Gain and loss. Stet loses a father and a mother but gains an amazing opportunity, ironically through a father who doesn't want him. His choirmaster (Dustin Hoffman) goals him into fulfilling an amazing talent in the face of a cruel and jealous competitor. Stet does just that in a stunning solo performance, only to suffer the loss of the gift of a beautiful voice as he reaches puberty. His father, deeply moved by Stet's performance, decides to confess his secret son to his wife. Stet"s gain of a family is balanced by his choirmaster's loss as he faces a lonely retirement. Unforgettable choral music, enhanced by the beautiful voice of Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg.

Enjoyable sad realistic choirboys story.

Heavenly music, Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Debra Winger - awesome movie!

I have nothing against "formula" stories or "predictability." What ruined the film for me is that the film failed to engage because of major casting failures. Dustin Hoffman and Kathy Bates turn in performances that SEEM intense, but neither veteran actor is able to bring genuineness or honesty to their role. Director Girard is hailed for THE RED VIOLIN, but his co-writer of that intriguing script, Canadian Don McKellar, isn't involved with this project. Instead, Ben Ripley was tapped. Ripley has an IMDB list of credits that are reliably flat, formulaic and predictable. That's a shame, because this premise could have soared -- like LES CHORISTES or MR HOLLAND'S OPUS or SISTER STORY, which are generally formulaic and predicable, but transcend those issues with emotional appeal.

Um garoto revoltado com a voz bonita consegue uma vaga em uma ótima escola de canto graças a seu pai que o quer bem longe dele e paga para ele entrar... o filme é bem previsível, ele é revoltadinho e canta bem, briga aqui e arruma uma confusão ali mas vai ser um grande cantor... bom e previsível...

It's been a tough year for kids who sing and those who like to watch them sing. The 온라인카지노추천 show, GLEE, came to an end last March. Two months later, the producers of AMERICAN IDOL announced that their show will wrap up after this coming season. Even the elite singing school, the American Boychoir School, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April. BOYCHOIR is a fictionalised story set at the National Boychoir Academy. It's no secret that the NBA is modeled after the ABS. Even the two schools' touring buses look the same. The film centers around Stet, a troubled and angry 12-year-old boy from Odessa, Texas, who transfers to the school mid-year after his mother dies. His school's principal (played by Debra Winger) recognises his musical talent and she convinces Stet's estranged - and apparently rich - father to get him into the private school. Interestingly, like its real counterpart, the NBA is strapped for cash and the new school's principal (Kathy Bates) willingly accepts Stet's father's cheque even though the boy flunks his singing audition and can't read music. Life at the academy doesn't start well for the boy. If not for one music teacher, Wooly, (played by GLEE's Kevin McHale) championing the cherub, Stet would be completely lost. Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman), the choir master, sees the boy's potential but has no interest in training him because Stet would rather be anywhere else. Drake (Eddie Izzard), Carvell's assistant, has his own issues with Stet. He has his own angelic-voiced protégé - Devon - in the performance choir and he has no interest in seeing any change to the status quo. As for Stet's classmates, they shun him altogether. Only one student, an outcast himself, befriends the boy, teaching him virtually overnight not only how to read music but all the minutiae of music theory. Wait a second! This is supposed to be a premier school for pre-teen boys that charges in the neighbourhood of US$30,000 a year for tuition, room and board (cheap by Hong Kong standards, I know). What kind of teachers are these? Maybe it's just me but I would have expected a bit more quality and commitment from Carvelle and Drake. For kids who are supposed to be the vocal equivalent of race horses, all we see is some perfunctory teaching. Where are the interminable warm up scales? Where are the soul-crushing drills? Where are the kids passing out under the heat of the spotlights? Singing is not an extra-curricular activity at this school. It IS the curriculum. And it's not just the Music Department that is slacking off. In one very brief scene where we see the boys in Phys. Ed. class, their teacher is having them bounce basketballs as if they've never seen such things before. Small wonder the school is facing a financial crisis. As expected, Carvelle and Stat butt heads until the boy realises that he loves singing more than he hates the world. That's welcome news for Carvelle, who is determined to make his choir as acclaimed as the Vienna Boys' Choir. When they receive an invitation to sing in New York, Drake writes a piece of new music that requires one of the boys to hit a high D. Who will it be - Stet or Devon? The big problem with BOYCHOIR is that there isn't enough tension. There is no comparison to other music school films - both FAME and WHIPLASH come to mind. The National Boychoir Academy comes across as a school that gives out awards to students for good attendance. But just showing up won't get these kids into performing arts high schools, which is probably where most of these students would want to attend when they graduate from the academy. Had there been more scenes of the teachers pushing their students to achieve greatness, BOYCHOIR would have been an interesting film. Unfortunately, Hoffman sleepwalks through his role, waking up just long enough to deliver some platitude. The same can be said for Bates. Even McHale's talents are wasted. If you can imagine Artie all grown up and out of his wheelchair, that would be Wooly. No singing or dancing. (He's apparently a very good dancer too.) The only bright light in the film comes from Debra Winger. Let's hope she's making a comeback. BOYCHOIR is one flat disappointment. With better writing and direction, it could have hit all the right notes.

Good movie, I enjoyed this one and the story it told about the adversity that this boy faced in his life and how he rose to the challenges. Good cast too.

I absolutely love this movie. I have some difficulty to understand how they did not get more nominations. I was really touched by Stets story and the music still resonates long after the end credits

It feels a lot like a Hallmark movie but that's not a negative connotation. This movie is simple, sweet, and enjoyable in the greatest way.

