Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Christopher Reid James Cagney. What can I say? I've seen several of his gangster films and he has such an intensity and presence. He makes other actors look tired and boring by comparison. He means every line he says, he looks other people right in the eye. There's no compromise with him. He doesn't act, he just expresses. I had no idea until much later that he also sang and danced. The dancing in this movie is incredible. He makes it look so effortless. It's so smooth and timed so perfectly and yet I'm sure a lot of it is very difficult. And his harmonies sound very nice as well.The story is pretty heart-warming. The characters seem to keep out doing each-other in kindness and understanding. Normally, you expect lies and secrets, arguments that eventually get resolved, romances that hang by a thread. Maybe they sugar-coated reality but it's nice to see such warm and caring characters in a movie. There is a lengthy partnership with no contract signed - they just trusted and respected each-other enough to not need one. Cagney gets flowers for his wife to soften the blow of her song being given to another lady to sing. He hesitantly admits it but she isn't surprised. She already knew when he brought her the flowers and she's happy for him.The movie builds slowly and is set-up in a logical order. George M. Cohan (Cagney) is asked to meet with the President but he doesn't know why. He recounts his life story to the President. We see how he was part of a show with his parents and sister (played by Cagney's actual sister). They were known as the 4 Cohans. George was maybe a bit arrogant when he was young. It's funny to see his parents talk more about smacking him than actually smack him. They know he needs discipline but are too nice to want to hurt him. We see him struggle later to find work and see the tricks he uses to get his foot in the door.A lot of the dialogue is snappy and entertaining. George always has something clever to say and he rarely misses a chance to trick people or make fun of them. At one point, he is dressed as an old man and a young woman thinks he is one. So he plays along before casually removing his beard and make-up as she screams in surprise. If people don't recognise him, he talks to them about himself in the 3rd person. He talks himself up but it's an act. He is confident but not arrogant.I tend to do a lot of the same things myself. As if I like to test people to see if they can see through my facade. To see if they can detect the subtle jokes or jabs in what I say. If they can't, they probably won't interest me or understand me. And besides, it's boring to simply parrot the standard phrases of everyday conversation. Intelligence needs a place to play and language (including body language) has plenty of space within it for hide- and-seek.It's moving to see how George M. Cohan's tunes took on a life of their own and become patriotic classics. They are more famous than he is now. He is humbled by the honour. And he never forgets his family. The part where he does an impromptu tap dance as he descends some stairs takes cool to another level. Apparently Cagney improvised it. He also deliberately inhabited Cohan's more rigid style of movement which is not Cagney's usual style. At one point, Cohan tries to join the army but they insist he is more useful on the home front. He improvises a dance for them as they cheer. Their morales have been boosted, but he just enjoys dancing.It's funny because I'm not American but I swear this movie made me feel proud to be American. It has such a positive, uplifting sense of patriotism to it. It doesn't make war sound fun but it makes being a soldier for America sound brave and worthy of respect. It makes you feel hopeful that the good guys will win. This is obviously very appropriate for 1942 when America had recently joined the war. But it's not a propaganda movie, it's a timeless movie about a performer who unexpectedly left a mark on America.

