You do not have to be a fan of musicals to appreciate "That's Entertainment"; being a movie buff in general should be enough. Although, if you're looking for a comprehensive documentary on the genre, this is not it: with a few exceptions (most notably James Stewart), most of the hosts don't give you much of a historical context on the development of the genre, and of course the film focuses exclusively on the musicals made by MGM, ignoring all other studios. There is not much point in doing a "traditional" review for a project like this, so I'll just name my favorite moments from it:
*** out of 4 as a whole.
- Clark Gable's utterly delightful, semi-parodic "Puttin' On The Ritz" from "Idiot's Delight"
- Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dancing together for the first and only (up to then) time in "Ziegfield Follies"
- Astaire's astonishing, gravity-defying dance on the ceiling in "Royal Wedding".
- Esther Williams' extravagantly spectacular swimming pool number from "The Million Dollar Mermaid".
- And all three sequences from what is perhaps the apogee of the Hollywood musical, "Singin' In The Rain": Donald O'Connor's hyperkinetic "Make'Em Laugh", the finale to the Broadway Ballet, which is a technical marvel, and of course, the exhilarating title song and number.
*** out of 4 as a whole.