Singin' in the Rain
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly · Comedy · Musical · Romance · 103 min · 1952
Trailer
Director
Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Writer
Betty Comden, Adolph Green, }} {{Infobox, decat=yes, child=yes, label1=Suggested by, data1={{Based on, "Singin' in the Rain"
Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release
10 Apr 1952
Runtime
103 min
Genres
Comedy, Musical, Romance
Full Plot
1927 Hollywood. Monumental Pictures' biggest stars, glamorous on-screen couple Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood, are also an off-screen couple if the trade papers and gossip columns are to be believed. Both perpetuate the public perception if only to please their adoring fans and bring people into the movie theaters. In reality, Don barely tolerates her, while Lina, despite thinking Don beneath her, simplemindedly believes what she sees on screen in order to bolster her own stardom and sense of self-importance. R.F. Simpson, Monumental's head, dismisses what he thinks is a flash in the pan: talking pictures. It isn't until The Jazz Singer (1927) becomes a bona fide hit which results in all the movie theaters installing sound equipment that R.F. knows Monumental, most specifically in the form of Don and Lina, have to jump on the talking picture bandwagon, despite no one at the studio knowing anything about the technology. Musician Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend, gets hired as Monumental's ideas man and musical director. And by this time, Don has secretly started dating Kathy Selden, a chorus girl who is trying to make it big in pictures herself. Don and Kathy's relationship is despite their less than friendly initial meeting. Cosmo and Kathy help Don, who had worked his way up through the movie ranks to stardom, try make the leap to talking picture stardom, with Kathy following along the way. However, they have to overcome the technological issues. But the bigger problem is Lina, who will do anything to ensure she also makes the successful leap into talking pictures, despite her own inabilities and at anyone and everyone else's expense if they get in her way, especially Kathy as Don's off screen girlfriend and possibly his new talking picture leading lady.
Cast & Characters
Donald "Don" Lockwood
Gene Kelly
Donald O'Connor
Kathy Selden
Debbie Reynolds
Cosmo Brown
Donald O'Connor
Lina Lamont. Fresh from her role in The Asphalt Jungle, Hagen won the role reading for the part for producer Arthur Freed, doing a dead-on impression of Billie Dawn, Judy Holliday's character from Born Yesterday.
Jean Hagen
R. F. Simpson. The initials of the fictional head of Monumental Pictures are a reference to producer Arthur Freed, who is further emulated by the use of one of his favorite expressions when R. F. says of the "Broadway Melody" sequence that he "cannot quite visualize it”.
Millard Mitchell
the woman in the green sequined dress and hair in the style of Louise Brooks as well as in a white dress and long wind-blown train, who vamps Gene Kelly in the "Broadway Melody" sequence
Cyd Charisse
Roscoe Dexter, the director of Don and Lina's films
Douglas Fowley
Zelda Zanders, the "Zip Girl" and Lina's friend. As of July 2026, Moreno is the last surviving credited star from the film.
Rita Moreno
"Teresa", a lady-in-waiting to Lina's character in The Duelling Cavalier
Dawn Addams
Dora Bailey, a Hollywood gossip columnist based on Louella Parsons
Madge Blake
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $2.5M, Singin' in the Rain has grossed $7.2M worldwide — about 2.8x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
According to MGM records, during the film's initial theatrical release, it made $3.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
Singin' in the Rain holds 8.3/10 on IMDb (282,203 votes), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.3/10 on IMDb (282,203 votes), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Singin' in the Rain's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Singin' in the Rain holds a 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Singin' in the Rain's IMDb rating?+
Singin' in the Rain has a 8.3/10 rating on IMDb from 282,203 votes.
What is Singin' in the Rain's Metacritic score?+
Singin' in the Rain has a Metascore of 99/100 on Metacritic.
Is Singin' in the Rain good? What are critics saying?+
Singin' in the Rain holds 8.3/10 on IMDb (282,203 votes), 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Singin' in the Rain?+
Singin' in the Rain has a runtime of 103 min.
Who directed Singin' in the Rain?+
Singin' in the Rain was directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly.
Where can I watch Singin' in the Rain?+
Singin' in the Rain is available to stream, rent, or buy on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Sky Go, Now TV Cinema, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The movie "Singin' in the Rain" has received positive reviews for its unique blend of humor, great script, exceptional singers and dancers, and memorable characters. Some critics have praised Gene Kelly's performance as Don Lockwood and Donald O'Connor's chemistry with Debbie Reynolds. The film is also noted to be a perfect musical with no flaws.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Just a masterpiece mixing an interesting background story, great script with good humor, exceptional singers and dancers and a Gene Kelly that is just genial, well sided with Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. A must to be seen.
Andres Gomez · 10/10I'm happy again! Singing In The Rain is to me the greatest musical ever made, sure many others push it close, The Wizard Of Oz for one will always be a 10/10 movie in my opinion, but Singing In The Rain is a film that has no flaws, it is a perfect movie. Don Lockwood is a star of…
John Chard · 10/10I'm clearly in the major, major minority. Honestly though, I didn't enjoy this. It's certainly worth noting musicals are probably my least favourite genre, but I'm still more than capable of finding entertainment with them - e.g. <em>'The Greatest Showman'</em>, <em>'The Sound of…
r96sk · 5/10There's a tendency with this film to just think of the genius that was Gene Kelly and his umbrella with the title song, but as a wonderfully enjoyable three hander between himself, Debbie Reynolds and my own favourite from this film Donald O'Connor, it is so much more the that. I…
CinemaSerf · 7/10