utgard14 Grand Old Hollywood biopic of entertainer and songwriter George M. Cohan. As with all Hollywood biopics, past and present, it takes liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes. If you're someone who is irritated by that, watch something else. The rest of you just sit back and enjoy this great movie with lots of rousing songs and an Oscar-winning performance from James Cagney. Patriotic, uplifting, and lots of fun. If they made it today it'd be all about Cohan having a mistress or a heroin addiction or some other defamation designed to break down rather than build up. Back in the day Hollywood made biographies about people that focused on the good and inspirational qualities of their lives. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Chris Mizerak "A man may give his life to his country in many different ways, Mr. Cohan. And quite often he isn't the best judge of how much he has given. Your songs were a symbol of the American spirit. 'Over There' was just as powerful a weapon as any cannon, as any battleship we had in the First World War." That's a terrific piece of dialogue from the President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt (Cap. Jack Young) addressed to legendary Broadway songwriter and performer George M. Cohan (James Cagney) in director Michael Curtiz's 1942 musical biopic "Yankee Doodle Dandy". It follows the life of George M. Cohan starting from when he was born on the 4th of July (though a source I looked at says it's actually July 3rd). Amongst the big life events we follow Mr. Cohan through include joining his parents (Walter Huston, Rosemary DeCamp) and sister (Jeanne Cagney) in the family's vaudeville act as a young and cocky kid, meeting his future wife Mary (Joan Leslie) who is also in showbiz, and his successful partnership with struggling writer Sam Harris (Richard Whorf) in producing one popular musical production after another. Let's talk a little bit about the history of the picture's main actor, James Cagney. By doing this, it will help us understand what makes his portrayal of George M. Cohan so remarkable. Before this role, Mr. Cagney was best known for playing either gangsters or tough guys. Some of his best remembered roles included gangster pictures such as "The Public Enemy" (1931), "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938), and "White Heat" (1949). By keeping this in mind, one can understand why an actor used to playing bad guys wouldn't seem like the ideal choice for playing a patriotic musician. It's difficult enough for an actor to try acting in a different type of picture. It's even more challenging for an actor to make us forget about what they did before throughout a role that's out of their comfort zone. But even with all these forces against him, James Cagney managed to pull off this role surprisingly well. Granted, we see that Mr. Cohan was a little mischievous when he was a young lad, whether it was carelessly interfering with a business conversation between his parents and a theatrical agent or testing out a song he wrote against the theater manager's wishes. Aside from that, you always got the sense that this person could do no wrong. I say that because he was not only a big sensation on Broadway (though maybe not with the critics apparently), but he was also a generous family man taking care of his family, wife, and business partner. From Cagney's performance, you got a sense that Mr. Cohen was looking out for the average Joe whether it was with his inspiring songs or his loyalty to the United States of America. If I were to explain why "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was on the list of the AFI's greatest films, it would be because of James Cagney's work since it proved that actors aren't limited to one film genre. Because this is a biopic about a famous musician, naturally we get a good variety of musical numbers, all of which were written by the real- life George M. Cohan himself. Obviously, the songs are very well done with the notable standouts being "Over There" (A song that helped motivate the troops during World War I), "Yankee Doodle Boy", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "For The Record" (A number with charm and energy to spare), and "You're A Grand Old Flag". All these numbers are given the high-end production values and quality sets that they deserve. The presentation of the "You're A Grand Old Flag" number particularly comes to mind when naming a number that has tremendous production value. The massive amount of people in the background, the camera angles, the scope of the sets, it's all there. They truly don't make musicals like this or any other musicals from that era any more. I have to admit though that while George M. Cohan and Mary are well- rounded characters, I was very underwhelmed by the other characters in this story. Specifically, the development of Mr. Cohan's family save for the father seemed hastily rushed. When certain plot developments came around in the second half, I felt they all went by a tad too quick and a bit out of nowhere. Because of this, the development of the mother and the sister felt very lacking and unsubstantial. There was also a big death scene with a major character in the film's second half that I found a tad problematic. The reason being was that I was more convinced that this person was exhausted from a hard day's work than undergoing an actual death. Nothing's bad about these characters as they are. They just simply needed more screen time in able to truly leave more of an impact on me. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" – even by looking at the title alone, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how much this picture relishes the spirit of the United States of America. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if people viewed "Yankee Doodle Dandy" every 4th of July since it truly deserves it. And this viewer can assure you that it's not just because it loves America and what it stands for. It's also because it further proves that any actor in the U.S.A., especially James Cagney, can be in any motion picture that they desire. America is a free country, so we can do what we want. I think "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is pretty awesome for subliminally reminding us of that and that is why I'm proud to be an American. And to you I say, Happy Early Fourth of July!

dsnyder1 When a cable channel aired this about a year ago,I couldn't wait to see it.There was good music & choreography, but it turned out to be a propaganda piece for the Democratic Party & Presidents Woodrow Wilson & FDR.To me,they were highly overrated.One claim is there was universal support for American entry into WWI.Truth is there was so much opposition Wilson suspended First Amendment rights to arrest people who voiced opposition.In the case with FDR,the movie claimed the New Deal ended the Depression.WWII ended the Depression,the New Deal prolonged it.This would have been a much better movie without all the propaganda.The movie industry is mostly left wing,but this movie threw the bias in the faces of the viewers,a preview of later such blatant politicizing in the entertainment industry.