

They don't make films like this anymore there simply aren't the margins in them. If they did the sex and jokes would hit you in the face and you would miss the point that subtlety and slapstick can mix well together on occasion. This film is half a century old and it probably shows to the more sophisticated contemporary film goer/maker. To me it was a film that I have seen only twice when in my teens but both times it instilled in me a warmth and humour that I have rarely known in a film since. Hooray for Debbie Reynolds! Hooray for Ricardo M! And not an inch of stocking or @#*~ word in sight! Sit back and enjoy.