The Jazz Singer (1980) User Reviews

Basic plot but the music makes this worth watching

[grantss · 6/10 · 1 October 2018]

A Jewish man, Yussel Rabinovitch, seems destined for a life in the synagogue. Every generation of Rabinovitches for five generations has served in the synagogue and his father can't imagine any other path for him. However, Rabinovitch would prefer to be a singer and gets finds success writing and playing secular music. When this leads to a recording contract he has to choose between his passion and tradition, a choice that will alienate him from his father.

The original The Jazz Singer was released in 1927 and starred the legendary Al Jolson in the lead role. It told roughly the same story and was an historic movie in that it featured the first ever audible words uttered on film. (For the next Trivia evening, those words were "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!"). The story itself was rather dry, predictable and trite - it is only really watchable for the history attached to it.

This, the 1980 version, updates the story and casts Neil Diamond, at the height of his powers and fame, in the lead role. The story remains fairly basic, however - there's nothing too profound, original or engaging about it.

However, what makes the movie is the music. Neil Diamond wrote the soundtrack and it includes some his greatest songs. These get a lot of airtime, in one form or another. More than just good in isolation, the music gives the film energy. The minutes seem to fly by due to the music.

Not a must-see, but certainly not dull.

A decent flick

[grahamsj3 · 6/10 · 11 May 2001]

This is an updated version of the old Al Jolson film by the same name. In this version, a young potential pop star (Neil Diamond) strikes out on his own, turning his back on his father (Sir Lawrence Olivier), his religion (Judaism) and his supposed profession (Cantor) to seek his fame and fortune. The story is OK, a bit lame, but OK still. There is some fantastic music in this film, with (who else?) Neil Diamond singing "Love on the Rocks" and "America". Diamond is not a great actor, for certain, but he actually held his own. The performance by Olivier was also a little bit weak. Lucy Arnaz also stars in the show and I believe her acting was the best of all. There is one scene in the film in the Temple. A Cantor is singing (quite badly) and all of a sudden, Diamond takes over. The abrupt change actually brought goose bumps to my skin! Other than that, the film is merely pretty entertaining. I won't say this is a great film, but I think it's worth a look if the video store doesn't have the one you REALLY went in there for.

Great Opening

[caspian1978 · 7/10 · 15 April 2005]

Critics are too hard on this film. Yes, for a remake of a classic, this is nothing terrific. Still, the 1980 remake of the Jazz Singer has as many moments as the original did. The opening montage alone is worth renting this movie. A 2 minute music video / opening shows the real streets of New York City and the people that live there. Opening with the statue of liberty, the camera showcases all the different colors, faces and cultures that New York City is made of. Yes Neil Diamond is not a terrific actor....HE'S A SINGER! The amazing talent of Laurence Olivier helps cancel out the bad acting from Neil Diamond. Still, for a singer, Diamond does a good job in this role. For fans of Neil Diamond, this is worth watching for the music alone. Still, I was hoping, out of respect for the original Jazz Singer, have some of the remake made into a silent film. All in all, a nice little movie with good music, even for 1980.

This performance should have made Lucie Arnaz a star.

[RealScience · 21 November 2003]

Yeah, Neil Diamond wasn't really much of an actor here, but Lucie Arnaz was great. Not only fun and charming, but she really showed she could act. Great screen presence-- you just wanted to hang out with her!

I wish more people had seen her in this.

Not bad at all

[ODDBear · 7/10 · 23 April 2004]

Neil Diamond's first, and only, starring role. This tale, about a Jewish man who tries to make it as a singer despite heavy objections from his stern father (Laurence Olivier), was ripped to pieces by critics upon it's release. I'm a somewhat mini-Neil fan and I enjoy this movie quite a bit.

Sure, it's not perfect, at all, but, it's got great music by Diamond and a bravura (perhaps somewhat over the top) performance by the terrific Olivier. Neil Diamond isn't bad at all either. You could do a lot worse than sit through this movie. 7 out of 10.

Good soundtrack, forget the rest.

