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For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

What a great piece of film making. Some critics have called Gypsy the greatest musical ever produced, and I think I see why they say so. I've never seen a staged performance so I can't compare, but I don't see how this movie version could be any better than it is. Everything is at the highest level - casting, script, acting, direction, cinematography. The story is gripping, as one watches how a driven, obsessed, controlling woman warps the lives of those around her. Evidently Ethel Merman was furious that Russell was chosen for the part Merman created on Broadway, but Russell's performance is powerful. Karl Malden is just great as poor Herbie. Natalie Wood is flawless as Jean. The moment near the end when she looks at herself in the mirror before going onstage for her stripping debut, and suddenly recognizes her own femininity ("I'm a pretty girl, mama") is heartbreaking. The script never lets up on the dramatic tension, and the cinematography - in beautiful, extinct Technicolor - is a feast for the eyes. Evidently Russell couldn't sing and had to be dubbed. I've heard that Merman kept the outtakes of Russell's singing as a vicious memento (I'd kill to hear them). At any rate this is one of the all time greats, not to be missed.

Rose Hovick is a mother to two young girls: June and Louise. Rose is determined to get her girls into the footlights of the theater, and tries to drive her daughters toward success, much to the consternation of her long-suffering beau, Herbie Sommers, a candy salesman, who wants to settle down with Rose and live a happy family life. However, Herbie tries to assist Rose as best as he can, while Rose continues to ignore his marriage proposals. Tired of all the attention, June, who Rose pushes the hardest, elopes with one the chorus boys in the act Rose has put together. Hurt at first, Rose then works on Louise, the less-talented of the girls. With vaudeville dying, they unknowingly book a job into a burlesque house. Through a succession of events, Louise then becomes the world famous burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee. Jealous of the attention Louise is getting, Rose becomes more pushy and interfering, and argues with Louise, who demands that Rose leaves her life forever. Left alone, Rose finally realizes what she has done, and reconciles with Louise.This excellent film should be used as an example of how to rework a stage musical for the screen while retaining what worked in the original. Director Mervyn LeRoy clearly loved this musical, and working with cinematographer Harry Stradling, stages the scenes as though they are being performed on a stage, giving it a theatrical and cinematic look at the same time. The performances are broad enough without being too overdone for a film production. Rosalind Russell gives a fine performance as Rose, one of the greatest roles ever written for a musical (she was dubbed in this film by Lisa Kirk, who matches Russell's speaking voice quite well). Russell gives Rose a toughness and a vulnerability that works well. Natalie Wood is excellent as Louise, and sings well here (she was dubbed for WEST SIDE STORY). Her dressing-room confrontation with Russell at the end is a powerful piece of acting. Karl Malden, whose role is usually overshadowed in stage productions of this piece, gives a performance equal of Russell's, and does everything to make himself stand out. The screenplay by Leonard Spielglass is extremely faithful to Arthur Laurents' original stage libretto, with only minor changes here and there (one song was shortened, and one was cut, which can be seen on the DVD). Those iconic songs by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim are given the grand treatment by the Warner Bros. Orchestra. Fun entertainment. RECOMMENDED. 10/10.

Gypsy is one of the greatest musicals of all time. In fact, I, personally, think the book for Gypsy is the finest of all time. Take away the score to most musicals and a tedious and usually hardly serviceable book is left behind. However, even if you took out all the songs from Gypsy, you'd still be left with a terrific play with great characters, humor, terror, suspense, and heartache. It's everything one would ever want in a musical.How they managed to screw up such wonderful material is beyond me! The orchestrations are lush, the sets and costumes look great, most of the actors are solid and game, but the screenplay and direction are pedestrian at best. Once the screenplay finally decides to get faithful to the source material half way in, the pace tightens up immensely. The direction, however, remains equally as dull from frame one to the last frame of the movie. There's simply no imagination put into the staging of the musical numbers at all. In fact, most of the time, I was hoping they'd just skip past most of the musical numbers and get to the book scenes.This is also, in no small part, due to the fact that no one in the cast can really handle the vocal demands of the score. Natalie Wood sounds just fine in her numbers, even charming, but poor Rosalind Russell had to be almost completely dubbed for her numbers. Strangely, Russell got rave reviews for her performance in the Broadway musical Wonderful Town. Karl Malden has so little to sing that it doesn't really make a big difference.The only numbers that pop a little bit are "You Gotta Get A Gimmick" and Louise's transformation into sexpot stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in "Let Me Entertain You". The rest fall flat. Thankfully, even if they can't handle all the vocals with the best of 'em, they certainly act the hell out of their roles. Russell, while far from perfect, at least doesn't embarrass herself like Bette Midler did in the 1993 TV movie version. Her monologue right before "Rose's Turn" is subtle and well delivered, even if the number that comes directly after it is horrendously executed. Malden is warm and charming as Herbie, Rose's poor bumbling love interest and Wood shines as timid and naive Louise. The final dressing room scene between her and Russell is quite good. This version is really only marginally better than the TV movie version and that's really only for the acting.

First of all let me join the throngs who feel Ethel Merman should have played Mama Rose to repeat Her legendary performance, and even the star of this movie Roz Russell was quoted as saying "Why couldn't they let Merman do it?" but after J L Warner decided Merman was not box office Roz Russell went after this part and was the first billed star. Roz got it because she could open the picture overseas as a worldwide Movie Star and because of her great success in WB's 'Auntie Mame', Warner Bros felt the magic would repeat. Just as Audrey Hepburn was unfairly maligned for doing 'My Fair Lady' instead of Julie Andrews, many critics went on a tear about Ms. Russell doing the film instead of evaluating the film on its merits. Roz Russell brings a leathery and determined force to Mama Rose and Roz knew and loved the camera and vice versa; Merman did not. Natalie Wood, the resident Queen of the Warner Bros lot, enchanting and beautiful is Gypsy Rose Lee. Ms. Wood was nothing like the real Gypsy but got the role anyway because of her stature at WB. Mervyn LeRoy who had decades of experience at Warners directs professionally. Karl Malden contributes a fine performance. The movie was filmed at Warner Bros studio in Burbank and for that I want to say while the sets look like a movie back lot-they were-it is one of the things I enjoyed of this movie. Both Ms. Russell and Ms. Wood would go on separately to a great starring decade in the 60's in other films. As did Mervyn Le Roy. A good film, not a great film, but a good film.