A camp classic but also so much more. The critics came down like a ton of bricks on Ken Russell's musical comedy which was, on the one hand, a screen version of Sandy Wilson's show and, on the other, a comment on the 'putting-on-a-show' kind of musical popular in the early thirties. Russell's idea of opening up most of the numbers, as in a big Busby Berkeley production, worked brilliantly but didn't please either the critics or the public; still it made a movie star (of sorts) out of the model Twiggy who is charm personified while the former ballet dancer Christopher Gable is a delightful leading man. It's also got a great supporting cast of some of the best British character players of the time, including an unbilled Glenda Jackson - Go out there and be so great you'll make me hate you - and whatever happened to Antonia Ellis and Georgina Hale, both brilliant here, as well as Broadway's Tommy Tune whose dancing comes close to stopping the show. Unfortunately it wasn't really a commercial success and is seldom seen now but if, like me, you have any interest in the musical, catch it; it's absolutely fabulous!

There are no great singing voices in this musical, but all of the songs, dance numbers and skits are good. Comedy is properly billed first for "The Boy Friend," and it clearly carries the film. But the song and dance is an integral part of the plot. Because it's a story about people involved in a theater production. The production itself closely resembles the old-fashioned type of musical stage reviews, with lots of dance numbers (including chorus girls),songs and skits. The plot is a very thin thread that ties it all together.

This is a film version of a very successful British play of 1954. Julie Andrews made her American debut in the Broadway production of the musical that same year. The musical quality of the stage productions probably equaled or trumped the comedy that is foremost in this film version.

Some film fans might remember Twiggy when she first became known as a top model in the late 1960s. I didn't recall that she had a film career at all, until coming across this musical. She's quite funny and her singing voice is passable. Still, one can see why she had only a sparse acting career after this.

Probably the best known of the rest of the cast is Tommy Tune, a superb dancer. He appeared two years before this film as a co-star in "Hello, Dolly." Tune has appeared in only three films and four TV series in five decades. But he has a lengthy career on stage. Besides his dancing he has choreographed and directed many Broadway musicals. He has nine total Tony awards in four different categories. This film has just a couple of short dance numbers for Tune as Tommy.

The rest of the cast contribute to the comedy in their one-upmanship efforts as they play directly to a Hollywood scout who has come to watch their stage production. The humor is in the obvious hamming it up and back-stabbing of one another in their songs and comedy routines.

The producers put a lot into this film, with superb props and examples of live stage supports for theater. In itself, that recommends the film for viewing by those who might yearn for a theater career.

Outside of the stage performances within the film, the story is a little hard to follow. There are two or three subplots overlaid here. "The Boy Friend" is an amusing and fun musical romance that most should enjoy.

A struggling theater in Portsmouth has another small crowd for a matinee showing of "The Boy Friend". The leading lady Rita goes down with an injury and the mousy assistant stage manager Polly (Twiggy) has to take over the lead role of Polly Browne in the 20's era broad flapper musical play. Rumors of a leading Hollywood director in the audience soon spread among the cast who are hoping to be discovered. Polly has a crush on the leading man which comes with various fantasy sequences.

This is mostly an old style musical extravaganza with limited extravaganza. The fantasy sequences are trying to be outlandish like a Busby Berkeley musical. The play itself is meaningless dribble. At least, that's all that I could derive from it. It does fit the premise that almost nobody comes to see it. These take up 90% of the movie and are basically meaningless to any drama. The only interesting drama could only come if the material is treated like "Waiting for Guffman". The reality of the drama comes from the behind-the-scene stuff. The on-stage material tries to be big but has no drama. We may as well be the scattered bored audience in the movie. There is no way to survive the over two hours running time. The simple plot does not deserve the length. One thing that this movie does do is that it shows Twiggy to be a magnetic screen presence and she is an able actor. I don't know what the original London musical "The Boy Friend" is like. I don't know how much play within the play is done. Whatever the case, I can see this as more fun when done live and in person. This feels like watching a second rate production of a musical in a mostly empty theater in the middle of the afternoon.