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Human Comedy
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by MGM (Warner)
Sales Rank: 2848
Price: $14.98
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The Human Comedy is the story of a poor family whose strong love for each other help them through all times of crisis. The father of the family has just died two years ago, and the oldest son (Van Johnson) is away at war. Now Homer (Mickey Rooney) is the man of the house and his job at a telegraph office sustains the family. He's still in high school, so we see the way he interacts with kids his own age as well. Also, we peek into the lives of his younger brother Ulysses (Jackie Jenkins) and sister Bess (Donna Reed). <br /> <br />This film is terribly sentimental and very biased toward family and Christianity. However, sometimes it is too sentimental and instead of seeming genuine, it comes off as a bit forced. The lessons are true, but they're presented in a way one would speak to a four year old. The story and performances are still good, but one would expect that from such a wonderful cast. It is certainly refreshing to watch these types of feel-good films to escape from the pessimistic attitudes in modern movies.
Viewer Reviews
I saw this movie a few months ago and parts of it stay with me. I thought it was a nice attempt to summerize the moods, trials, and perspectives of the folks at home during WWII. In attempting such a bold purpose, it takes a few liberties. Unfortunately, those liberties have tended to stay with me longer than the rest of the movie. One of the artistic licenses was a drive through the park on a Sunday afternoon. As our characters drive along, they pass one ethnic group after another; each doing their own cultural "thing" often in their unique cultural dress. The message is meant to be about America welcoming all groups into embrace but it's hard not to notice, from 60 years down the road, how nobody seems to be assimulating and none are interacting with each other.
The other artistic liberty was the portrayal of the idea that one life replaces another. It's a nice perspective of life, death, and the continuation of society ("When I die there'll be one child born to carry on"). However, as portrayed in "The Human Comedy", there is no allowance for the very real considerations of grief and its' lengthy process.
All that aside, there is a lot of Homefront Americana that makes this movie worthwhile. I was caught off guard by the appearance of an uncredited appearance by a young Robert Mitchum. Watch it but leave your pragmatism behind.
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Human Comedy
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