Some people might think, by the title, that this is one of those La La Land musicals, where everything ends up sunshine and roses. That is NOT the case. This movie is based on a novel ("I Heard Them Sing") that has a dark side to it and though the movie's lighter, it's still more serious than the title implies.
Like in the book, the marriage of Ben and Nellie (her name here is taken from the title, which is taken from the famous barbershop quartet song; in the book, she's Millie), played by David Wayne and Jean Peters, gets off to a precarious start, as it's apparent he's looking forward to settling down in a small-town suburb of Chicago, while she'd rather live in the city itself. Unlike the book, where she wants to travel while he claims he's content where he is, here Nellie makes it clear she doesn't want to remain living in a town where she doesn't fit in and would be happier in the city and Ben pretends to go along with this, saying eventually they'll live in Chicago. The trouble takes a dramatic turn when Nellie discovers Ben doesn't just work as a barber, he owns the shop, as well as a lot of real estate in the town where he means to stay. Feeling betrayed by his duplicity, she takes a fateful trip to Chicago, followed by the husband of one of the women in town who looks down her nose at Nellie, as he hopes to seduce her along the way.
The second half of the movie is about Ben's troubled relationship with his son, which turns into a worse disaster than his marriage.
The story's told in flashback and starts with Ben reminiscing at the 50th anniversary of the town's founding.
It's worth watching, if you don't mind the absence of the usual Hollywood HEA ending.
Like in the book, the marriage of Ben and Nellie (her name here is taken from the title, which is taken from the famous barbershop quartet song; in the book, she's Millie), played by David Wayne and Jean Peters, gets off to a precarious start, as it's apparent he's looking forward to settling down in a small-town suburb of Chicago, while she'd rather live in the city itself. Unlike the book, where she wants to travel while he claims he's content where he is, here Nellie makes it clear she doesn't want to remain living in a town where she doesn't fit in and would be happier in the city and Ben pretends to go along with this, saying eventually they'll live in Chicago. The trouble takes a dramatic turn when Nellie discovers Ben doesn't just work as a barber, he owns the shop, as well as a lot of real estate in the town where he means to stay. Feeling betrayed by his duplicity, she takes a fateful trip to Chicago, followed by the husband of one of the women in town who looks down her nose at Nellie, as he hopes to seduce her along the way.
The second half of the movie is about Ben's troubled relationship with his son, which turns into a worse disaster than his marriage.
The story's told in flashback and starts with Ben reminiscing at the 50th anniversary of the town's founding.
It's worth watching, if you don't mind the absence of the usual Hollywood HEA ending.