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Is there really such a thing as a perfect work of art? If you subscribe to the notion that everything man-made is inherently flawed in some aspect, then no — though you’ve quite the uphill climb if you’re looking to find fault with Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” or Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.”
But perfection isn’t strictly a judgment of nuts-and-bolts craftsmanship. It’s a spiritual thing. And some works of art just feel flawless. This is particularly true of movies. Unless you’re the kind of dullard who walks into a movie looking for continuity errors as stinging evidence of artistic shortcoming, you know that a movie that stirs you to the core of your being is a kind of ineffable achievement. It is perfect in every way to you, and that’s all that matters.
So, please try to keep this in mind as we turn to Rotten Tomatoes to ask if there is any such thing as a perfect, 100%-fresh Christmas movie. Because, it turns out, there is one, and it might not be your perfect Christmas movie. The answer isn’t controversial, but it might come as a surprise to those who were certain no one could ever say an ill word about “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Story” or the getting-rebooted “Silent Night, Deadly Night.” What is it? Why, it’s the most ginger-peachy movie you’ll ever see!
Want Yuletide perfection? Meet Judy Garland in St. Louis
Based on Sally Benson’s memoir of the same title, Vincente Minnelli’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” is a movie musical that truly has it all: laughs, tears, romance, and knockout songs belted by the great Judy Garland. Shot in glorious Technicolor, this family yarn begins in 1903 and ends with the opening of the Louisiana Purchase World’s Fair in the spring of 1904. Though there’s an overarching narrative at play (as we wonder whether Garland’s Esther will marry that Warren Sheffield played by Robert Sully), it’s really a seamlessly episodic tale that bumps from summer to fall (with a fun Halloween interlude) and into the winter for a yuletide celebration that includes the singing of the classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
That year-round setting is the best thing about “Meet Me in St. Louis” (aside from maybe its 2023 parodying on “Saturday Night Live”): you can watch it any time and not feel like you’re cheating on the holiday. That said, I’ve always saved it for Christmas, if only because I’m still encountering friends who’ve never seen it (largely due to the fact that it came out 80 years ago). And I love watching them delightedly realize that Minnelli’s film is where “The Trolly Song” comes from. It’s pure joy from start to finish, and, as that Rotten Tomatoes rating suggests, it never, ever disappoints.
So, make your yuletide gay, and watch “Meet Me in St. Louis” now!