AllMovie

Something for the Boys is big on legs, short on story and somewhere in the middle on talent. Boys is another one of those "what were they thinking" musical adaptations in which the filmmakers took a Broadway show which was dependent totally upon its score and star for its appeal and then jettisoned both for the film version. Truth to tell, the screenplay isn't all that faithful to the not-terribly-memorable book of the stage show either, meaning that basically it has little in common with its source other than the title. Part of Cole Porter's original title song is kept, but the rest of his typically risqué score has been scrapped in favor of some pleasant but fairly flavorless contributions from Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson, among others. Fortunately, Boys does have a trio of entertaining personalities to keep things lively. Vivian Blaine sings and dances her way through a few numbers quite well and is generally pleasing. Phil Silvers brings his unique comic persona to the proceedings, and Carmen Miranda brings her outrageous over-the-top accent and appearance to make sure things are kept moving. There's also nice vocal support from Perry Como, even if he doesn't impart too much to his songs dramatically. The color is lush, the dances are nimble and the costumes and settings diverting. Not especially memorable, but Boys is at least an amiable way to pass the time.