Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - #98
This continues the series of AFI top 100 movie reviews. While I should be reviewing #100 Ben-Hur, that film is 3 1/2 hours long, and I haven’t gotten to it yet.
I watched Yankee Doodle Dandy on DVD at home Sunday evening. It was the first time I had ever seen the film, and I had no spoiler information.
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biographical musical surrounding the life and works of George M. Cohan (James Cagney). Because the works of Cohan have strong patriotic themes (”Yankee Doodle Boy”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Over There”), the movie carried a strong patriotic theme as well. Clearly this would have been an uplifting film when it was released the summer after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I don’t typically enjoy musicals, but I will happily make an exception for Yankee Doodle Dandy. There were several points where I found myself laughing, and I was engaged in the film through its entirity. I even have had several of the songs from the film stuck in my head the last few days. It certainly belongs on the list, and if it is any indication, I’m in for a treat as I begin my journey through the top 100. I give it a 4 out of 5.
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