Who payed the critics

Waste of time

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Very loosely based on the life of the titular Wild West figure, this Hollywood musical tracks the experiences of the tomboyish gunslinger who strikes up a close friendship with a second-rate actress. As the two women eventually decide to live together, it is easy to appreciate why 'Calamity Jane' has been cited as a film with an overt gay subtext over the years; there is also lead actress Doris Day dressing and talking like a man, even commenting how pretty co-star Allyn Ann McLerie is when they first meet. This is, however, a film that can be thoroughly enjoyed for the surface story, subtext aside. Day is a revelation in the title role, a true transformation when one considers the housewife and Rock Hudson movie roles that she is best known for. It is a very energetic performance too as Day sings, dances, talks tough and wrestles with her own sense of identity as she takes McLerie's advice of how to act more feminine to attract a man. The film occasionally gets lost in mixed messages along these lines (celebrating her individuality plus applauding her desire to conform), but with memorable songs, well-timed comic relief and a solid supporting cast, it remains a delightful experience overall. Those keen on an accurate portrait of the real Calamity Jane would be best served to look elsewhere, but anyone after merely a fun musical or lighthearted western could scarcely go wrong here.

Doris is very energetic. She plays Calam over the top. Chicaggy-word is unique. Her deerskin getup must a-needed a-cleanin' after all-them-years of wearing it (phew!). Changing to the femi-NINE duds was a welcome change. . . . Cigar-EEEETS are another hoot.Post-war World War II 1950s and onward (yes, they made anti-Nazi movies even into 1970s-80s-etc.) . . . Tons of rustic cowboy western movies, TV shows. Annie Get Your Gun (Annie was from Ohio, which was no longer The West in the later 1800s), Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley TV show, Gunsmoke, Zorro, Rin Tin Tin, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Circus Boy, Death Valley Days, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Lone Ranger. Good grief -- Davy Crockett! Escapism toned down the harshness of The Cold War and McCarthyism. Musicals helped America feel good about itself. The Korean War was ending, and Americans were tired of hearing about real-life fighting and killing. Howdy Doody, Buffalo Bob and Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring all wore western clothes.2013: Ya can't say Injuns no mo! It is the "I-word". Women don't have to clean up the cabin or sling that hash. Times have changed. We ALL wear pants! Still, for a 60-year-old movie, the humor and music hold up well.Howard Keel was a good singer. He was a Douglas Aircraft inspector before his movie career. In two particular movies, he saw himself as a lady's man: In "Kiss Me Kate", he sings "Where Is the Life That Late I Led?", bemoaning that his little black book is irrelevant now that he is hooking up with Kathryn Grayson. In "Show Boat", he sings "Only Make Believe" in which he tries to woo Grayson with his worldly bravado.

I've just watched "Calamity Jane" and it really is one of the most lovely films I've ever seen.I am by nature suspicious of "musicals". In fact I'd normally say I don't like 'em. But although the characters in this film do burst out into spontaneously synchronised and practised song somehow the songs they sing are short enough to be less than a mild irritation and pertinent enough to keep the story moving.I'm a straight guy but must admit to being a sucker for women with their feet firmly on the ground and that's why I find Doris Day's portrayal of the character so intriguing. Some might say that this is an "ugly duckling" film but in this case and for me the "before" look is much more interesting than the "after" one. She prances around in scruffy attire, walks like a man and often sits or poses with her legs wide open but however much she plays the tomboy and tries to hide her femininity under a bushel she fails. Why? Because she just is a very beautiful woman; heck you could cover her in mud (and this actually happens at one point in the film) and she wouldn't lose her femininity.I've seen lots of cabaret in Berlin - Victor, Victoria type stuff and this film is reminiscent of that although not quite so refined but all the same it's a woman dressed as a man and looking good for it! The film verges on homo-eroticism at times although it never features as a central theme. There is about 10 minute's worth of pure homo-eroticism however that takes place in a log cabin that would do Barbie proud but the main themes focus on a woman who doesn't know how to be one and learns as well as people who are oblivious to the fact that they are in love perhaps because they are such good friends; then Cupid strikes suddenly. As I say, I'm a straight guy but although a part of me appreciated the "ugly duckling" changing her spots another part of me ended up wishing that she'd stayed the way she was.The sets are wonderful as are the lush costumes.This is not a film to watch on a small monitor. If you have a projector then fire her up for this one. Lovely colour and sound just as one would expect from a musical of this era.

Make it this one ! With so many wonderful performances to pick from, I think of this as her best performance. She is so dynamic and alive in this role.It's a very cute story. The supporting cast members are all excellent. It's a beautiful movie to look at. The songs are wonderful. They're infectious. I love the Deadwood Stage - Whip crack away ! It's not just one of the best Doris Day musicals - it's one of the very best musicals on film. Doris Day is an amazing powerhouse. She looks incredible in her leather outfit and stunningly beautiful in her dress for the ball. There's a wonderful scene where she transforms a run-down cabin into a darling cottage while singing a merry song. Not very realistic, but that's why musicals are so fun. I now call Chicago "Chi-caw-gee" because of this movie. Really cute. Don't miss.