White Christmas was released all the way back in 1954 and is based on the iconic song by Irving Berlin, which was performed by Bing Crosby. While I love Christmas movies, for whatever reason, I had never actually seen White Christmas until this year! It was on TV and I just so happened to be flipping through the channels and thought that I would watch it as it was just starting.
How to Download White Christmas
White Christmas was released on October 14, 1954. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If yo like musicals, we cordially recommend also The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born.
The Movie Review
Before I get into the movie, I have to talk about the deep dive I went on about this. I discovered that it was a technical marvel at the time, being the first movie released in the super wide screen format of “VistaVision”. The most shocking thing that I learned was that the song, White Christmas was not written for this movie, but was written for a movie called Holiday Inn that came out over a decade earlier.
My Honest Reaction to White Christmas
Ok, so let me start by saying this is going to probably anger a lot of people who hold White Christmas near and dear, as I have to be honest, I do not get what all the fuss is about. Sure, the song White Christmas is an absolute classic, and I hear it tons of times over the holidays, and it never gets old, but this movie was not what I expected at all. I get that people consider this a Christmas classic, but there was nowhere near as much Christmas in this as I thought there would be.
The basics of the plot are that we have these two soldiers, Bob and Phil, played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, who start up a musical double act after they are done with their military service. You do not need me to tell you how talented these two performers are, and they do have some fantastic chemistry and this old timey charm that you simply do not get from todays Hollywood A-Listers.
Plot Development and Cast Chemistry
Through a little bit of deceit, they meet a sister double act in Betty and Judy Haynes, played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, and they strike up a friendship/relationship/mentorship with these ladies. All four characters are very likable and the chemistry is certainly here, and what I liked about the movie the best.
They decide to go to New York together, but the Haynes sisters have a performing job lined up at a place in Vermont, and they convince Bob and Phil to go with them. Once they arrive at the Pine Tree Resort, Bob and Phil are shocked to discover that their old CO, General Waverly, is now the owner of this place, and it has fallen on hard times.
Heartwarming Themes in White Christmas
Being the good guys that they are, Bob and Phil decide to put together an epic Christmas show to help make some money for the Pine Tree Resort, but they also plan to get some of the other troops to be part of it as a surprise for General Waverly. To be fair, as a musical, White Christmas is a lot of fun, and the ending certainly would have filled me with the Christmas feels and vibes…. Had I been watching it in December, but I was very surprised at how little Christmas was actually in the movie.
Final Thoughts on White Christmas
I am sure if you are a huge fan of White Christmas and it is one of your holiday favorites, you are super mad at my feelings for this movie. However, I was kind of disappointed, I would not say that this is a bad movie at all, but after hearing about what a holiday classic this was for so many years, I was expecting more Christmas in this Christmas movie. Hey, it has a ton of heart, and I liked it, but I wish I had watched this during the holidays, as I think I may have liked it more.
