Calamity Jane (1953)

 

Genre: Musical/ Western 

Time: 1h 37mins

Director: David Butler

Quick Summary: The story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.

I love this accidentally lesbian vibes film. 

Dorris Day carries the film with her unusual, enjoyable, amusingly butch character. She plays Calamity Jane with boundless energy as she bounds across the screen doing wild stunts and extravagant expressions. She is a lot of fun to watch as she performs her musical numbers too.

This has a lot of old-style humour, such as poking fun at cross-dressing and a touch of sexism. It didn't always land with me, but a good handful of the jokes I found funny, being someone open to all types of humour. 


The romance takes a long while to build up, and honestly, I would have preferred if the two women ended up getting together. They learn to get along through a misunderstanding and are the polar opposites to each other, though they both learn things from the other and it's quite cute to watch. Shame they were just gal pals. The actual romantic lead isn't so interesting to me as he felt more like a second choice, and there wasn't really any build-up. He was just there for some of the film.

I don't remember a lot of the songs from this but I do remember a lot of Doris's energy throughout them, as they were always cheery. I think, even though I don't remember they're enjoyable in the moment, which I find nice for a film like this. Nice and simple to help you not think for a little while. 


The plot is corny but sweet, it takes away worries for a little while. It's incredibly lighthearted and fun. This is something to put on for a simple watch. 

6/10

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