Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Frank Sinatra was a wonderful performer, and made some good films where he shone in. 'The Kissing Bandit' is not one of them in either case.'The Kissing Bandit' is not unsalvageable by all means. The production values are as lavish as can be, with particularly beautiful photography that clearly loves Kathryn Grayson. It has one great song in "Love is Where You Find It", the one song that's truly memorable and the only one to stir any genuine emotion where Grayson sings her heart out and digs deep into the soul to deliver the impact needed.The other highlight is the electric dance number "Dance of Fury" with Cyd Charisse, Riccardo Montalban and Ann Miller, the most energetic the film gets and the highlight of the film. There are three good supporting performances, those of Mildred Natwick, Billy Gilbert and particularly J. Carroll Naish.Sinatra however is ill at ease and looks miserable throughout, it was abundantly clear that he didn't want to make 'The Kissing Bandit' and although he would constantly joke about it being his low-point one can't help thinking that he was actually being serious. He does sing as mellifluously as ever and his phrasing and breath control are impeccable. Grayson shines in "Love is Where You Find It", but she has performed with much more charm and spark as well as being in better voice elsewhere that suited her operatic voice far better. The two generate very little chemistry together, and due to their two different singing styles they don't blend and at odds stylistically and vocally. Montalban shines only in "Dance of Fury", he has little to do in the rest of the film.Worst thing about 'The Kissing Bandit' is the daft, paper thin which makes the film drag badly story which meanders all over the place. The script is similarly witless, while the direction is far too stolid, only coming to life properly in "Dance of Fury". "Love is Where You Find It" aside, the songs and music are at best very forgettable, no matter how well Sinatra sings it "Siesta" is particularly mundane.All in all, Sinatra's worst and easy to see why it was such a major flop. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This rarely seen musical gets a bad rap probably because its as silly as it gets. It's not what audiences expected or could accept from MGM in 1948 or now. It starts silly and ends silly, and has equal amounts of good and bad in-between. The writers had a basic idea of Sinatra being weak-willed (similar to parts in Anchors Aweigh and On The Town) so it's not totally different than his other early films. The story meanders all over the place with comedy and musical sequences, a bizarre whip dance with Sono Osato (whose character doesn't show up again) and a total dud of a song called "Siesta". Movie rules: never have a musical number where everyone falls asleep on-screen; the audience will follow. Everyone works hard, especially the excellent character actors, and its tough to create the silly atmosphere. What can't be faulted are the outstanding MGM production values, the excellent "Love is Where You Find It" sung by Grayson and the generally good songs. This movie sat on MGM's shelf from 1947 with an eventual release at the end of 1948 due to poor audience previews and attempts to salvage the film. MGM added the "Fiesta" dance with Cyd Charisse, Ricardo Montalban, and Ann Miller after production ended to spice things up and it's probably the best thing in the movie. It's exciting, the music is propulsive, and the dancing and costumes are beautiful. The movie is cute, deluxe and enjoyable and certainly better many musicals of the period.

The IMDb score for this film is under 5--indicating it's a bad film. While I agree it is very slight and has many problems, the film isn't bad and is a decent time-passer.Frank Sinatra is completely wrong for the part, though his singing was great--better than his co-star Kathryn Grayson. He plays a Bostonian who has moved to Mexican California (before it became a part of the US). His thick New Jersey accent sounds completely unlike a Bostonian and midway through the film he is impersonating a man from Spain!! As I said, he's completely wrong for the film.Sinatra moves to California to assume control of his father's inn. However, he doesn't realize that inn-keeping was NOT his father's real job--he was the infamous 'Kissing Bandit'. When the father's old henchman (J. Carrol Naish) informs him he MUST assume control of the old gang and take up the tradition of kissing fair ladies who he robs, Sinatra is afraid--he doesn't think he is up to the task! When he's on his first robbery, he meets a gorgeous lady (Grayson) and ISN'T up to the task--and cannot make himself kiss her. It isn't that he's not attracted--it just seems wrong to kiss a stranger! As for her, she's intrigued...and a bit disappointed he didn't kiss her! The story gets a lot weirder--especially when later Sinatra and Naish pose as emissaries from Spain--and Grayson's father (the Governor) wines and dines them! What's next? Tune in and see.As for the plot, it's really silly--completely silly, actually. And, in this era of political correctness, it's also likely to offend some of the more feminist bent. But it is fun! What isn't fun, however, is the singing. As I said above, Sinatra is great--with a gorgeous voice as you'd expect. As for Grayson, she has a quality voice but it's also VERY operatic--and hard on the ears. Also, most of the songs are completely forgettable. An odd exception is "Love is Where You Find it". I say odd, because only about a week ago, I heard this EXACT song in the movie "A Date for Judy" in which Jane Powell sang the same tune. While IMDb doesn't indicate it, they sounded EXACTLY the same to me--like one was perhaps not really singing the tune but using a recording of the other woman (though which is which, I have no idea). Overall, not a bad little film but a bit silly and the singing was a definite low-point.

MGM musical starring Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson. Sinatra plays the son of a businessman who had a secret identity as the Kissing Bandit in California. When his father dies, Sinatra moves from Boston to California to take over the business - and the Kissing Bandit identity. The problem? He's kind of a wuss. During his first raid, he's too afraid to kiss Kathryn Grayson, the daughter of the governor, which causes her to seethe with jealousy. The Kissing Bandit has an awfully low IMDb rating at 4.7, but I didn't think it was that bad. It's certainly no worse than a good chunk of MGM musicals made around the same time. Sure, we could wish it were better, but it's cute enough, funny enough and it has some pretty good songs. Grayson is absolutely adorable in it. The film also includes Cyd Charisse, in what might be her lousiest dance sequence ever (obviously the choreographer's fault) with a whip to charm Sinatra, and Ann Miller and Ricardo Montelbahn (along with another uncredited dancer) share a fine dance as "fiesta specialty dancers".