[world_of_weird · 2/10 · 1 December 2005]

I admit it, I like Neil Diamond. He's a great songwriter (he's probably written a lot of your favourite songs too, you're just not aware of the fact), a great showman, a fine and distinctive singer and he's unfairly maligned by people who should know better. But this film should never have been made.

The soundtrack is great, of course - you get Love On The Rocks, you get Hello Again, you get America (which is stirring and emotional even for a dyed-in-the-wool Brit who's never even been to the States), you get Hello Again...it's like a greatest hits package. But Neil's acting leaves a lot to be desired. Olivier, clearly going through his "any old crap as long as the money's right" phase, is hilarious for all the wrong reasons as his father. The black-face scenes are just plain wrong - it's funny when Bill Oddie does black-face in The Goodies because his character's a child at heart and it's a surreal show anyway, but the idea of a Jewish rock wannabe blacking up to swindle a club crowd - only to have the ruse tumbled by a genuine black man shouting "that ain't no brother!" or some-such nonsense - should have been spiked at the screenplay's first draft stage. This is Neil Diamond's GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET, a vanity project that's an ordeal for non-believers and not much fun for fans either. Buy the CD, yes. Forget the film even exists.

For Olivier and Neil Diamond fans only...

[The_Core · 6/10 · 1 September 2003]

Worth seeing for Laurence Olivier, who in my opinion had a very limited acting range (he tended to play a lot of parts similar to this) but was really a genius within his relatively narrow range -- this is just about the ideal role for him, inspired casting here. Fans of Neil Diamond's music will enjoy this movie as well -- everyone else might as well skip it completely. Silly, cliched story and some very poor acting by most of the cast... there are worse things to do on a slow, rainy Sunday than watch something like this, though. 6/10

I Hef No Son

[jrs-8 · 4/10 · 24 January 2006]

"The Jazz Singer" was a bomb dropped on the movie world at Christmas in 1980. It's a needless remake to an original movie that has already been remade and wasn't that great in the first place. Had it not been the first movie with sound I don't think many people would remember it.

The storyline has been updated so the cantor's son is now off to the music field, particularly rock. Now I ask you if you could get an actor to star in your big Christmas movie which is a remake of a famous film, would Neil Diamond head the list? Or perhaps every actor with a brain read the script and turned it down. Let's face it folks - Diamond is a terrible actor. Yes he has a great voice and the songs are the only worthy thing in it. You know things are going to go all wrong from the first scene when Diamond dons black face. Was this an ode to the Al Jolson scene from the original or a stupid, misplaced piece of humor? Either way the scene goes terribly wrong and you end up feeling uncomfortable watching it.

The great Laurence Olivier reached a career low as the role of Diamond's distressed father. As he did in "Marathon Man" and "Dracula" and "The Boys From Brazil" Olivier over emphasizes a bad accent and spends most of his time yelling. When he cries "I Hef No Son" the result is unintended laughter. It's a bad performance by a great actor. Surprisingly it is Lucie Arnaz (Desi and Lucy's daughter) who gives the one good performance as Diamond's tough but tortured love interest.

My suggestion to those Neil Diamond fans is to buy the soundtrack and forget the movie. It's silly and stupid and not worth a minute of your time. It was a bomb for a reason.

A great score applied to a great story

[SmgBag1 · 10/10 · 26 May 2006]

I try to go into a movie uncolored with opinions, and thankfully hadn't heard any negative reviews on this one prior to seeing it for the first time in 1980. That allowed me to view it with an open mind.

The score is superb. It's what makes the movie what it is. The songs fit the mood in every scene, and are all well-placed. The acting, while not the best I've ever seen, isn't nearly as bad as made out to be by critics. Let's face it. Neil Diamond is not an actor. He is a singer, a performer. In this movie he does that very well. And yet, he manages to pull off his character, Yussel Rabinovich, without a hitch. His scenes with Sir Lawrence Olivier are touching and believable. They are indeed a good match as father and son cantors. But for Yussel, his heritage isn't enough. His music roots drive him, and that's what he sets out to discover. Against the will of his father, and over the protest of his wife Rivka, he leaves his home in New York for L.A. and seeks his destiny.

