3/10
I really didn’t like this movie. First of all, I found the tone of it really off-putting. It seems like they wanted to make a textbook depiction of American history, without criticizing the country at all. This blind patriotism was really hard to watch, especially in a time full of protests and revisiting history. I don’t believe that patriotism is a bad thing—in fact, I would love to be proud to hold up an American flag or wear red, white, and blue. But this reality is just not acceptable in this time, when the flag does not represent everybody. The film is clearly a product of its time, as we see in the horrendous blackface scene, but it also is simply tone-deaf. The only times that Black people are present in this film are when they are servants, or when (in a really weird segment) a group of Black men and women stand at Abraham Lincoln’s statue, essentially worshipping him. I found all of this wholly problematic and inconsistent with the rest of this film, which was all jolly and full of “American spirit”... for white people.
This romantic patriotism clearly reflects the time in which the film was made. The main character, composer and performer George M. Cohan (James Cagney), was born on the Fourth of July and named after George Washington, which is what really links him to American ideals. The film tells his story of success, which he goes on to tell in his musicals, entrancing audiences both in and out of the film. The nationalism portrayed in this film, put in the context of American history, makes sense: World War II, the end of the Great Depression, and the looming rise of Communism all likely shaped this film’s themes. No wonder this film is so heavy on worshipping the flag; celebrating American democracy, liberty, and justice “for all;” and telling a rags-to-riches-American-exceptionalism fantasy! Though I disliked it, this film is a testament to how politics through film can unite (or divide) an audience.
I also found Cohan to be really unlikeable. Conceited and self-serving, I didn’t find myself on his side throughout the entire film. Cagney’s singing annoyed me, as he wasn’t really singing but rather talking with rhythm. I really just couldn’t stand the film.
Maybe it was because of these two issues, but I was also simply bored throughout the whole film. Not liking the main character or the subject matter can do that, I suppose. Don’t get me wrong—I love musical theater, and even shows with Vaudeville-type numbers like this one. But I hated this movie.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone I know. I do not think it deserves to be on this list, when there are some great films that are missing. Oh well!
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