Review of Boys Town (1938) by Sylvester E — 19 Aug 2010

Quite possibly the sappiest movie I have ever seen, "Boys Town" is a solid black and white classic.

The movie focuses on Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy), a priest who decides that there is no such thing as a bad boy and sets up a community for down and out kids. After years of struggling to barely stay above water, Boys Town is on the verge of going under due to a lack of finances. On top of that, a troubled boy that Flanagan just can't seem to get to (Mickey Rooney) comes to the community and trouble ensues.

To be honest, the movie was sort of slow and boring right up until Rooney appears on screen. I mean, Tracy was good in the film, but for some reason it wasn't all that interesting to me. Rooney, however, stole the show.

10 Scale Rating: 6.0 ...