That's Entertainment! III (1994)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

You would think that after two "That's Entertainment!" films (not to mention the more obscure "That's Dancing!"), all the major singing and dancing numbers from the best MGM musicals must have been shown already, but this third attempt comes up with enough material to make it an enjoyable compilation. My absolute favorite part is without a doubt the witty, funny "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" from "Annie, Get Your Gun". I also noticed - once again - what absolute knockouts Esther Williams and Doris Day were in their heyday, despite their "chaste" filmic reputations. I loved the pre-code "Clean As A Whistle" number, and almost started singing (not out loud, thankfully for others) alongside Elvis Presley in "Jailhouse Rock". The film also shows that even MGM at its peak could make some blinding errors of judgment: would you believe they kept Joan Crawford's version of "Two Faced Woman" and dropped Cyd Charisse's??? Or that they dubbed over the beautiful singing voice of Ava Gardner in "Showboat"? Or that they cut Judy Garland's leggy "Mr. Monotony" out of "Easter Parade"? Anyway, it's probably for the best they haven't made another one of these compilations - in this one the recipe still works, but a fourth time would be really pushing it. *** out of 4.

I enjoyed the first That's Entertainment! a lot. The second was OK but a huge step down from the first. The third doesn't match the first but it does surpass part 2. The most interesting aspect of this compilation was the inclusion of outtakes and deleted scenes. So classic film fans get to see a lot of hidden treasures. A few of my favorites were the Lena Horne bubble bath number from Cabin in the Sky, Ava Gardner's unused vocals from Showboat, and the opening dance of Fred & Ginger in The Barkleys of Broadway without the annoying title credits. Also some interesting behind-the-scenes footage of Eleanor Powell's "Fascinating Rhythm" number from Lady Be Good and a side-by-side comparison of Joan Crawford and Cyd Charisse performances of the same song. But the true highlight of the film would be the Judy Garland numbers she filmed from Annie Get Your Gun before being fired and the "Mr. Monotony" number cut from Easter Parade. It's a great compilation that will please most fans of classic musicals.

This last edition to the That's Entertainment family of films celebrating MGM is a magnificent coda, and pays particular tribute to a number of those MGM stars who were somewhat neglected in the other two. All the greats are there too though, like Fred and Gene and Judy and Frank, and there are some wonderfully unusual and fascinating clips and a number of very illuminating behind-the-scenes extracts and revelations.The editing and the sound editing is particularly well done, and the various introductions are all rather touching. Whatever your level of interest in musical films you should certainly make time to see all three "Thats Entertainment" movies. The talent on display is staggering, and the craftsmanship of all involved is so vividly apparent. Marvel at the costumes, lighting, choreography, direction, singing, art-direction and sheer energy of MGM film musicals.You are definitely left gasping for more ... My favourite bit? How does one choose? Gene Kelly's newspaper dance from the often overlooked film "Summer Stock" always excites me into immediately trying the same dance with whatever newspaper is at hand -and it is certainly not easy!

The third installment of musical clips from the MGM vaults. I'm a sucker for musicals and "That's Entertainment! III" was a huge surprise. I thoroughly liked the first part ("That's Entertainment!"); the second installment ("That's Entertainment, Part II") was decent but not that memorable, but this third compilation towers over its predecessors. One of the riches of the "That's Entertainment!III" is that the filmmakers are very critical and passionate about the subject. As much as they are paying homage to the glory of the MGM dream factory, they are also depicting the skill and the hard work that go along with it. This is perhaps the reason serious film critics seem to rhapsodize about it. Lots of pleasant & glorious moments, featuring many musical numbers, most of them cut from the original releases. Particularly revealing are: Eleanor Powell's tap dancing in "Lady Be Good" (in split-screen while the camera moving along with her); Lena Horne speaks about the prejudiced policies at MGM, introducing a nice censored bath scene from "A Cabin the Sky"; and Debbie Reynolds' rare number "You're My Lucky Star", cut from "Singin' in the Rain".