It’s 1903 in St. Louis and the city is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming World’s Fair. At the wealthy Smith household, daughter Rose is awaiting a marriage proposal while her sister Esther just wants John, the boy-next-door, to notice her (and maybe even—gasp—kiss her). Also in the family, sisters Agnes and Tootie are mischievous kids, Lon is a mostly irrelevant brother, and Anna and Alonzo are their sweet-and-sour parents. Everything is fine until father Alonzo notifies the family that he is being transferred to New York and this will be the family’s last Christmas in St. Louis. With their romance and fair-going plans destoryed, the family is shattered. With a heavy hearty, the try to button up their time in St. Louis. Alonzo (spoilers!) eventually sees the havoc his transfer is having and chooses to keep the family in St. Louis.
Admittedly, my review leans more heavily on personal preference than filmmaking prowess, but: I could not stand this movie! It’s cloyingly nostalgic and by and large plotless. It was the equivalent of breaking down on the Carousel of Progress after the first scene. The only drama supplied was from the stale “will he, won’t he” teenage romance angle and from father Smith moving the family to New York—something he has the power to reverse (and does). I get it—it was World War II and the public just wanted some nostalgia-laced dessert. It’s the equivalent of a film from today being set in 1980 (and there are plenty of those that do this exact thing!). But I suppose random vignettes of “look how novel the telephone used to be” or “aren’t those kids little devils on Halloween??” just doesn’t land for me. I want a real story. I suppose on a positive note, the production design is pretty intricate and the “The Trolley Song” sequence was kinetic and fun. And Judy Garland’s performance of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a classic. But this film is not for me. Blugh!