Metropolitan: Opera egos and the mess of show biz

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s musical dramas or just want to hear Lawrence Tibbett sing, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you need a movie that makes logical sense, stay away. This thing is a total chaotic mess of ambition and bad decisions.

It’s not exactly The Wedding March, and honestly, that’s fine. It’s got this weird, jerky rhythm that makes you wonder if they were just filming scenes as they thought of them.

Wait, why are they singing here?

The transition from normal dialogue to full-blown opera is always jarring. It’s like the characters are just vibrating with repressed music until they can’t take it anymore. Tibbett is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. You can see him trying to steer the ship while everyone else is busy being incredibly dramatic about their career choices.

There is this one moment in the second act that goes on for way too long. The camera just sits there on a reaction shot until it’s almost uncomfortable. It feels like the director just wandered off to get a coffee and forgot to yell cut.

Bits and pieces

• The sets feel strangely claustrophobic, like the walls are actually closing in on the cast.
• I’m still not sure if the opera scenes are supposed to be professional or just a hobby for these people.
• The supporting cast is packed with faces that feel like they’ve walked off the set of a dozen other movies like The Backyard or even something weirder.
• There’s a specific bit of dialogue about "artistic integrity" that had me laughing out loud. Nobody in this movie has an ounce of it.

It’s not a masterpiece. It doesn’t even really try to be. It just exists as this snapshot of people screaming into microphones and hoping for a hit. Sometimes that’s enough to keep me watching, even when the story feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and high notes. 🎭

It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Going Up where the energy is high but the actual substance is pretty thin. If you’re bored on a Tuesday, go for it. Just don’t expect to remember much of the plot by Wednesday.