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State Fair

State Fair

Comedy · Romance · 1945

During their annual visit to the Iowa State Fair, the Frake family enjoy many adventures. Proud patriarch Abel has high hopes for his champion swine Blueboy; and his wife Melissa enters the mincemeat and pickles contest...with hilarious results.

Movie details

State Fair

“For the young in heart! And romantic oldsters, too!”

1945 Comedy · Romance 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

During their annual visit to the Iowa State Fair, the Frake family enjoy many adventures. Proud patriarch Abel has high hopes for his champion swine Blueboy; and his wife Melissa enters the mincemeat and pickles contest...with hilarious results.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over State Fair?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Walter Lang

Written by

Oscar Hammerstein II

Jeanne Crain

Jeanne Crain

Margy Frake

Dana Andrews

Dana Andrews

Pat Gilbert

Dick Haymes

Dick Haymes

Wayne Frake

Vivian Blaine

Vivian Blaine

Emily Edwards

Charles Winninger

Charles Winninger

Abel Frake

Fay Bainter

Fay Bainter

Melissa Frake

Donald Meek

Donald Meek

Hippenstahl

Court is in session

Put State Fair on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.