the
jazz singer

1980 ***1/2 115 mins.

As judged upon entertainment value, I much prefer this to the original 1927 film. The reasons are simple. One, the music is fantastic; It's Neil Diamond, I mean, come on!!!!! Two, the story progresses with greater ease. Three, the ending makes a lot more sense. I found it very interesting how the story was updated. The title does not work other than to refer the viewer to the original, for in this film, Jess Robin (Neil Diamond) longs to be a rock star (not a "jazz singer"). Well, I don't think The Jazz Singer could ever be fantastic five-star entertainment. This was a nice try, though.
Laurence Olivier is Number 14 on AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Stars.
Rated PG for sexual content and some language.