"Wonder Bar" is a bad movie...and perhaps it played better back in 1934 but I cannot think of a movie offhand that aged more poorly than this one.
Al Wonder (Al Jolson) owns a big, fancy nightclub. While he's a very swell guy, he doesn't realize that the woman he loves happens to love another guy. In between this are some HUGE production numbers...one of which is amazingly awful. Then, when he learns the truth, Al is the world's biggest sap.
There are TWO huge problems with the film. First, the second huge production number will likely make politically correct folks explode! It's because it's a super-offensive blackface story where the characters are all walking embodiments of the worst stereotypes about black people. Al in blackface plays a guy who dies and goes to Heaven...a segregated one at that. There, watermelons and pork chops grow everywhere and the folks shoot dice! Ugghh!! It's simply sickening to watch...but also a great look into what was once considered fun and acceptable. Second, in the story, Al is the ultimate nice-guy---a guy everyone loves and who will do anything to help the woman he loves. They put this one WAY too thick...to the point of being saccharine-like. This is even worse because in real life, all the stories I read about Jolson make it sound as if he was a narcissist...and the film was somehow inflating his already tremendous ego. The nice-guy and real life guy were so different that I found it almost laughable.
So is it any good? Not particularly. Despite being an 'A picture' the writing seems like a B-movie, the musical numbers are either boring or offensive and the film's ending almost embarrassing to watch...as no guy is that 'nice'.
Al Wonder (Al Jolson) owns a big, fancy nightclub. While he's a very swell guy, he doesn't realize that the woman he loves happens to love another guy. In between this are some HUGE production numbers...one of which is amazingly awful. Then, when he learns the truth, Al is the world's biggest sap.
There are TWO huge problems with the film. First, the second huge production number will likely make politically correct folks explode! It's because it's a super-offensive blackface story where the characters are all walking embodiments of the worst stereotypes about black people. Al in blackface plays a guy who dies and goes to Heaven...a segregated one at that. There, watermelons and pork chops grow everywhere and the folks shoot dice! Ugghh!! It's simply sickening to watch...but also a great look into what was once considered fun and acceptable. Second, in the story, Al is the ultimate nice-guy---a guy everyone loves and who will do anything to help the woman he loves. They put this one WAY too thick...to the point of being saccharine-like. This is even worse because in real life, all the stories I read about Jolson make it sound as if he was a narcissist...and the film was somehow inflating his already tremendous ego. The nice-guy and real life guy were so different that I found it almost laughable.
So is it any good? Not particularly. Despite being an 'A picture' the writing seems like a B-movie, the musical numbers are either boring or offensive and the film's ending almost embarrassing to watch...as no guy is that 'nice'.