Meet Me in St. Louis

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Meet Me in St. Louis Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

One of the most loving of all movie families.

NR 1944 113 minutes
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 10 reviews

Kids say

age 5+

Based on 9 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is an excellent classic for the whole family. Some kids, like young character Tootie, might be upset by the thought of the family having to leave their beloved home, but ultimately this is a sweet, upbeat movie that's entirely appropriate for young elementary school kids and up.

Community Reviews

DanDB
DanDB Adult
November 21, 2019
age 10+

Some issues in an otherwise forgettable musical

Overall, a nice, if slightly boring and contrived, musical. Two scenes gave me some pause: at a party scene early in the film Judy Garland's character and her younger sister perform a dance with racist overtones and, as other reviewers have mentioned, the Halloween scene is bizarre and promotes bratty and downright brutish behavior from children (references are made to "killing" and "torturing" people on Halloween by throwing flour at them). I would only watch this with children mature enough to understand the concept of outdated racial stereotypes and inappropriate behavior from other children.
1 person found this helpful.
ftm68_99
ftm68_99 Adult
January 16, 2021
age 11+

While there's nothing inappropriate for children, I'm not sure younger than 11 would enjoy it

I certainly disagree that the song sung by two sisters at a party that another reader referred to is racist. A dialect is used in the song, but so what? People use an Irish, or a southern or a "New Yawk" dialect or accent in a film sometimes, but is that to be considered racist? Not in my world. Otherwise, this movie shows a family that truly love one another without being maudlin about it. That it's funny, poignant, and exciting is icing on the cake. As are the songs, each of which is like one of those tiny silver balls that placed on a cake's icing.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS covers the activities of the Smith family during 1903. Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames), a banker, might need to move the family to New York. This distresses his daughters, Ether (Judy Garland) and Rose (Lucille Bremer), who have their eyes set on a couple of young men. Esther has decided to marry "the boy next door," John Pruitt (Tom Drake), even though they have not yet met, while Rose is attracted to Warren Sheffield, and a bit impatient because he has not proposed.

Is It Any Good?

The movie's pleasures are in the period detail, the glorious songs and the loving and nostalgic look at a time of innocence and optimism. It was a time where a long-distance call was almost as thrilling as having the World's Fair come to your very own city. We see the family over the course of a year, celebrating Halloween and Christmas, riding the ice truck in the summer and building snowmen in the winter. They face the prospect of having to leave St. Louis so that Mr. Smith can accept a promotion. They wonder whether the older girl's two boyfriends will propose. They treat each other with great loyalty and affectionate tolerance. And then they live happily ever after.

In a cast that includes Mary Astor as Smith's wife, Lucille Bremer as another Smith daughter, and Marjorie Main as the housekeeper, the most fascinating character is played by 6-year-old Margaret O'Brien, who won a special Oscar for her remarkable performance. Its songs are a heady combination of period tunes and newly minted numbers by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, the best of which are The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how they would feel if they had to pick up and move to a new city, or how they felt if they did recently. The father in this movie has a hard decision to make about whether he should take the new job, even though his family doesn't want to move. What are the best reasons for going, and what are the best reasons for staying? Who should make the decision? Do you agree with what he decided? Why does Tootie knock down her snowmen? Why is she proud of being "the most horrible"? What is most special about the town you live in? Would you like to live back in the time of this movie? What would you like best about living in those days?

Movie Details

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