Most of the reviewers here give this movie a great review and deservedly so. Most of the viewers here are also probably close to my generation....born around the 1950s. No doubt this film is extremely entertaining, however, to be too comfortable with the blackface numbers and the bulging eyes and grimaces shows a bit of disconnect from people who see this film for the first time today. In addition, this movie is so far from fact, typical for Hollywood biopics of its day. The retiring to the farm and being unhappy cliché is right out of Yankee Doodle Dandy. In addition, if you have seen the story of George Gershwin from that era, the father, usually Jewish is again played up a bit buffoonish.
One very interesting thing about the film is the downer ending which most Hollywood moguls of the day would have had rewritten. It's an extremely entertaining film for those of us used to watching movies of that era...but it is cliché ridden and a story that's truly from fantasy land....but oh, that singing!! It's success spawned a sequel, equally entertaining.
One very interesting thing about the film is the downer ending which most Hollywood moguls of the day would have had rewritten. It's an extremely entertaining film for those of us used to watching movies of that era...but it is cliché ridden and a story that's truly from fantasy land....but oh, that singing!! It's success spawned a sequel, equally entertaining.