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Parents' Guide to

Royal Wedding

By Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Family entertainment doesn't get any livelier.

Movie NR 1951 93 minutes
Royal Wedding Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

savannahlange
savannahlange Adult
July 25, 2018
age 8+

The Musical King and Queen

Jane Powell’s iconic opera soprano voice will be resonating in your mind after watching the Royal Wedding. Jane Powell and Fred Astaire play Ellen and Tom Bowen, brother and sister musical duo who go to England while love is in the air because of the Royal Wedding taking place at the same time as their performance. This witty rom-com musical brings together love and sheer talent especially with the iconic choreography performed by Fred Astaire. I thoroughly enjoyed the film especially Fred Astaire’s unforgettable ceiling dance. I watched the film using the Dove Channel streaming service and the quality was great especially with a film that age. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys classic 50s musicals.
Dan Navarro
Dan Navarro Adult
April 18, 2012
age 17+

Better than average "Royal Wedding"

"Royal Wedding" (1951) is a luscious confection, starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell as a brother-and-sister dance team who get the chance to go to England during the 1947 royal wedding between Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It's all great fun, and the best song, "Too Late Now," is probably Alan Jay Lerner's finest outing with love lyrics.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this 1951 MGM musical, American entertainers/siblings Tom (Fred Astaire) and Ellen Bowen (Jane Powell) cross the pond to jolly old England to put on a show for the royals. But the excursion turns complicated when Ellen falls for upper-crust Lord John Brindale (Peter Lawford), and Tom finds himself taken with Anne Ashmond (Sarah Churchill).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

While not as technically brilliant as his unbeatable follow-up, Singin' in the Rain, ROYAL WEDDING is nevertheless another very impressive effort on the part of director Stanley Donen. The script is a bit weak--a simple, run-of-the-mill love story--yet there's that old Hollywood charm to it, an innocence that makes it perfectly enjoyable to watch no matter how young or old you are. The story is all just an excuse for incredible staging and numbers like the sizzling "I Left My Hat in Haiti" and Powell's Oscar-nominated song "Too Late Now."

Fred Astaire and Jane Powell are wonderful together, but costars Peter Lawford and Sarah Churchill are little more than props to be danced around. Keenan Wynn is more engaging than either of them in a funny turn as identical twin brothers. As usual, Astaire steals the show. The scene in which he dances with a coat rack is evidence enough of his mastery, but to pull off that famous bit where he dances up the walls and across the ceiling, without making it look at all awkward, well, what is there to say? Thank goodness for the movies, for we'll never see his like again. Children getting their first glimpse of Astaire are sure to be wowed.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Fred Astaire's legacy as a dancer. Do you think he inspires modern day dancers, and if so, why?

Movie Details

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