The Jazz Singer

Neil Diamond, as the New York synagogue cantor's son who trades his yarmulke for the glitter of the LA music biz, makes the most cautious soft-rock superstar movie debut you'll ever get to see. The recording and music publishing businesses are just made for clean-living folk, and guarantee almost immediate recognition and success to anyone of Diamond's obvious talent - or so the film would have you believe. But although nothing is presented to put his family-audience persona at risk, the character comes across as curiously unthinking and irresponsible. The performance is okay...but then Diamond never attempts anything so difficult as chewing gum and walking at the same time.