Leo McCarey was one of the greatest directors ever to come out of Hollywood but he was also vehemently right-wing in his views and he made two stringently anti-communist pictures, "Satan Never Sleeps", which brought his career to a somewhat ignominious close and "My Son John" which he made in 1952 at the height of Hollywood's anti-communist scare. It centres on a very typical Mid-American family; father Dean Jagger, mother Helen Hayes, (with Jesus wanting both of them for sun-beams), and their beloved son, John, (Robert Walker at his most insidious), who returns from Washington spouting views that could hardly be called American. You may wonder which is worse; the sweetness-and-light family or the ultra-cynical John, both of whom I would happily have taken a baseball bat to. If you can't fault the skill of McCarey's direction, you might throw up at the content. Subtle this movie ain't.
Givien the appalling material they have to work with Hayes, Jagger, Walker and the always reliable Van Heflin as an investigating FBI man all give superb performances as characters you either don't believe in or simply can't stand with Hayes good enough, not only to redeem the picture, but actually make it worth watching. Is it any wonder she was considered the greatest actress of the American theatre? However, because of its unfashionable subject matter the film is not highly thought of and even fans of McCarey tend to dismiss it. It's the kind of film you wish they could completely re-dub with an entirely different plot along the lines of "What's Up, Tiger Lily". As a picture of an American family coming apart it can be commended; just a pity about the message.
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