SummaryThree sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up.
Directed By:Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Written By:Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Jerome Robbins
On the Town
Metascore
Generally Favorable
71
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
71
88% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
There may have been better songs and even better performances in other musicals, but for effervescent energy nothing has yet come close to the joyous, influential On The Town.
80
The pep, enthusiasm and apparent fun the makers of On the Town had in putting it together comes through to the audience and gives the picture its best asset.
80
Gaiety, rhythm, humor and a good, wholesome dash of light romance have been artfully blended together in this bright Technicolored comedy.
75
For all its silliness, the musical also taps into something existential, thanks to its ticking-clock structure. As the hours slip away and impending separation looms over every note, On the Town becomes a bittersweet reminder that all our days are numbered.
75
A fine, freewheeling musical.
70
The most cinematic of film musicals and the one most given to dance, On the Town is exhilarating, brash spectacle, all rip-snorting, wisecracking attack, and maybe just a teensy bit unlikeable.
40
Its exuberant love of New York seems forced, and most of the numbers are hearty and uninspired.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
77% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
15% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
8% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jan 25, 2026
8
3 sailors spend 24 hours in New York on leave and they all fall in love... as you do! A great pairing of Sinatra and Gene Kelly (and the other one) and a standout dance number from Ann Miller. I particularly enjoyed the on location filming in New York, which was quite unusual for the time. This movie is a gem.
Jul 27, 2019
7
Silly, but good fun MGM musical, that benefits greatly from its' opening on location scenes in New York, and the great chemistry of the the three leads, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin, as three sailors on 24 hr shore leave in the Big Apple. Why is my rating is only a Seven ? Because the fantastic opening scene is so strong, the rest of the movie suffers in comparison, as our trio seek out romance and get into all kinds of wacky childish situations. A little more editing on the back end would've helped, especially during the film's weakest moment, the Prehistoric Man number in the museum. Yikes! That was bad. Despite that, this movie is still so worth your time.
Production Company:
- Loew's
Release Date:Dec 30, 1949
Duration:1 h 38 m
Tagline:Come On, Everybody, Let's Go On the Town!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Writers Guild of America, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
