When a couple of reporters from Spy magazine arrive in Newport, playground of the rich, to cover the society wedding of the year, they are tangled in a juicy scandal. The charming neighbour (Bing Crosby) who's 'nursing the blues' just happens to be the former husband of gorgeous but aloof bride-to-be, Grace Kelly. She's about to 'marry a square', Bing's still in love with her and wise-cracking journalist Frank Sinatra thinks she's sensational too. When the party starts to swing, somewhere amongst the music, the champagne and the stars, the beautiful ice princess begins to thaw...but who is warming her up and is it true love?
With a shimmering score by Cole Porter, High Society is the musical version of The Philadelphia Story, easing the witty banter of the original into swinging duets and romantic ballads. Bing Crosby is in top crooning form as C.K. Dexter Haven, wooing Tracy Samantha Lord (Grace Kelly) with the sublime Oscar-nominated 'True Love'. Showing Robbie Williams how it should be done, Frank Sinatra asks feisty Celeste Holm 'Who wants to be a Millionaire?' and exclaims a drunken 'Well did you Evah?' with Bing before changing his tune to a rather more seductive one with the lovely Samantha. So is there more romancing than reporting going on? Of course, because leading the band is Louis Armstrong himself, guiding dancing feet and wayward hearts with 'le jazz hot'. -- British Film Institute