The Girl Can't Help It will be forever stuck in the 1950s, but that's the way it has to be. The film opens with a character pushing aside with his hands, magically it would appear, the sides of the frame to open from 1:33 to 2:35 aspect ratio (or, in layman's terms, box to rectangle). From there it goes into a musical comedy shot in Cinemascope and color the way Fox productions had it at the time, with Jayne Mansfield as the busty blonde that practically everyone turns their heads to see, with exasperated Tom Ewell just slightly more confident than in the Seven Year Itch. But what sets it apart in the period is that it's one of the first Hollywood pictures to feature honest-to-goodness rock and roll music. Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and uh Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps! They're all here, belting away tunes to dance to, and opening up at least some of the doors for other rock and roll movies (not least of which Elvis, who would've fit in here).
And sure, the plot is silly, but it's a funny one, and it's led on by a full-blown ham in Edmund O'Brien's gangster Murdock. Seeing him in scenes is worth the price of admission, maybe even as much as for Mansfield and her 'assets'. He yells his way through some scenes, and then takes it down just a slighter notch for others, but it works to create the comic tension necessary. It's a "star-maker" fable where the hot number Georgia (or "Jerri" depending on the moment) is propped up by Murdock to become a star, but the agent, played by Ewell, falls for her instead. Does Jerri even have talent? All she can do is a weird horn call in the song "Rock around the Rock Pile", an ode to the Big House. It all leads up to one of those showstopper numbers in front a crowd of hungry kids- hungry to dance no matter how ridiculous it might be.
This is such a feel-good movie, and I say that with also noting it's not exactly "great art". You can go and watch on your own, but it's also fun with someone else who digs a good 50's escapist flick that takes itself only seriously enough to be substantial. This means, basically, you'll enjoy the songs, have some laughs (sometimes, perhaps, unintentionally), and can soak up the Fox studios atmosphere. Dated? In a way, but it's record of a time and place is second to the entertainment value. 7.5/10
And sure, the plot is silly, but it's a funny one, and it's led on by a full-blown ham in Edmund O'Brien's gangster Murdock. Seeing him in scenes is worth the price of admission, maybe even as much as for Mansfield and her 'assets'. He yells his way through some scenes, and then takes it down just a slighter notch for others, but it works to create the comic tension necessary. It's a "star-maker" fable where the hot number Georgia (or "Jerri" depending on the moment) is propped up by Murdock to become a star, but the agent, played by Ewell, falls for her instead. Does Jerri even have talent? All she can do is a weird horn call in the song "Rock around the Rock Pile", an ode to the Big House. It all leads up to one of those showstopper numbers in front a crowd of hungry kids- hungry to dance no matter how ridiculous it might be.
This is such a feel-good movie, and I say that with also noting it's not exactly "great art". You can go and watch on your own, but it's also fun with someone else who digs a good 50's escapist flick that takes itself only seriously enough to be substantial. This means, basically, you'll enjoy the songs, have some laughs (sometimes, perhaps, unintentionally), and can soak up the Fox studios atmosphere. Dated? In a way, but it's record of a time and place is second to the entertainment value. 7.5/10