GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Robert J. Maxwell The music, of course, is a treat. What a florescence of vernacular music America experienced between 1920 and 1955. Not just Gershwin but Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren, and a dozen others whose tunes have become part of a sort of golden songbook.This black-and-white précis of George Gershwin's brief life manages to squeeze in quite a few tunes, as well as some of his more ambitious work. And they're well done. Oscar Levant plays the piano and Oscar Levant. He's great, pustular with humor.If we're to believe the biographical part, or even part of the biographical part, Gershwin really got around in musical circles -- meeting such stars of the classical world as Ravel and Milhaud.The family part, indulgent father, practical mother, also passes muster. Somewhere along the line, though, we get Gershwin's approach/approach conflict with honest and loving showgirl Joan Leslie, on one side, and neurotic, artist manqué and socialite Alexis Smith on the other. It seems to me I've heard that song before. We can hear a different version in "Young Man With a Horn". And if we replace adoring Joan Leslie here with adoring Mamma, we get "The Benny Goodman Story." It's a strict Hollywood product. Music aside, there's hardly an original note in this movie, not even the "diminished seventh" that Gershwin's first publisher refers to, whatever it is. I'm more familiar with diminished fifths.

DKosty123 Robert Alda, Charles Coburn, & Herbert Ruddley carry a major Warner brothers triumph in this production. The folks who made the film had the smarts to let the music carry the film along. It helped that the story really celebrates the Gershwins, centering on George (Alda) but featuring Coburn and Ruddley.In a way, this might be one of the strongest biographic films made. The cast is outstanding in every way. It is a reminder that George Gershwin was a man driven to greatness so hard, that when he does have a flop, his only regret is how much time he spent failing. It does not stop him from going on to write some of the greatest music in American History and one of the very few American Operas.While I am not sure if there are many facts of the true lives changed, the fact is this one chose the right people to play the royal family of American Composers. Warner even cast several people as themselves in the movie adding a touch of realism to the finished product. When you finish watching this, it tells you just how great the music is the Gershwins wrote, sang, and produced. Bravo

adaitch Completely true or not, corny or not, it's still a wonderful film, especially with Gershwin's music being showcased. I've been viewing this film for probably 25 years or more - maybe even 35 years, and I never get tired of it. Remember that this was a film released near the end of WWII, and is typical of biopics of the day, and also remember the mood of the public was such that they loved this type of depiction of a beloved composer's life. The cast is perfect - I can't even try to imagine any other actors in these roles, and I love Oscar Levant being Oscar Levant. This movie also shows Oscar's great talent as a pianist, something many forget with his wry self-deprecating humor.

sgorelick@gc.cuny.edu I love Robert Alda. I love George Gershwin. Yet, this was one of the most embarrassing clunkers of a biopic I have ever seen. And yet it is indispensable for the appearance and piano playing of the great Oscar Levant and the full performances of great Gershwin music.Gershwin's last days and his illness were as overwrought and melodramatic as cinematic deaths can be.So why am I even taking the time to add these comments? Because despite everything, it was absolutely riveting as a curiosity. And unlike most movie musicals where an actor does not actually play the piano, Oscar Levant -- Gershwin interpreter extraodinaire -- was there.