Yankee Doodle Dandy
Categories: AFI Reviews, Movie Reviews
Written By: Eric Jensen
Rating: 
The American Film Institute puts Yankee Doodle Dandy at number 100 on its list of the all-time best movies. On any list this large, the 100 spot tends to be more of a “we’ve got to start somewhere” point than anything else, and that’s as true in this case as in any other. That’s not to say that it’s a bad movie—it isn’t—but I don’t know that it’s one of the “best.” It’s an enjoyable picture, but no better or worse than, nor particularly different from, countless other films of the period. By that I mean it’s got a song and dance every few minutes, a moment of slapstick, fall-out-of-your-hammock style comedy here and there, and a cast of people who all talk at about five thousand words a second.
The movie presents the road to success life story of actor/songwriter/playwright George M. Cohan, with James Cagney, the original side-of-the-mouth talker, giving an Oscar winning performance in the lead role. Thanks largely to this movie, there’s this incredibly odd dichotomy in people’s minds when they think of Jimmy Cagney; on the one hand he’s a tough-guy gangster who’d as soon shoot you as look at you and on the other he’s a song and dance man who lights up Broadway. Cagney’s Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy was completely well deserved, as he’s just as good in this benign musical role as he is in movies like Angels with Dirty Faces. The rest of the cast does a fine job as well, but from start to finish this is Cagney’s show.
In essence, the movie’s a straightforward bio-pic, but by showcasing the life of a Broadway showman it also becomes a full-blown Hollywood musical. It works fantastically well as a musical because the songs—culled from throughout Cohan’s expansive career—are not only good but a part of the American cultural landscape. Virtually every song in the picture, including “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Over There” and the title tune, have long ago become standards. And deservedly so.
At sixty-five years old, there are elements in this movie that audiences today might deem themselves too hip to get behind, particularly the unabashed, flag-waving patriotism that is often on display. This extreme American pride attitude is in keeping with the life and work of George M. Cohan, of course, and was also exactly what the film called for at the time of its release in early 1942, when the country was just beginning the long struggle of the second world war. While some modern viewers may find this idea tragically out of date or woefully simplistic, I disagree. Yes, there’s a time for criticism and debate and skepticism and many other things, but isolated moments of apple pie eating, “You’re a Grand Old Flag” singing Americana can be just as valuable.
All things considered, Yankee Doodle Dandy holds up quite well. In fact, oodles of movies from this period hold up well—they don’t call it Hollywood’s golden age without reason. Sure, I’m glad we’ve moved beyond the strict censorship codes of the time, but they did make for a lot of movies that can let you forget about the world’s more unpleasant realities, make your heart soar, and wrap you up for a time in a blanket of optimism and unchecked happiness. Furthermore, there’s an indefinable quality to the movies of the forties and early fifties that, even if they’re not the greatest shows ever made or the style of movie you usually find appealing, renders them incredibly watchable.
So yes, it’s a good movie. It’s got comedy, drama (including a scene at the deathbed of Cohan’s father that could have won Cagney his Oscar even if the rest of the movie sucked out loud), romance, music and a heartwarming story. But the studio-driven Hollywood machine of the time cranked out countless flicks that met those very same criteria, and so I don’t know why this particular film makes AFI’s list over dozens of others. Even so, it’s definitely worth your time.
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