Lucie Arnaz turns in a good performance as Molly Bell, a "retired" music promoter who sees potential in Yussel and takes him under her wing. What follows is a tug-of-war, a battle of values---old and new---as Neil's character, now Jess Robin, climbs the charts professionally, yet never really forgets where he came from.

Watching Neil perform in this movie is like seeing one of his concerts. He's all-show, and not a bit shy. When he picks up a guitar, you know you're in for a treat, and he does music as only he can. It's a great story, well-told and, on the whole, well-acted. Neil gives emotions where called for. But in this movie, the music's the star. That's where Neil really delivers.

Reminds me of Rocky

[baumer · 7/10 · 19 August 1999]

This is like Rocky except that it is focussed on the music world. And let's face it, breaking into any entertainment form, whether it is sports or movies or music, is tough. The Jazz Singer does a pretty good job of showing that. While Neil Diamond may not ne a great actor, he is respectable. He shows that he has good range from joy to anger and sadness. I particularly enjoyed the scene at the end with his dad. When he tells him that he is a grandfather and his dad succumbs and then shows a little compassion, it was a great scene.

Although I am not a huge Diamond fan, musically that is, I have to admit that the soundtrack to this film is enjoyable. And even though I am not American, I felt a sense of pride when he sings Coming To America in this film. It jump starts your sense of being and it makes you want to succeed at whatever long lost ambition you once had. I guess this song is similar to Born In The USA. They are different themes but they ultimately say the same thing. Pride.

The Jazz Singer is a pretty good film and even though I don't think it is anywhere on video, if it ever comes on TV one night, take a look at it. It is a good musical and not a bad film. And in a way, it is on the same level as Karate Kid and Rocky. It's about not giving up on your dream, it's about hope and it's about pride. Those elements alone make it worth watching.

No, but I bought the album...

[Mister-6 · 3/10 · 2 January 2000]

You know how some people read "Playboy" for the articles? This is one movie you'll only want to watch for the music. Especially if you're a Neil Diamond fan.

"The Jazz Singer" is supposed to be an update of the Al Jolson chestnut (replete with Diamond appearing in black-face at one point!!) but the only connection between these two films is that a cantor's son wants to break into show business. Other than that, they're about as similar as Chardonnay and Kool-Aid.

Diamond is a singer. Period. He can't act, he can't even look at people when he talks to them and he certainly doesn't have the charisma to carry a film. Olivier was a good actor... a looooong time ago. Here, he's just well-aged ham with an accent.

Like I said, the best part of this movie is the soundtrack. Heck, I have the CD and I love it. What Diamond fan doesn't know and/or love "America", "Hello Again", "Love on the Rocks" and even "On the Robert E. Lee"? I even liked where Diamond auditions for a spot as a country bar singer and breaks into "You are My Sunshine". It's not on CD, though. Bummer.

To sum up - all the dramatic highlights are really low-lights; the so-called actors involved with this should all turn in their SAG cards; and it's small wonder Fleischer has been regulated to directing films like "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" and "Amityville 3: The Demon" after this disaster.

But at least it's a disaster you can dance to.

Three stars. For the music. Ignore all the rest of that "Jazz".

I can't see why the hate!

[maximovlE · 8/10 · 17 March 2021]

It's taken me 41 years to watch this. It's nothing amazing, but it's a nice story with decent music. It entertains, and that's what movies are for, no?

If you've never seen it then give it a go.

I agree with one other comment I saw here, Lucie Arnaz, I'm surprised she didn't become a bigger star!

Cheesy remake of a cinema icon.

[PWNYCNY · 6/10 · 25 November 2012]

The 1980 movie became a hit for Neil Diamond, largely due to his rendition of the songs "Love on the Rocks" and "America." As for Laurence Olivier's performance as a Jewish cantor in the 1980 movie, watch the movie and decide for yourself what you think of his performance. The 1980 movie also features Neil Diamond performing in black face, just like Jolson did fifty-three years earlier. Question: Have things really changed? Although the movie is rife with cheesy acting and dialog that makes one wonder if the script was perhaps improvised, nevertheless in its own inimitable way it succeeds in telling a story about America, which is something. Now if the movie only had a decent screenplay to go along with movie's underlying theme, then maybe the movie could be taken more seriously. But such improvement will have to wait till the next remake.

