Meet Me in St.Louis

Originally published on social media on September 18th, 2022

Nobody is more surprised than me that this became a tradition…and I’m the one who created this tradition. When I first saw this film (about a decade ago), my first impression was that it was a little sad and that Judy Garland was kind of creepy. However, a few summers ago, I decided to give it another chance and I totally fell in love with it! Oh and I found Judy Garland’s performance adorable and endearing! Many people consider this a Christmas film because of the last half an hour, but I always end up watching it in the late summer!

There are so many reasons to love this film. For one thing, each character is entirely lovable and hilarious. My favorite characters are Tootie, Grandpa, and Katie…although I totally have a soft spot for the Dad, Esther, and Mr. John Truett! I can’t pinpoint when this started happening, but I quote this film a lot and sing the songs to myself often. Ooo, sometimes I get them in my sister’s head and that’s when I feel true victory! She loves this movie too though and we both love the “Under the Bamboo Tree” number.

Speaking of music, this film is full of great songs and performances. Everyone loves “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, but “The Boy Next Door” is equally wonderful. You can never go wrong with “The Trolley Song” or “Skip to My Lou” either.

I love the overall tone of this film: the lighting and color scheme are warm and lovely and perfectly match the story. The script is full of humor, and the actors deliver their lines with perfectly comical rhythm. This film came out towards the end of WW2, and you can feel what Vincent Minnelli attempted to give audiences. I love the nostalgia depicted and the idea of simpler times, but the films overall goal was to bring hope in the midst of sorrow. I can’t imagine how powerful this was when it was first released. This film has become a comfort classic and never fails to make me joy-filled!

Fun fact: this was the film where Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland fell in love. You can see Minnelli’s love for Garland in every shot…he framed her beautifully very purposefully! For more on that, watch Liza Minnelli’s interview about it.