The movie is frequently described as one of the best musicals ever made, topping the AFI’s 100 Years of Musicals list, and ranking fifth in its updated list of the greatest American films in 2007.

Production

In the famous dance routine in which Gene Kelly sings the title song while twirling an umbrella, splashing through puddles and getting soaked to the skin, he was actually dancing in water with a little bit of milk added, so that the water puddles and raindrops would show up in the filming. Kelly was sick with a 103-degree fever at the time.

Debbie Reynolds was not a dancer at the time she made Singin’ in the Rain — her background was as a gymnast. Kelly apparently insulted her for her lack of dance experience, upsetting her. Fred Astaire was hanging around the studio and found Reynolds crying under a piano. Hearing what had happened, Astaire volunteered to help her with her dancing. Kelly later admitted that he had not been kind to Reynolds and was surprised that she was still willing to talk to him afterwards. After shooting the “Good Morning” routine, Reynolds’ feet were bleeding. Years later, she was quoted as saying that making this film and surviving childbirth were the two most difficult experiences of her life.

Awards and honors

Jean Hagen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the film for Best Original Music Score.

Singin’ in the Rain has appeared twice on Sight and Sound‘s list of the ten best films of all time, in 1982 and 2002

In 1989, Singin’ in the Rain was also deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
American Film Institute recognition

• 1998 – AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies – #10;
• 2000 – AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs – #16;
• 2002 – AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Passions – #16;
• 2004 – AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Songs:
  • “Singin’ in the Rain” – #3
  • “Make ‘em Laugh” – #49
  • “Good Morning” – #72
• 2006 – AFI’s 100 Years of Musicals – #1
• 2007 – AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #5

Cast

• Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood. Although his performance in the song Singin’ in the Rain is now considered iconic, Kelly was not the first choice for the role — Howard Keel was originally cast. However, Keel was replaced by Kelly as the screenwriters evolved the character from a “Western actor” to a “song-and-dance vaudeville” performer.
• Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden. Early on in production, Judy Garland (shortly before her contract termination from MGM), Kathryn Grayson, Jane Powell, Leslie Caron, and June Allyson were among the names thrown around for the role of the “ingenue”.
• Donald O’Connor as Cosmo Brown. The role was based on, and was initially written for, Oscar Levant.
• Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. Judy Holliday was strongly considered for the role of Lina, until she suggested Hagen, who had been her understudy in the Broadway production of Born Yesterday. Fresh off her role in The Asphalt Jungle, Hagen read for the part for Arthur Freed and did a dead-on impression of Holliday’s Billie Dawn character, which won her the role.
• Millard Mitchell as R.F. Simpson. The initials of the fictional head of Monumental Pictures are a reference to producer Freed. R.F. also uses one of Freed’s favorite expressions when he says that he “cannot quite visualize it” and has to see it on film first, referring to the Broadway ballet sequence, a joke, since the audience has just seen it.
• Cyd Charisse as Don’s dance partner in the “Broadway Melody” ballet
• Rita Moreno as Zelda Zanders, the “Zip Girl” and Lina’s informant friend

Title

There has been some attempt to break the titular expression into the mainstream. The expression “you got served” has been used to describe someone or something that has either lost badly or been humiliated (or possibly both).

Soundtrack

You Got Served Soundtrack features mainly music by B2K, but also Marques Houston, and many others. There were some profanities in the soundtrack such as “Streets Is Callin’” but did not receive a PA label. The soundtrack was released on December 23, 2003. Also, there was a release of a music video for B2K’s single “Badaboom” featuring Fabolous and Marques Houston was the guest appearance. The music video contains B2K and Fabolous in a female club while showing the “You Got Served” movie shots.

Several Music found in the film is not listed on the soundtrack, these include: Joe Budden’s (Feat. Big Mike) – Pump It Up (Final Battle), Timbaland & Magoo (Feat. Fat Man Scoop) – Now Drop, Jahalla (Feat. Kia Starr) – What You Don’t Know – Nas – Heaven

Development

The original screen play was called ‘DANCE’. The second rewrite changed the title included the word “Bitch”, as in “you got served, bitch” but this was eventually dropped.

Tryouts of dance crews around Los Angeles were held and the winners were featured in the film. Several dancers were discovered by the choreographer and producers during trips to several competitions around Los Angeles.

B2K still performed songs for the movie in what was said to be their final performance together, although breaking up prior to the film’s release.

Reception

You Got Served opened at the #1 spot, knocking The Butterfly Effect out of that spot. It had generally poor reviews, earning a 17% approval rating rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While many critics enjoyed the dance sequences, they found the rest of the movie to be rather generic.

The movie is also credited with launching the current surge in dance films such as Step Up and How She Move in film and television.

Cast

• Marques Houston – Elgin
• Omari Grandberry – David
• Jarell Houston – Rico
• De’Mario Thornton – Vick
• Dreux Pierre Frederic – Rashann
• Jennifer Freeman – Liyah
• Meagan Good – Beautifull
• Steve Harvey – Mr. Rad
• Christopher Jones – Wade
• Robert Hoffman – Max
• Malcolm David Kelley – Lil’ Saint
• Wade Robson – Himself
• Lil’ Kim – Herself
• Alani Vasquez – Herself
• Michael Taliferro – Emerald

Plot

Honey wants to be a big time dancer, but she’s having trouble making it to the top. But finally she’s spotted by big-time producer Noora Golabi, who offers her a job. Honey willingly accepts, and gets started straight away. She’s a big hit and even gets a promotion, but soon her boss tries to make sexual advances on her, which Honey declines and loses her job. Meanwhile the community center, where Honey works voluntarily as a hip-hop dance teacher, is falling apart. Soon Honey is forced to find a new dance studio and finds herself in a financial snag because of her previous job loss. She decides to put on a big dance performance to raise money for a studio. It’s a hit and Honey opens up her own studio.

Critical response

Honey was released to poor reviews. On Yahoo! Movies Critical Response, the average professional critical rating was a C. Rotten Tomatoes rated the film as being “rotten”, with only 16% of 105 reviews having favorable responses.

The film grossed $27 million at the US box office, and was released on DVD and VHS on March 23, 2004.

Trivia

• The club scenes in the film were filmed at The Guvernment club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Honey’s first job with Mike Ellis as a dancer showed a clip of the Silvercup Studios.
• Aaliyah was the director’s first choice for the lead role however the role was given to Alba due to Aaliyah’s death.^{[citation needed]}
• Romeo and Zachary Williams did not only both star in this movie together but Zachary also played Romeo’s little brother again in his own tv show, Romeo!, which they co-starred together as brothers.
• Shawn Desman’s song “Sexy” is featured in the movie but is not on the soundtrack.

Soundtrack

1. “Hurt Sumthin” – Missy Elliott
2. “I’m Good” – Blaque
3. “Gimme the Light – Sean Paul
4. “React” – Eric Sermon ft. Redman
5. “Leave Her Alone – Nate Dogg featuring Roc-a-Fella Crew
6. “Ooh Wee” – Mark Ronson featuring Ghostface Killah and Saigon
7. “It’s A Party” Tamia
8. “Thugman” – Tweet
9. “Now Ride” – Fabolous
10. “J-A-D-A” – Jadakiss and Sheek
11. “Think Of You” – Amerie
12. “Closer” – Goapele
13. “I Believe” – Yolanda Adams