91
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertWhat Fred and Ginger had together, and what no other team has ever had in the same way, was a joy of performance. They were so good, and they knew they were so good, that they danced in celebration of their gifts.
- 100LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenIf Swing Time isn’t the pinnacle film in the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers partnership, it surely has their pinnacle production number: Never Gonna Dance, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
- 100TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineTop Hat may be more energetic and glossy, but Swing Time is arguably the most magical of the ten films Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together. Their dancing and acting rapport are at a peak and director George Stevens shows more finesse than Mark Sandrich in lending the couple's rocky romance a genuinely heartfelt quality.
- Top Hat is tops with two of the duo’s most sublime numbers. The George Stevens-directed Swing Time, featuring glorious Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields songs, is just as good.
- 91The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerWhile the movie’s amusing comedy bits are a little too slow for vintage screwball or farce, its love story has no such limitations. Astaire and Rogers sell their whole relationship through movement, on and off the dance floor.
- 88Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderArlene Croce has called it a movie about the myth of Astaire and Rogers and the world they lived in, and that's about as good a description as any.
- 75The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinIt's not quite as charming as Top Hat or Shall We Dance, and the plotting drags heavily in spots, but whenever it gets free from the demands of farce, it's a dizzy delight.
- 70The New York TimesFrank S. NugentThe New York TimesFrank S. NugentThe plot is never permitted to weigh upon the shoulders of the cast; of comedy there is a generous portion; of romance the lightest sprinkling; of dancing, in solo, duet and ensemble, a brisk and debonair allotment.
- 70Time OutTime OutIf plot, script and supporters are below par, the score by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields is peerless.