Film

Les Girls

Name: Les Girls
Genre: Comedy, Music, Romance
Released: 1957
Cast: Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg, Jacques Bergerac

Courtroom drama

A stylish 1957 musical where Gene Kelly leads a dance troupe through postwar Europe, told Rashomon-style as conflicting memoirs clash in court. It's witty and surprisingly sophisticated, with gorgeous Technicolor choreography and genuine uncertainty about who's telling the truth. For anyone who loves musicals that actually think, or smart comedies that move.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a backstage musical comedy that treats its memories as unreliable gossip, with sung-and-danced numbers, bright Technicolor staging and a sly, sophisticated bite.

Skip it if you need brisk, big-stage dance spectacle, since the numbers are modest and the film leans heavily on chatter, gossip and bickering over who said what.

What it asks of you: Nearly two hours of chatty, doubling-back flashbacks, so you'll need to hold several versions of events in your head and relish the reshuffling.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Singin' in the Rain1952

The gold standard of Hollywood musicals: pure joy in every frame, with Kelly at his most inventive and a script that knows when to let the dancing speak. Irresistible if you love what Les Girls gets right.

But It's relentlessly cheerful and earnest in ways that feel dated. If you need your musicals with edge, this operates on a different frequency entirely.

Funny Face1957

Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in a Paris-set romance with Stanley Donen's direction and a sophisticated script that balances romance, comedy, and dance with identical grace. Practically a sister film to Les Girls.

But The fashion-world plot feels thin and the romantic resolution comes fast. Some find Astaire's charm a touch mannered, depending on your tolerance for mid-century smoothness.

The Band Wagon1953

Astaire and Cyd Charisse in a backstage musical that's funny, romantic, and knows itself. It's about making art and falling in love, with dance numbers that justify their own existence. Criminally rewatchable.

But The opening act drags slightly as it sets up the story. The plot about mounting a show has been done, and here it's mostly scaffolding for the musical numbers.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Les Girls

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Rashomon1950

Both use competing versions of the same story to explore truth and perspective; Les Girls takes Rashomon's structure and turns it into romantic comedy.

Kurosawa's masterpiece uses the exact structure Les Girls borrowed: the same event told four different ways, each revealing something about the teller. It's darker and existential, but you'll see where the musical found its framework. Essential cinema.

But It's Japanese cinema from 1950 — black and white, philosophical, and demanding. If you're expecting something light, you'll be wrong. It asks difficult questions and doesn't offer easy answers.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers1954

A brilliantly constructed musical with an ensemble feel, energetic choreography, and genuine wit in the script. The barn-raising sequence alone is worth the price of admission. It understands rhythm and storytelling in equal measure.

But The gender politics are queasy even by 1954 standards, and the plot hinges on something that would land differently now. Some find the tone uneven between the comedy and its premise.

An American in Paris1951

Kelly again, this time in postwar Paris with a Gershwin score and lavish production design. It's romantic without being saccharine, and the climactic ballet is genuinely ambitious. Pure cinema, in the best sense.

But The plot is gossamer-thin and the romantic entanglement feels contrived. Nearly 30 minutes of pure ballet at the end won't work for everyone, no matter how beautiful.

Royal Wedding1951

Jane Powell and Fred Astaire navigate London in a lighter musical romance with surprising charm and some truly inventive dancing. The script has more personality than you'd expect, and the supporting cast sparkles.

But It's definitely minor-key, even for a musical. The plot is forgettable and some of the comedy hasn't aged well. If you need a substantial story, this won't provide it.

Silk Stockings1957

Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse again, this time in a Cold War musical comedy that's sharper and more satirical than it sounds. The dancing is sumptuous and the script has actual jokes. Underrated.

But The political satire feels like it's winking at something dated, and the romance plot is predictable. Some find Astaire and Charisse's pairing less electric than in Band Wagon.

Raintree County1957

Elizabeth Taylor in an ambitious, messy melodrama that swings for the fences. It's vastly entertaining in its excess and Taylor is luminous. Exactly the kind of big-studio picture that feels like an event.

But It's long, overplotted, and occasionally overwrought. The script tries to do too much and sometimes buckles under its own weight. Definitely not subtle.

The Pajama Game1957

Doris Day and John Raitt in a musical about a factory strike that shouldn't work but somehow does. It's funny, surprisingly pro-labor for 1957, and has genuine chemistry. The dance numbers have real snap.

But The premise is oddly tonal — mixing labor politics with romantic comedy feels jarring. Some of the humor is broad and the ending is neat in ways that undercut the setup.

The Pleasure Seekers1964

Both center a group of female performers abroad, balancing love stories against female friendship and autonomy in ways that complicate the musical genre's typical romance focus.

Three women in Madrid instead of three in Paris, with Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley, and Orsetta Muti navigating romance and independence. It's less accomplished than Les Girls but shares the ensemble energy and the sophisticated European setting. A curious follow-up.

But It's fragmented and uneven, with tonal whiplash between comedy and drama. The plot meanders and some scenes feel halfhearted. It's a curio, not a classic, and it shows.

A Matter of Dignity1958

Both explore how women negotiate desire, reputation, and independence in sophisticated social settings; where Les Girls dances through these questions, Dignity sits with them quietly and seriously.

A Greek film about a widow navigating remarriage and social expectation with wit and style. It's contemporary to Les Girls but in a completely different register — refined, restrained, and far more realistic. Melina Mercouri is incandescent.

But There's barely any music and it's a straight drama, not a musical at all. It moves slowly by design and the emotional stakes are genuine, which means it's never light. It's in Greek, subtitled.