Infamous flop

[jjnxn-1 · 2/10 · 8 May 2013]

Dreadful piece of tripe was a career low point for all involved. Although I heard she is good on stage, a medium whose best performers often can not transition to pictures, Lucie Arnaz just did not possess the magnetism to be a film star. She's bland and uninteresting but even with that she still gives the best performance in the movie! Neil Diamond is a fine singer but as this movie proved his gifts did not reach to acting competency. The great Laurence Olivier sinks right along with the rest by giving a ham-hock of a performance, perhaps his worst ever. Badly directed and antiquated even when shot originally in the twenties this is a total miss.

What's the Deal? Need more NEIL!

[Clint Ford · 10 July 2002]

Okay... all these submissions below? Ignore them. Here's the real scoop.

The biggest problem most folks have with this film is that they're comparing the two male leads' acting ability. BIG MISTAKE.

One is Neil Diamond-- one of the greatest singers of all time. The other is Sir Laurence Olivier-- one of the greatest ACTORS of all time. Think of it this way: if Sir Larry accompanied Neil in a recording of "Cherry, Cherry"-- people would rave about Neil's performance, but then spend an hour going on about how much Olivier sucks.

The fact is this: neither of them suck. Everything is great! Neil Diamond is a fine actor. (Not an AMAZING actor, mind you... but a fine actor.) He'd even beaten out Dustin Hoffman for the role of Lenny Bruce in "Lenny", but turned it down... leaving the door open for Hoffman.

I made the mistake of reading all of the below jeers and whines about Neil Diamond's "terrible acting performance" in this movie. I then watched it over at my girlfriend's house with very low expectations. But I was very impressed, and greatly enjoyed the film. Granted, there are some times when Neil's performance isn't exactly as dramatic as it should be... (i.e., when his father shrieks "I HAVE NO SON!!", Neil doesn't exactly seem to be heartbroken.) But then, there are times when he manifests a great deal of emotional power... especially in the scenes where he gets angry.

Okay, so I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan, yes. I love his music, and I think it's cool that he's had a lead in a major motion picture. BUT-- from an acting perspective, he has my respect. From one actor to another. (YES, I consider him an "actor" too... and so does the IMDb.)

I only have two complaints: one is that this is the only movie he's been in until Saving Silverman-- where he had just a cameo. That sucks. I want to see Neil in more movies.

The other complaint is what everyone else doesn't like: "The Jazz Singer". AL JOLSON sung Jazz. NEIL DIAMOND sings Pop. Soooooo... couldn't it have been called "The Pop Singer", and had an addition in the credits that read, "Based on 'The Jazz Singer' by Al Jolson" or something?

Anyway... the music is great, (even "Love on the Rocks"-- and I'm not a big ballad fan... as they depress me. But I can't dislike a Neil song.) the movie is a great story, and the acting is FINE. Watch it. If you're a fan of Neil's, or even just a fan of 20+ year old movies that have good stories.... check out "The Jazz Singer".



--and by the way.... neil diamond rules. thank you.

Straight-up remake of the Al Jolson original

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 27 June 2017]

THE JAZZ SINGER is a straight-up remake of the 1927 Al Jolson musical in which a Jewish man pursues his dream of becoming a pop singer. How much you enjoy it depends really on your appreciation of Neil Diamond, as he dominates the proceedings here. The rest of the cast, including Laurence Olivier, don't get much of a look in, although Olivier makes sure he gets the opportunity to chew the scenery on the few instances he does appear. There's little plotting to boot; instead this feels like a rags-to-riches slice-of-life tale inspired by the feel of the likes of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. Diamond's acting skills are limited to say the least, but he does belt out a number of decent tunes, so as an easy-listening piece this works pretty well.

"I haf no son!"

[preppy-3 · 1/10 · 5 December 2001]

...and not much of a movie either. Pointless remake of the 1927 "talkie"--the plot was old then; the plot was still old in the 1950s Danny Thomas remake; it was laughable in 1980. If Neil Diamond really wanted to do a movie, why not do a concert film?

