Stars: Gene Kelly, Barbara Laage, Michael Redgrave.
Produced and Directed by Gene Kelly, as part of his 2-picture deal to end his MGM contract, The Happy Road is a low-budget, whimsical, Family picture. The two child actors are cute and well directed. The various shots of the 50s French Countryside are enjoyable. Most of the humor comes from the silly French Automobiles, the eccentrics met along the way, and the children outwitting the police. Redgrave shows up as a farcical Monty-Python type General.
On the Downside
Laage (a popular French Actress) and Kelly work well together but Gene Kelly is miscast. Playing an "Ugly American" Businessman constantly complaining about "French Inefficiency", the character's exasperation needs to be expressed in a charming/comical manner - which Kelly doesn't do. He's far too serious and strained in the role. Gene Kelly was a handsome guy with a winning smile but he always had an "edge" to him. Too often he came off as smug, arrogant, or insincere. Kelly knew this, and both he and MGM usually tailored his roles to soften his personality.
Other faults? The movie should be 10 minutes shorter and needs subtitles. Naturally, we get a lot of dialogue in French but without subtitles either a character has to translate or we have to guess. Its awkward, either way.
Reception
According to Kelly's biography, critics were positive but The Happy Road died at the Box Office, earning less than a $1 Million. Later, Gene Kelly said "We made a sweet family picture, that won all kinds of awards, but no one saw it". America just wasn't interested in rural France and the large hunks of French dialog probably didn't help.
Summary: The IMDB rating of 5.9 is way too low. This is a sweet, often charming, view of 1950s rural France with a couple good kid actors. Its forgettable - but enjoyable. I'd give it ** 1/2
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