Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Tony Keith An odd combination of pop musical and heavy drama, but it works, and how!The performances are memorable by all concerned, with a gem of a performance by an ageing Ethel Barrymore, who steals all her scenes in a minor role.The music and the songs, with one exception, fit easily into the plot and don't detract from the continuity of the action.All, who were associated with this movie deserve an award.Even the reported tension on the set between Sinatra, Day, and the producers seem to add a touch of reality to the on screen relationships. This crooner from Hoboken is entirely believable as the ultimate "outsider" to a happy suburban picket fence household.In a subtext, one of the last depictions of the 50s ideal American suburbia, this film portended the new age of disaffection and rebellion against the status quo.The Tuttle family were a sharp reminder of this suburban paradise lost!

TheLittleSongbird Overall, I really liked Young At Heart. It was lovely to watch, with dazzling photography and lovely colours. The scenery, especially on the beach, was breathtaking, and the costumes were fabulous. The film at just under two hours is the perfect length, and there is a nicely crafted screenplay, and a good plot. In fact the only problems I had with this otherwise great movie was the tacked on ending and I felt that Barney's attempts to solve everyone's problems never quite rang true. But, the film is very sweet and pleasant in tone and is well intentioned from the start. The songs by Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin(George's brother)are just superb, especially the quintessential Young At Heart. The performances were spot on, with Frank Sinatra surly enough as Barney and the beautiful Doris Day sweet and sensitive as Laurie. And their chemistry was wholly believable. Gig Young, Ethel Barrymore and Dorothy Malone all give terrific supporting performances. All in all, one fine underrated film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

gftbiloxi Throughout the 1930s and well into the 1940s musicals were inevitably lighthearted confections calculated to send the audience away filled with good cheer and humming a tune. In the late 1940s, however, a different type of musical emerged. The story was usually about a singer or a star or a musician, thus allowing plenty of room for the songs and production numbers the audiences expected--but far from being lighthearted, it was often a dark tale. It was, in a phrase, musical noir.Many performers took a turn in this genre, but there is really only one who did so consistently: Doris Day. Given her extremely popular comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s, it is easy to forget that she had some serious acting chops--but home studio Warner Brothers was quick to spot her potential in this area and showcase it in such non-musicals as STORM WARNING. And although the studio certainly put her through many "light hearted musical" hoops, it also gave her several musicals in which her role was more dramatic than comic: MY DREAM IS YOURS, YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN, I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS--and in 1954 YOUNG AT HEART.The film is based on the 1938 FOUR DAUGHTERS and keeps much the same story. The Tuttles are a musical family: father Gregory (Robert Keith) and daughters Laurie (Doris Day), Fran (Dorothy Malone), and Amy (Elizabeth Fraser) are an instrumental quartet whose home lives are kept on even keel by non-musical Aunt Jessie (the legendary Ethel Barrymore.) When Laurie accepts a marriage proposal from handsome Alex Burke (Gig Young) it seems the most the family has to worry about is going from quartet to trio--a seemingly perfect set up for musical comedy. But Alex has a friend, and upon his arrival the story takes a dark turn indeed. The friend is Barney Sloan, a hard-knocks musician in poor health who soon has eyes for Laurie. And he is played by none other than Frank Sinatra.Just as it is easy to forget Day's skill as a dramatic actress, so too is easy to forget Sinatra's abilities as a dramatic actor. Like Day, Sinatra first came to the screen in a cream-puff movie: HIGHER AND HIGHER. But Sinatra was at MGM, and at MGM cream-puff musicals were the unalterable order of the day; it was not until a decade later that he dropped critical jaws with FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. The pairing of Day and Sinatra is a stroke of genius, and it is their chemistry upon which the major appeal of the film rests: they spark and sizzle as the pretty and very good girl and the forlorn, been-there-done-that guy. The paring is all the more effective due to unexpectedly solid support. Ethel Barrymore was a legendary actress, and at the time of this film she was largely confined to a wheelchair--but you would never know it from her remarkably effective performance as the acidic, knowing, and yet kindly Aunt Jessie. Gig Young and Dorothy Malone also score in their roles enough to make you wish they had more screen time.But the film has a flaw, and it is a major one. The film was originally intended as a very direct remake of FOUR DAUGHTERS--but Sinatra greatly disliked the original story's ending and insisted on a rewrite. The result is singularly unfortunate: the story builds toward a seemingly inevitable and very downbeat conclusion... only to suddenly shift into happy-ending-mode in a way that undercuts everything that has gone before. It's a tremendous pity; had it been otherwise, YOUNG AT HEART might well be considered one of the great films of its decade.Both Day and Sinatra would go on to other dramatic roles; Day would hit a highwater mark with LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH while Sinatra would dazzle even his worst critics with THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM. It's a great pity that they were never teamed again--but, and in spite of its unfortunate ending, YOUNG AT HEART not only gives us that teaming, it catches both of them on an upward curve surrounded by first rate talents. Recommended.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Neil Doyle FRANK SINATRA followed up his "From Here To Eternity" triumph by starring opposite DORIS DAY in a musical remake of "Four Daughters" called YOUNG AT HEART. He gets even better song material than Day, including memorable versions of "Young at Heart" and "One for My Baby", but Day is compensated by a nice dramatic role that gets her brand of warmth and sincerity, as well as a duet with Sinatra on "You, My Love".ETHEL BARRYMORE is the elderly aunt and ROBERT KEITH is the father, while GIG YOUNG plays the young man that Day almost marries until she discovers that her sister is broken-hearted over their upcoming marriage. Instead, she runs off with the loner, Barny (Sinatra), and has a rather tumultuous marriage that she's determined to salvage. This version of the tale has her succeed, avoiding the downbeat ending of the original in which the John Garfield character (played by Sinatra)died.It's pleasant, nostalgic and the kind of musical they never make any more. Particularly sensitive performances from Sinatra, Day and Gig Young under Gordon Douglas' direction. Worth seeing for fans of Day and Sinatra especially.The only big difference between this and the original is that color and music have been added. Otherwise, the script is pretty close to the 1938 version directed by Michael Curtiz.