I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Just perfect...

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Being based on short stories that are still of much great enjoyment now and having people as talented as Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, Hans Conreid and Bobby Van, 'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' had all the makings of being good-natured fun and being very difficult to dislike.'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' is not necessarily a great film by all means, with a very thin, often meandering and at times non-existent story that feels like several comic situations/stories cobbled together and not much else. While most of the film is very entertaining and achieves what it set out to do very well indeed, there is always going to be the criticisms that some of the situations are unbelievably silly and that it's dated, so suspension of disbelief is needed.Fosse doesn't look so comfortable in his role in the acting department and his personality doesn't shine as much as when he is dancing.However, 'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' is very nicely designed and quaintly photographed. The music fits very well and is more than listenable on its own as well, the standout song being the heart-melting "All I Do is Dream of You". When it comes to the choreography and dancing, Fosse in particular scintillates in a routine that brims with energy, clever choreographic flourishes and extraordinary dance technique.Regarding the script, it is here very light and bubbly, never trying to do more or be more complicated than needed. A good deal of it is silly too, but has such a good nature and has its heart in the right place that it is hard to be too hard on it. The film moves quickly and never feels dull, because the energy of the cast and the pleasant atmosphere moves things along so well.Despite having mixed feelings on Fosse (loved the dancing, didn't look at ease in the acting), the rest of the acting fares well. Van is at his most likeably earnest, while Reynolds is spunky and charming and Barbara Ruick is suitably peppy. In support, an amusing Hans Conreid, firm Charles Lane and tyrannical Hanley Stafford stand out in particular. The direction is more than competent throughout, having the right lightness of touch.On the whole, not a great film but an enjoyably good-natured and easily watchable one. 7/10 Bethany Cox

What a pleasant surprise for a hardened old cynic like me. Ordinarily I would avoid a title like The Affairs of Dobie Gillis as if it were the plague. But the sheer bounce and charm of Weis's direction along with Van and Reynolds proved completely beguiling. Sure it's dated. The innocence and idealized portrayal of college-age youth belong to a bygone era. Still, Van's easy way with a song and a smile continues to captivate, while even Reynolds' manages an energized side that doesn't annoy (the sight of her pony-tailed wholesomeness crouched demonically over a boiling witch's brew is hilarious). Surely these two were made for each other in some malt-shop heaven. There are so many nice touches, including: Hans Conreid's arrogant professor (his tight-lipped barbs at Dobie are priceless), Kathleen Freeman's gap- toothed Polish band (I'm sorry we didn't hear more), and the utterly delightful song and dance numbers (a whole lot simpler and more spontaneous than MGM's over-produced foot- stompers of the day). Clearly, the studio dribbled out a bare-bones budget to give their younger talent a chance, and the youngsters responded in spades. I'm only sorry that Van didn't get the career his talent deserved-- watching him and Fosse was a treat. All in all, this is a much better movie than it had any right to be, and a fine piece of unexpected pleasure for viewers of any age.

As much as I wanted to capture the nostalgic feel of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" TV show, it was just not to be while watching this earlier preview featuring Bobby Van and Debbie Reynolds. The thought that came to mind was a beach picture without the beach or the one piece bathing suits on the picture's females. The film wore out it's welcome about the tenth time I heard 'Learn, learn learn, Work, work work', and that was just in the first half hour. By his own indisputable admission, Dobie (Van) is a fun seeker, who's prime directive employs the ideal 'Workers ought to work, and enjoyers ought to enjoy'. There's never any doubt in which category Master Gillis belongs.Before she joined the slackers club, Debbie Reynolds looked like she might have been the proverbial too good to be true catch for Dobie, but their romance is cinched almost from the get go. On the other hand, Lorna Ellingboe (Barbara Ruick) is more than hormonally challenged by the sight of Dobie on campus. How all these lovebirds reconcile their feelings for each other is part of the meandering script, with caper after caper usually ending in disaster.The one surprise I wasn't expecting here was the presence of legendary dance choreographer and director Bob Fosse. For most of the picture, he was Lorna's noble meatball, but when he breaks into a solo dance number, he's simply amazing. Later he tries not to show up buddy Dobie in a choreographed number that also includes the girls. Those two spots would have been the highlight of the film for me.If you tune in expecting to see characters from the TV show, be warned. There's no Maynard G. Krebs or Zelda Gilroy, no Chatsworth T. Osborne Jr. or Frank Faylen knock off portraying Dobie's grocer dad. Depending on your mood, this one could be mildly entertaining or just a complete bore. Unfortunately, it looks like I caught it on a bad day.

College freshman Dobie Gillis (Bobby Van, exercising more befuddled expressions and quirky dance movements than even Ray Bolger) falls for a perky, studious innocent (Debbie Reynolds) on his first day of enrollment; he also makes a buddy in Bob Fosse, who apparently trolls for curvier dames. MGM musical with the usual stuffed-shirt parents and teachers who never have any fun (as if they'd outgrown it completely). The kids are crazy-cool, treating life with abandon and dancing jitterbug-style in coffeehouses which probably looked very flashy in 1953. They are required to do some classwork, but this college campus is the fictional type wherein something is always comically exploding in the chemistry lab. If the leads weren't so talented this might make your teeth ache, but--for the first two-thirds of an hour--it isn't bad and the infrequent songs are quite good. Fosse, who seems stuck in an ugly white pullover with a stripe around the waist, talks amusingly (and probably unintentionally) like one of the Bowery Boys, yet his small muscular frame and early-receding hairline are boyishly charming; Reynolds can't get a proper grip on her character due to the writing, but she's a very good sport. ** from ****