On Sunday, I watched the film Yankee Doodle Dandy for the very first time. And yes, I know it’s been three whole days between then and now but it’s been a crazy week and I wanted to be in a happy and relaxed mood to really do this film justice. SPOILERS AHEAD.
When I sat down to watch this movie, I knew almost nothing about it and had no pre-conceived expectations of any kind. I am not one to seek out older films and don’t always enjoy them when I do seek them out. All I knew going in was that I’d be really disappointed if I didn’t get at least one rendition of the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. I didn’t have to wait very long for this one requirement to be checked off my list. In fact, the music (but no lyrics) plays over the opening credits! So I was immediately satisfied and put in a very optimistic mindset for the duration of my viewing.
The next thing I noticed was that the actors in this movie talk at a pace to rival Lorelai, Rory, and the rest of the Stars Hollow gang. And not only were they talking fast, they were saying very funny, sometimes very sarcastic things, some of which I nearly missed. But what I did catch made me laugh out loud many, many times throughout this film.
For those of you who don’t know, this is a biopic about a stage performer named George M. Cohan who spent much of his life performing with his parents and sister, and subsequently began writing and performing in his own musicals. This includes the Broadway show Little Johnny Jones, in which he sings the patriotic song for which this biopic is named. So yes, I actually got a version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in this movie, lyrics and all! I also found out through this film that Cohan wrote “You’re a Grand Old Flag”. As the days have passed, I have realized just how much impact someone can have on a society- he is a man whose name is probably unrecognizable to anyone in my generation but whose contributions to American culture will live on for many generations to come.
The writers of this film did a very good job of making Cohan a real human being. He was flawed, and even after realizing his flaws and vowing to change, he still made mistakes and went back to old habits from time to time. This is a feature of human behavior that is too rarely written out of leading characters in Hollywood productions. And while I understand that we go to movies to escape, we can’t care about a fictional human being who has little to nothing in common with actual human beings. This wasn’t a problem at all for this leading man. He faced difficult choices and you could read the dilemma in James Cagney’s face (the actor playing Cohan) as his character dealt with the consequences of those choices. There is humor and heart and depth and passion in this movie. You can quickly forget that it is a 76-year-old black-and-white film because you’re too busy caring about the characters or being entertained by the re-creation of Broadway musicals. And, my God, James Cagney can dance like no one I’ve ever seen!
The movie slows down as it progresses and has a more somber tone at the end, but by then you’re too invested to notice. Very rarely does a movie make me cry, but I nearly shed a tear when he has to say goodbye to his father, who is on his deathbed, and again when the president gives him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Overall, I can definitely see why this movie made the list and I enjoyed every minute of it. Now to answer my five questions:
- Did I like the movie? Very much!
- Did I appreciate the movie? Yup!
- Would I recommend this movie to a friend? Probably not to every friend- it’s definitely got a niche audience
- Do I plan to see this movie again? Yes!
- Am I glad I have now watched this movie? Mmhmm!
Next up is Blade Runner (1982)!!!
One Hundred Movies in One Hundred Weeks 