BOYCHOIR - review

BOYCHOIR
Director: Francois Girard
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Kevin McHale, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Josh Lucas, Debra Winger, Garrett Wareing

For me, days off equal small sleep ins, housework, cups of tea and taking myself and my latest crochet project to the movies. Today was no exception. I took my latest crochet WIP (a baby blanket, of which I seem to be making many at the moment), and off I went to the Sun Theatre with nothing more than a plan to see some films. I had seen the trailer for X+Y, but I hadn't seen anything for BOYCHOIR, all I knew was what the poster showed me - Dustin Hoffman conducting a boys choir. I picked it purely based on the time it was showing and how it fitted into my lazy day of doing nothing. Had I seen the trailer, I would have still wanted to watch it. Had I read some of the reviews, I might have been dubious.

Screening last year during the Toronto International Film Festival, BOYCHOIR has divided audiences and the split is quite uneven. There are some truly scathing reviews out there from proper critics, that I'm not sure I agree with entirely. I mean they make some good points, but I think they're a bit harsh. Don't worry, I know that movies are subjective and that not everything is for everyone, and that most critics are a little more selective in their likes than I am. For I am but a humble pleb with a tiny little blog about films that I see in my spare time. I have no official training in reviewing films, I did not study film at university (although I kind of wish I had), I just like movies and I like to talk about them, always have and probably always will. 

BOYCHOIR is sitting on 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has suffered greatly at the hands of film critics around the world, but don't let that turn you off. This film from acclaimed director Francois Girard (THE RED VIOLIN) depicts the tale of rebellious pre-teen Stet (Wareing), with the voice of an angel, whose principal believes that he has a gift and does all that she can to push him to pursue his talent. Choral singing of all things.  Having just lost his drug and alcohol addicted mother in a car accident, his father (who has another family and who has kept Stet's existence a secret) schmoozes on behalf of Stet to get him into a prestigious school on the east coast for choir boys by way of a hefty cheque - after all money makes the world go round. There Stet meets Wooly (Kevin McHale), the teacher who believes in him, Drake (Eddie Izzard), the teacher who is afraid he will sabotage his own child singing prodigy, and the grumpy-ass choir master (Dustin Hoffman) who sees his talent, but doesn't believe he has the hutzpah to stick it out. 

Josh Lucas and Garrett Wareing - buying Stet's way into school

The film is a little predictable, with Stet achieving a number of little victories en route to the climactic ending that you can see coming from a mile away, but that doesn't stop it from being uplifting and nice. It certainly doesn't stop you from getting goosebumps when those boys open their mouths and the magic of choral music just tumbles out in glorious surround sound. There are some missed opportunities in the script to take the film on a slightly less predictable route, but it follows the very successful formula of so many before it - disadvantaged child with amazing gift, great opportunity to pursue said gift, demanding and tough-love giving teacher/mentor, happy ending, all the lessons are learnt. Particularly the lesson of carpe diem - a soprano singing career is a short one for a boy - if you've got a gift use it and use it now, time is after all, fleeting.

Stet singing a glorious solo

Yes it was predictable, yes it could have been so much more, yes, yes, yes to many of the criticisms this film is receiving. But you know what people? I still enjoyed it - and if that makes me a pleb with undiscerning taste and low expectations (thank you nameless critic) then so be it. 

Everyone loves a heartwarming story about the underdog who against the odds succeeds. The film is not overly sentimental until the very last scene, which I could have done without, and the ridiculous closing credits song by Josh Gorban, which I also could have done without. Aside from that there are strong performances from a fantastic ensemble cast, with Hoffman of course being the standout. 

Izzard, McHale and Hoffman 

Wareing tackles this character well and although I think Stet is like most of the other characters in the film in that he was slightly underdeveloped as a character, Wareing has done a pretty great job. He even went into intensive training at a real life American boy choir school in Princeton (yup, that's a thing guys, boy choir school is a real ting) to learn how to sing and he hit a high D. That right there is commitment people, the journey to a high D is rough going. 

settling in is never easy - particularly at an all boys choir school

I think BOYCHOIR getting a bit of a bum rap. Although it's predictable, it's also heartwarming and the singing, my god, I got goosebumps. If films about singing are not your thing, and you don't love a predictable, heartwarming tale of an underdog who comes out on top the avoid this film like the plague.  I could have happily waited to see this at home, or in fact just listen to the soundtrack which is the true highlight of this film. But as I've said many a time before, I quite like getting hit in the feels, and hit I got. 

BOYCHOIR is not a knockout, but it's nice. If you had to choose only one film to see this week, then I probably wouldn't recommend paying the 20-something dollars to see it on the big screen, and if you don't like choral music then definitely don't fork out that kind of cash. However, if you're looking for uplifting and nice, and you can find it in your heart to let the music make up for it's predictability then go. 

3 out of 5

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell