Simply Perfect

Highly Overrated But Still Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Aline MacMahon proved that you didn't have to be Jewish to nail such a role in the film. As Grandma Esther, she was quite good with a wonderful inflection and accent for a Jewish woman with wisdom to match. As for Keefe Braselle, he did well in the part but was constantly rolling those eyes to everyone. It was as if he were being forced into his part and you get the impression that he doesn't take on the Cantor persona. Marilyn Erskine, as Ida, looked as much Jewish as the pope's sister.Film deals with a young Cantor left with no parents and living with an aged grandmother who made it big in show business, but was an habitual worker which would lead to health problems. Film showed that Cantor could have gone the wrong way in life had it not been for a youth organization. The music numbers were marvelously staged.

Not to be out done by his late rival Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor got a biographical film of his own. It's no more true to life than The Jolson Story in fact it may be less true. Cantor had his faults, but on the whole was a nicer person than Jolson. But in fact these films are only an excuse to hear the many songs identified with Cantor over the course of his almost 50 years as an active performer beginning with him as a child working in one of Gus Edwards productions for talented kids.Keefe Brasselle is superficially suggestive of Cantor and the lipsynching of Cantor standards is performed well. I don't think he came close to capturing the inner Cantor. Best in the film is Aline McMahon as Eddie's fabled Grandma Esther who raised him after he was orphaned.At least the Jolson Story got it right that Al Jolson was not the man's birth name, he's presented to us as Asa Yoelson the cantor's son (no pun intended) from the beginning. Eddie Cantor's real name was Izzy Ishkowitz, but that was never brought up at all. It's the biggest error of the film.The film stops in the early 30s and Cantor had at least 20 more years of active performing. It's adequate, but catch some of his films if you want to know what a marvelous performer Eddie Cantor was.

I love Eddie Cantor and was looking forward to finally seeing this biopic. I really enjoyed the musical numbers, but I have to say the dramatic scenes were painful. I'm sure Eddie Cantor didn't carry his stage personna into his personal life. I'm sure he didn't mug and roll his eyes when conversing with his friends and his wife. But that's what Keefe Braselle did. It got pretty annoying. On the other hand, the musical numbers were tremendous and Mr. Braselle nailed the moves and the facial expressions. Of course, hearing the voice of Eddie Cantor was wonderful. I'm wondering if the songs were recorded for the movie, (as in The Jolson Story) or whether older recordings were used.

The story of Eddie Cantor with plenty put in and taken out by 1950's Hollywood standards. Here Eddie grows up in a tough part of New York City, living with his grandmother. He catches a break when he wins a local amateur contest and gets a part with a group of young performers in a traveling show. When he grows out of the role, he marries his girlfriend Ida and struggles in getting new parts. Pal Jimmy Durante gives him a break in a show out in Los Angeles and leaves Ida pregnant with his first (of five) daughters. He comes back from LA and manages to get a part in a Ziegfeld show and his career takes off despite the loss of his grandmother and the strain it puts on his and Ida's marriage.Plenty of liberties were taken with Cantor's life here, but the film is entertaining. Brasselle looks like Cantor but his performance isn't acting, its more on the line of an imitation. The fact that Cantor dubbed in all of the singing and the cameo by Eddie and Ida at the end of the movie are nice touches. It would have been nice to make more of Eddie's charitable work rather than condense it to 3 minutes at the end.Like I said, a good film, but one I would have liked to enjoy more.Rating 5 out of 10.