HotToastyRag George M. Cohan has the last laugh on me. His hit Broadway musical Little Nellie Kelly was adapted into a film in 1940, and I almost turned it off. Judy Garland with an Irish accent? Charles Winninger as her stubborn, unreasonable, ridiculously Irish father? I thought I was in for 98 minutes of silliness. It turns out, Little Nellie Kelly almost made me cry! It's a very touching story, a perfect movie to rent on St. Patrick's Day or Father's Day.Charles Winninger is extremely stubborn and protective over his only child, Judy Garland. When George Murphy wants to court her, Charles forbids it. When she and George marry, he practically disowns her. He's going to seem outrageous at that part of the movie, and you'll think to yourself, "I hope he doesn't have a big part in the movie." Well, he does have a big part in the movie. Don't let the silly title fool you; this is a heavy family affair. It shows how fathers cope with the transition from daughter to woman, and the impact a stubbornness or hatred can have on the younger generation.I don't want to tell you too much more about the plot, but I recommend you rent it if father-daughter movies make you cry. You won't believe it at the start, but Charles becomes a relatable character, and when George becomes a father himself, he gives a very good performance. Judy gets less irritating as the film progresses, and during the title song, she gets dolled up and dressed in a gorgeous gown by Dolly Tree, looking prettier than she's ever looked.So, call your dad and invite him over for lunch and a movie. Even if you don't cry, I guarantee he will!

TheLittleSongbird Not one of Judy Garland's finest hours. In fact, while none of the film's faults lie with her (she is the reason to see it) 'Little Nellie Kelly' is one of her worst films and one of the few films of hers that is a one-or-two-time watch only.There are good things about 'Little Nellie Kelly'. It is a very competently made film visually, immaculately photographed and the costume and production design are attractive enough. While a couple of them are inconsequential to the story (in a film that is more a comedy drama than a musical), the songs are still very pleasant with a real sense of whimsy, energy and pathos. Coming off best are "Singing in the Rain", "It's a Great Day for the Irish" and "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" (which Garland would send up later on in her life frequently).Best of all is Garland, who is a sheer delight in a sometimes playful but always touchingly sincere performance that shows a lot of maturity compared to her earlier roles. Regarding her singing, as always, praises are endless, beautiful tone, sincere phrasing and musicality, a playful energy and poignant emotion. Douglas McPhail also sings beautifully.Of the cast however, Garland is the only one who either really registers or halfway impresses. McPhail sounds great but lacks charisma as an actor. George Murphy is both bland and stiff, while Charles Winninger has the single most obnoxious character (a type that he played frequently in and specialised in, except all were far more likable than here) of his entire career and he fails to bring any positive attributes whatsoever to it so much so that it jars with everything else and unbalances everything too.'Little Nellie Kelly's' script is also weak, too much excessive corn and cutesiness and the mawkish sentimentality also gets too much. The characters, with the sole exception of Garland (which is testament to how good a performer she was) are stereotypes that are either passive in accepting the grandfather's mistreatment of everybody or annoying to an unbearable degree with the grandfather coming out on top. Story-wise, it shines with Garland on screen but falls flat everywhere else, the first portion also drags with a real unsettled feel to almost everything but Garland. The direction is undistinguished.Overall, worth seeing for Garland, the production values and the songs (Garland being the best thing about it) but with everything else not coming off well 'Little Nellie Kelly' is a near-miss. 4/10 Bethany Cox

ftm68_99 Not a great movie, by any means, but with judicious use of your fast forward button, you can enjoy a delectable performance by Judy Garland, both as actress and singer. Up to this point in her career--with the exception of "The Wizard of Oz"- -Judy Garland had been playing second fiddle to Mickey Rooney pretty much non-stop. Now, without him, she comes into her own, and becomes the belle of the ball.The rest of the cast is mildly appealing, with the exception of Charles Winninger. He plays a man so selfish that everyone else's indulgence of him seems astounding.My advice: fast forward to Judy as young Nelly Kelly.

marcslope MGM, as was its unfortunate habit, sure lays on the patriotism and sentiment with a trowel, but this handsome Arthur Freed production gets the main thing right: It provides the young, post-Dorothy Garland with a successful transition into adult roles. Playing a feisty Irish-American colleen and her own mother, she gets to be both girlish and womanly, does an affecting death scene (Garland was far more of an actress than most of her song-and-dance peers), and of course her vocals are tops (more music wouldn't have hurt, and why was only one Cohan song retained from the stage original?). She's pretty much the whole show, since her respective sweethearts George Murphy and Douglas MacPhail seem incapable of appreciating her sufficiently, and Charles Winninger's lazy-but-bellicose Irishman act was old hat even then. Highlight: The title song, fluidly staged and a real showcase for Judy, who's radiant.