Diamond plays a Jewish man who wants to sing rock music--his father (Laurence Olivier!!!!! Why Larry?) wants him to perform only traditional Jewish songs. Also he falls in love with a non-Jewish woman (Lucie Arnaz giving the only good performance) which he knows his dad would never approve. Yawn--what a lousy script.

The acting is beyond belief--Diamond is a great singer but he's no actor--he was very bad; Olivier is a howl as his father--he hams it up mercilessly and just gives an unbelievable (I don't mean that in a good way) jaw-dropping performance. Olivier was one of the most respected actors around--why did he do this? Didn't he read the script? It's obvious he's hating every moment--I guess he was really hard up for the money. Arnaz is actually very good despite everything--she also has the film's second best line (after Olivier's "no son" line). She tells Diamond seriously, "You're too talented to waste everything on singing". Sheesh!

What saves this movie from total disaster is the singing--Diamond was (and is) a good singer and some of the songs are great. When he's singing the movie is OK--when he's not it's a laugh a minute. ALMOST bad/good.

"Oedipus-Schmoedipus..as long as you love your mother"

[ianlouisiana · 1/10 · 6 December 2005]

My wife loves this film.She thinks an Oedipus Complex is a Greek Shopping Centre.(NB this is satire - I have nothing against wives,greeks or shopping centres).You don't have to be Jewish to hate this movie but I am a little concerned that "The Jazz Singer" is so inextricably bound up in that faith that to give it a bad crit might be considered somehow anti-semitic.In fact you could transpose the plot into a Muslim musical or a Jehovah's Witness musical without too much effort,so I hope I am not going to offend too many faiths by saying that I found it very,very bad. So bad that it was not even so bad it was good,if you follow me. I have no feelings one way or the other (well,not the other,actually) about Neil Diamond who is obviously very popular.Popular singers make movies - who's to blame them?Blame their agents if you like.They don't often make good movies.Some kind person ought to have told Mr Diamond that if you don't learn from the mistakes of history you are doomed to repeat them.They didn't and he did. Laurence Olivier was cast as Mr Diamond's father.Presumably he was unavoidably detained elsewhere and the producers scoured the Old Folks Homes of west L.A. until they found some geezer who looked a bit like him and offered him 3 hots and a cot for the duration.I hope he didn't give up his day job. The other possibility,that Olivier actually turned up,does not bear thinking about. It wouldn't be fair for me to comment on the songs,but a lot of people like them apparently. The original "Jazz Singer" was pretty dire,but at least it was innovatory."Sonny Boy",originally written as a joke for Al Jolson,is ommitted from this remake.Pity,it would have added a bit of class.

The Jazz Singer-When Accommodations Were Made ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 17 February 2008]

Wonderful version of a cantor's son in conflict over his orthodox Jewish beliefs and his desire to be a singing star.

The only major flaw that I had with this film is that by the orthodox Jewish people, there is no accommodation made whatsoever in the field of intermarriage. If it occurs, the person intermarrying is regarded as dead as depicted in the film.

Caitlin Adams, who portrayed Jesse's wife Rivka, is true to life since she chose to break with her husband due to her orthodox beliefs. Others might argue that their marriage was headed towards a downward spiral anyway.

Laurence Olivier is absolutely mesmerizing as Diamond's father. His authentic Jewish accent and tearing his clothes are memorable.

Diamond's voice is superb and is acting is on par for the role. "Love on the Rocks," as well as "Acapulco," and "Coming to America" are wonderfully staged.

In the world of today, we need understanding and accommodation and that's exactly what we get in this fine film.

Not even the music...

[davideisaura · 1/10 · 5 December 2006]

This is a terrible movie. Neil Diamond can't act... Laurence Olivier was just looking to make a quick buck... The plot is just too predictable and trite... But worst of all, the music doesn't work. How can we believe this Yussuf character has any talent at all (let alone reaches stardom) when the songs are all so... BLEAH? Don't get me wrong. I love a lot of Diamond's '70s classics. But the songs in this movie don't even come close. It would have been a far more interesting movie as a true-life biopic of Diamond's own story (with himself in the starring role if we must), and with songs such as 'I am, I Said' and 'Daydream Believer' on the soundtrack.

