The Jazz Singer (1980)

The Jazz Singer: Directed by Richard Fleischer, Sidney J. Furie. With Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier, Lucie Arnaz, Catlin Adams. The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of being a popular singer.

“Iu0026#39;ve seen this movie about five times (well spaced out . . .) and each time Iu0026#39;m shocked anew at how bad it is; each time I laugh out loud at scene after scene.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe closest comparison is Spinal Tap . . . except, incredibly, this wasnu0026#39;t meant to be a comedy!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot is high on melodrama, the music is high on schmaltz, and Larry Olivier must have been high on something. High points: New wave version of u0026quot;Love on the Rocksu0026quot;, and Neil shouting u0026quot;What happened to the groove?u0026quot; as he storms out of the studio.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSeriously, though, if you want to know how the music industry really works, this is an excellent, gritty tutorial.”