Boychoir (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Follow Genre: Drama, Music
Director: François Girard
Distributor: eOne
Duration: 103 minutes

Boychoir (Blu-ray) – Movie Review

Site Score
7.5
Good: Music, Topic, Acting performances
Bad: Very typical storyline
User Score
7.0
(2 votes)
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Rating: 7.0/10 (2 votes cast)

There are loads of movies about music, pop stars, bands and the life stories of many influential figures in the music industry. Today we will present you with another one, but perhaps one that tells the story of a unique way of making music, covered in a fairly typical blanket. Boychoir is trying to hit several high notes, but it still has a bit to learn before being able to shatter some glasses. Nonetheless, prepare to see a totally different world of music.

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Stet (Garrett Wareing), an eleven year old boy that has had a fairly poor upbringing, is pretty much the problem child of his local school. Truth be told, he couldn’t care less about what other people think of him, as long as they leave him alone and don’t get on his nerves. Whilst he does get in trouble at school, there is a lot to worry about at home as well, as his mother is a total mess and there is no father figure around to straighten things out. Nonetheless, this young boy knows how to sing and quite well actually. When an opportunity comes by, presented by Ms. Steel (Debra Winger), the only person who has faith in his capabilities at school, Stet runs away from it, quitting even before proving his worth. To make matters even worse, his mother dies that very day, making him all alone in a big and cruel world.

At the funeral his birthfather Gerard (Josh Lucas) arrives on the scene, offering to put him in a foster home. Stet is actually Gerard’s child from an affair his wife never knew, making Stet an unwelcome guest in his own home. Nonetheless, he has always provided ‘money’ for Stet. Ms. Steel manages to convince him that there’s a better life for Stet, namely by pursuing his potential in the music world. This brings him to the same person that ‘wanted’ to see his talent right before the accident happened, namely master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman), the teacher of a topnotch boy choir. Whilst he refuses to teach Stet, Gerard offers a handsome amount of money to convince the rest of the board into accepting the young delinquent. This happens to be the arduous journey from living a rebellious life to becoming a young man that is finally able to explore his talent. At least, if he doesn’t ruin this once in a lifetime opportunity, that actually came by twice.

The movie itself follows a decent pace but overall it’s not that flashy, which, given the topic, should already be clear from the start. Nonetheless, the fairly typical storyline does provide a decent amount of action and conflicts in order to give a bit more ambience to the overall quiet tone of the movie. That being said, it would have been a tad more interesting if the plot proved to be a bit more original.

As the movie is about music, it’s only natural that the music in it should be of decent quality. Simply put: the music is superb. You’ll be able to enjoy a classically themed choir movie, from a topnotch quality. From the second half of the movie, the scenes where Stet and his classmates sing will become more and more frequent, surely pleasing the fans of this type of music. To me personally it also showed that choirs like this are perhaps too ‘unknown’ for what these young children actually do. It also shows what these boys have to sacrifice in order to get a very short period of standing in the spotlight

Acting performances are certainly quite good, especially those of Garrett Wareing and Dustin Hoffman. At the beginning of the movie, with the attitude of Stet, Garrett will make you feel as if he truly is a ‘little shit’. As the movie progresses, you will see that this young actor is capable of making his character evolve properly. Dustin Hoffman does a great job in depicting a very closed Carvelle, who is not fond of the young intruder. He values discipline just as much as talent, and thus he is not keen on Stet’s behavior and makes sure to show him that much. Nonetheless, he too will show a different side as the story progresses. The supporting cast will certainly add value to the movie, but it’s clear that the story will revolve around both Carvelle and Stet.

Conclusion

Boychoir will certainly please (classical) music enthusiasts, not necessarily with its thin plotline, but rather by the musical sequences that are outstanding. That being said, the boy-meets-world plot does work for this movie and serves as an effective tune for this dramatic concerto. Indulge yourself in music you might not have heard about that much.

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Rating: 7.0/10 (2 votes cast)
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Boychoir (Blu-ray) - Movie Review, 7.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings

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