I'm in shock

[ForTommy2Lookie · 8/10 · 20 October 2007]

I love Neil Diamond. I had always heard of this film, but never knew what it was about, what type of reviews it got... anything. So I Netflixed it this weekend, and I loved it. There were even times where I got choked up in parts.

So I came on here, saw the negative overall reviews, and was SHOCKED when I learned Neil won the Razzie Award for Worst Actor for this. I thought he did a very fine job. The story unfolded very nicely, the love story was genuine... I would say this film was even better than the "music" genre film Dreamgirls.

Sure it had it's glitches here and there, but for the most part I was very pleased.

Oh dear...

[Ghostwood · 1/10 · 14 November 2002]

There are some people who think this is one of the worst movies of all time. I am one of these people. 'The Jazz Singer' is truly abysmal on almost every level.

This journey of despair has Lawrence Olivier hamming it up as a Jewish cantor, (what was he thinking of?) and meister-crooner Neil Diamond, (was he thinking at all?), as father and son at loggerheads because Diamond's character wants to pursue a career in - horror of horrors - Manilow-esque easy listening music!

Well, what happens next is a schmaltz-fest of cringesome clichés - note how "What happened to the groove?" elicits nothing but sniggers and derision when watched with friends - bad acting, bad accents, a weird bit with our Neil in the wilderness trying to discover himself...but hey, it all comes right for him in the end, and he and his father are conveniently reconciled during one of Neil's concerts. Larry may now like his son's music, but he sure seems to be having some problems clapping in time to it.

The only thing this movie has going for it is Diamond's music - I'm not a fan, but the man certainly has a talent for singing, if not acting. This still fails to redeem this unwatchable dross however, so you're better off buying the soundtrack album. Maybe you'll buy it on the web to save yourself the embarrassment of asking for it in-store.

Enough already!

A microcosm of a man in turmoil, facing a difficult choice...

[lancer525 · 20 June 2003]

Between his duties and responsibilities, and his dreams and love. For those who want to pick the movie apart, without looking inside the story it tells, skip this comment.

Given the choice between one's responsibility to family, parents, religion, tradition, and duty, or choosing love, dreams, goals, and the pursuit of happiness through following our heart, which choice would we make?

The movie tells a story of strength through failure, of living versus wasting away in a life spent pleasing others, and of giving our heart and our dreams sway over the path we take in life.

Worth it For Neil Diamond's Music

[kenbarr-ny · 5/10 · 24 January 2018]

As a movie, "The Jazz Singer" is not terribly good. However, Neil Diamond's music make it worth at least a look. Particularly relevant in these times is his hit "(Coming To) America, an anthem extolling immigration and the contribution of immigrants to American culture. The acting, however, is another story. This was one of Laurence Olivier's "made it for the money" flicks and Lucie Arnaz was tragically miscast. As an actor, Diamond is a great singer. I don't know what spoilers I'm adding here but I figure it's better to err on the side of caution.

THE JAZZ SINGER (Richard Fleischer, 1980) *1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 2/10 · 23 February 2007]

This is an unnecessary updated remake of the venerable Al Jolson musical weepie: still, the end product remains hopelessly clichéd and actually gives the term 'old-fashioned' a bad name! Besides, in view of star Neil Diamond's pop repertoire, the title doesn't make any sense - and, while the new songs in themselves aren't too bad, there's no comparable number to the original's show-stopping and heart-rending "Mammy" (actually, the protagonist's mother here doesn't come into the picture at all!). The rest is glossy but also unintentionally funny: there's Diamond singing in blackface, a punk rendition of a typical Diamond ballad, Laurence Olivier's embarrassing performance (especially the scene where he disowns his son), Diamond's period in the 'wilderness', etc. Not surprisingly, the film - and Olivier - emerged a winner at that year's Razzie Awards: could it be that the great English thespian accepted such an obviously demeaning role solely for the purpose of adding this unenviable tribute to his long list of accolades?