Review of Yankee Doodle Dandy

The movie sucks.

I'm not talking about just the rah-rah America bullshit in it. The patriotism is of the sweet, hokey pre-World War II variety that makes you roll your eyes, not the badass, tough-guy Don't-Mess-with-Texas variety that makes you want to kill somebody. No. I'm talking about story and the structure.

It's not enough to have a good dancer and some good tunes in a movie. There has to be a story. For the last hour and fifteen minutes of Yankee Doodle Dandy, the characters just dance and sit around in rooms agreeing with each other. There is zero conflict. The result is boredom.

My advice to curious viewers, if they can stomach it, is to fast forward to the song and dance numbers and watch one or two of them. The Grand Old Flag number is the best thing in the show, but even that may make you groan in disgust.

Alternately, you could opt not to watch the movie at all.

1 out of 5 Glorious Stars