“Holiday Inn” is one of those charming musicals that managed to put a smile on our faces. It is filled with some brilliant singing and some great kinetic energy that will perhaps isn’t the greatest form of entertainment but is certainly enjoyable.

Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby “White Christmas”, “L.A. Confidential”) opens up Holiday Inn, which is a place where people can go during public holidays to have a drink and see a show. Hardy meets a girl, who he wishes to marry, but his former musical colleague Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire “Top Hat”, “Funny Face”) is out to snatch her for his new dance partner, which creates an awkward love triangle.

Bing Crosby is a great singer and while some of the songs aren’t my cup of tea, especially the one about Abraham Lincoln he gives us the opportunity to hear “White Christmas” (a true Christmas song masterpiece). Fred Astaire can’t sing but he can dance magnificently, my favourite dance number was the one involving firecrackers because it’s just so fun and energetic. With brilliant singing from Crosby and excellent dancing from Astaire we get to see something truly great that wouldn’t have been nearly as good if it was one individual who could sing and dance very well.

“Holiday Inn” isn’t incredible as there are plenty of other films like it but it has a magical vibe to it, which just kept me content throughout the duration of the picture. The jokes are corny and the acting isn’t too great but that’s to be expected from a musical but for a musical it has it where it counts. If you’ve got good singing and good dancing then you’ve made it work as a musical. Don’t think of “Holiday Inn” as a Christmas film; just think of it as a darn good musical.