Citizen Kane (1941)

I went to the video store this afternoon to continue my quest. After being disappointed yesterday with Citizen Kane being checked out I suffered another blow to my resolve to finish the list. I tried to check out Singin' in the Rain only to find that someone had swiped it out from underneath me that morning. Either someone else is also doing AFI's list or my arch-nemesis Broccoli-man has found out my plan and will stop at nothing to foil it. Curse you Broccoli-man!!! As I was inquiring at the front desk about the location of my needed movies some strangers approached me.
"Why are you renting these old movies?"
"Well I'm doing AFI's top 100 list." I replied.
"Oh, we tried that once."
"How far did you get?"
"We only watched 4 movies."
I was almost discouraged by these strangers (sent by Broccoli-man no doubt) but lucky for me Citizen Kane was back on the shelf and I was able to continue my adventure. I have now reached the 4 movie barrier.

Let's be honest, the title of this film sounds like a musical comedy with a plot. Whodunnit, that sort of thing. That's not the case, but that doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. The film takes place after the death of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane. Charlie's dying word, and the first spoken word of the film was "Rosebud." Didn't you ever wonder why the possum from "Over the Hedge" (voiced by William Shatner) said "Rosebud" as he pretended to die on the antagonist's wooden steps? Well now you know. It becomes the mission of a group of fast talking journalists to better understand the man by understanding his dying words. Everyone close to him is interviewed, allowing us to see how Charles rose from poverty to become one of the richest men on the planet. I don't want to ruin the ending, especially what Rosebud means, so I will stop there. Just know that this film does a great job of showing the man behind the money (if he would have really existed that is).

The most notable thing about this film was the make up. Just like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the characters are shown throughout all stages of their life. This feat means so much more when you consider how old the movie is. That by itself is enough to make Citizen Kane iconic. Would I say that Citizen Kane is the best movie ever made? Probably not, but it certainly belongs on the list.

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.1
Would I own it? It's a little old for me.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Everyone must see it at least once.