Singin' in the Rain

You're acquainted with musicals with un-silly plots?

well it's not TRANSCENDENTLY silly! like say, Love Me Tonight.

I wouldn't call Meet Me in St. Louis a silly plot.

dancing's great obv -- the component of musicals that least interests me

I'm not afraid to say if you have no interest in dancing, you are automatically less qualified to judge musicals.

You're acquainted with musicals with un-silly plots?

Yup.

High, Wide, and Handsome
Hallelujah I'm A Bum!
Les chansons d'amour (2007)
Cheryomushki (Cherry Town)
Dancer in the Dark
West Side Story
The Pajama Game (stfu)

And that's to leave out backstage musicals and Bollywood (which kinda sorta doesn't count). I'd include these under 'silly' but most would disagree:

All That Jazz
Pennies From Heaven

E, I did not say NO interest in dancing!

best movie ever made

damn near it

Only issues i have with it echo morbs- o'connor a little irksome at times, kelly's autosmile, and the moses song is awful.

Everything else is perfect.

@NickPinkerton
There's no more chilling study of obsessive-compulsive self-destructive behavior in cinema than Donald O'Connor's 'Make 'Em Laugh' number.

While destroying his body, he merrily relates how this sickness has been transmitted to him through generations (father, grandfather).

An anarchist watches singing in the rain

Then a cop turns up and ruins it.

— Restive Season (@MediocreDave) December 25, 2020