Sweet Charity - 6 stars out of 10

Sweet Charity - 6 stars out of 10

"Sweet Charity" is Bob Fosse at his finest.  While the story is a bit of a downer, the dancing will pick you right back up and have you scene-selecting to revisit the best dance numbers once the film has ended.  Shirley MacLaine is excellent as the luck-less lover that can't seem to find the right guy but her character isn't my favorite.  I was much more interested in Chita Rivera, both for her looks and her dancing.  The song "Hey Big Spender" is the perfect way to roll out the taxi dancer atmosphere and is also a prologue for the incredible Fosse choreography contained in this film.  Even though there's a story, some singing, and other various movie components occurring throughout the film, the most memorable sequence is completely unrelated to the story.  The "Rich Man's Frug" is the epitome of class and Fosse's masterpiece.  Suzanne Charney (the girl with the long ponytail) doesn't even have a character name, and yet she completely steals the show.  She is the image that I will always associate with this film and even if I never watch this one again, I will often visit this dance sequence on youtube (check out the link at the bottom of the review).  The other highlights of the film are Sammy Davis Jr. singing "The Rhythm of Life" and the girls dancing across the New York City rooftops singing "There's Got to Be Something Better Than This."  Although I really enjoyed bits and pieces of this film, they only make up about 20 minutes of the film's 2 1/2 hour run-time.  I give "Sweet Charity" a good rating because it has some amazing moments, but it isn't worth watching unless you've got your finger on the fast-forward button, ready to skip ahead to the next highlight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0--eFfzDAM