A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.

Singin’ in the Rain is, in the opinion of most contemporary film critics, one of the great movies of the sound era. The mere mention of its title brings a smile to the face of every movie lover, regardless of age. Its central image, that of Gene Kelly joyfully dancing and hanging exuberantly from a lamppost during a downpour, has come to exemplify not only the best of the M-G-M musical but also the high point, the full flowering of the American musical genre. -- Ronald Haver, The Criterion Collection