Swing Time is basically just Fred Astaire floating on air

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies where people just break into perfect, effortless choreography because they’re feeling a bit moody, you’ll love Swing Time. If you need a movie that isn't essentially a series of excuses to get Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in a room together, you might find the plot a bit thin. It’s light. Like, floating-in-a-dream-on-a-cloud light.

Fred Astaire plays 'Lucky' Garnett, and he’s exactly the kind of guy who loses his life savings at a craps table and then immediately decides to go to New York to become a millionaire. It’s that brand of 1930s optimism that feels totally alien now. You watch him and think, 'Yeah, just go to the big city, you’ll figure it out.'

The whole $25,000 thing is just a framing device that nobody actually cares about. It’s barely a plot. It’s just an excuse for the next song. And honestly? I’m fine with that. I don't need a deep dive into the 1936 economy.

Small moments that stuck

There’s this moment in the dance numbers where you realize they aren't even trying to look like they're working hard. They’re just gliding. It’s annoying, really. How do you make that look that simple? My knees hurt just watching them.

I found myself staring at the background extras in some of the club scenes. Some of them look like they’re having the time of their lives, and others look like they’ve been standing there for six hours waiting for the take to finish. One guy in the back of the dance hall is clearly counting his steps in his head. You can see his lips moving.

It’s not as chaotic or weird as Crazy House, but it has its own rhythm. It feels like a well-oiled clock that someone left in the sun too long—still running, but getting a little loose at the joints.

Random thoughts

• The dialogue is snappy, but sometimes it just stops mid-sentence for a musical number. It’s jarring, but in a fun way.
• Ginger Rogers holds her own so well that you almost forget she’s doing it in heels.
• The sets look like they’re made of cardboard and dreams, and I kind of love that.
• I spent about ten minutes wondering where they got those hats.

It’s a movie that definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. It’s breezy. It’s not trying to solve any problems. It just wants to see if these two people can stay in sync for ninety minutes. They do. It's magic, even if the script is basically just a placeholder for the next tap dance.

Don’t overthink the romance. It’s not a deep character study. It’s just two people who clearly like dancing together more than they like talking to each other. Honestly, that’s a pretty good way to live, right? 💃✨