Very inspirational, emotional, and entertaining.

Nem kell t?le hasraesni, de tisztességes filmes munka. Se több, se kevesebb. Magamtól biztos nem néznék meg egy filmet, amiben (ennyit) énekelnek.

This movie is about more than Dustin Hoffman. Kathy Bates and Dustin Hoffman played great parts. The star of this movie was the American Boychoir and the problems that existed within it. Its not full of action but it certainly has its dramatic clips. All well acted. Loved it.

Something strangely endearing about this film, that as far as I'm aware, has slipped under the radar in its release over the past year. Little did I know of its existence, but through a chance encounter one drizzly winter night, I've now witnessed a hidden gem. Beginning with a storyline that wouldn't be out of place on a Jeremy Kyle show, with a drunken mother neglecting her child, as his standards and particularly his education slip away as he devotes his precious time to helping her stay sober. Then one fateful day, his whole life changes in a flash when his want away father forces him to join a boarding school full of gifted singers. A complete outcast due to his deprived upbringing, but also unique because of his natural ability to sing ear piercing notes, we then witness Stetson's rise through the ranks of the academy to become one of the best students it has ever witnessed. An ultimate story of zero to hero, beating off the school class act, and secret bully, to land prime roles in his place, his fight for survival is both inspiring and emotional to watch. The focus on the young boys journey leaves the star names of Hoffman, Bates, and Izzard in his wake, but naturally these all perform a superb supporting act to the main performance. I guess it has a very Billy Elliot feel to it, but perhaps with a little more class and decorum in the manner it is portrayed on screen. On a critical note, I'd go as far as to suggest that the hard hitting impact this has upon first viewing wouldn't be able to add any further credibility or excitement on repeat viewing, but it's still definitely a highly recommendable quantity for those seeking a quiet evening, with a nice glass of wine and a quality movie. It's a real reflective film, and by the time it had finished, I was sure of two things; firstly that I'm glad I never went to boarding school, but secondly, that I really wish I could sing in tune!

Another music oriented feature from Canadian director Fracois Girard focusing on a troubled youth from a single parent household who is given the chance of a lifetime due to his powerful voice that is set up with a powerful music school to pursue the proper training and discipline he needs despite his anger issues and everything. One of those award bait films that has the supporting cast of recognizable faces in their patented trademark personas from Hoffman to Bates and Josh Lucas, but the big thing is just listening to the varying choral pieces which are immaculately recorded. Otherwise it is just a by the numbers hallmark film that has a vague chamber piece element to the proceedings that the normal heartstring pulling sequences. Not bad for what it is.

The decadent critics pan this movie - "Formulaic", "cliche", etc., they decry. Ignore them. If you enjoy the refined works of Handel, Mendelssohn, etc., you will get extra musical enjoyment throughout the film. if not, what we have here is a star cast and a beautiful "formulaic" story, consisting of good versus evil, overcoming adversity, the necessity of hard work in order to full fill ones potential, and a happy ending. In terms of potential for improvement, the adults - and kids - are cast as quite thoroughly secular. if i were the director, i would change this, as arguably you can't sing this kind of music optimally without believing in or at least acknowledging the meaning of the words. Furthermore, a school like the one depicted would very likely include chapel and some kind of Christian influence. There is essentially nothing in this film to give us this aspect of the characters reality.

Enjoyable but predictable

Oh seriously, come on! Critics and fans alike are just getting jaded if they can't enjoy a nice drama like this. By reading all the critics' reviews, you'd think they were all waiting with baited breath for Duston Hoffman's next utterance in this movie. Newsflash: he had a minor role in this movie. Wow....audiences and critics alike are so harsh.

A well acted and enjoyable film

This felt really damp and wet when it should have sparkled. The cast were exceptional but for some reason it felt so pedestrian. A small boy who loses his mother get put into a school choir where he learns lessons in life

Review: For a movie about a genre of music that I'm not really into, I quite enjoyed this emotional drama because of the transitions that the main character, Stet (Garrett Wareing), went through in his life. The movie starts of with Stet getting into a fight in school, which was a regular occurence and when he gets home he has to deal with his alcoholic mother which adds to Stets traumatic life. The head teacher in his school has complete faith in his amazing voice, even though he has a bad attitude and causes trouble in the school, so she invites a top school to perform and recruit any talented singers in her school. At the audition, Stet gets to nervous to perform in front of the top composer Master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) and his trustee protégé Drake (Eddie Izzard), so he walks out of the room and goes home, only to find out that his mum has died in a car crash. With nowhere to go, his head teacher calls his dad Gérard (Josh Lucas) who has disowned Stet because he was born after a one night stand with his mother and he has his own family at home. The head teacher Ms. Steel (Debra Winger) suggests to Stets father that he should go to the highly rated music school because he has an amazing voice so Gérard pays for Stet attend, even though they are nearly halfway through the term. Stets attitude becomes difficult to handle at the beginning of his musical journey at the school but he soon has to buck up his ideas because Master Carvelle isn't having none of his foolishness. After a while, Stet is able to control his bad attitude and the teachers soon realise that he has an amazing gift. He then gets put in front of the choir and he sings the lead in the performance of a life time, which helps both Stet and Master Carvelle pursue there dream. The storyline was written extremely well and all of the actors put in top performances, especially Dustin Hoffman. It did seem slightly predictable right from the beginning but there is enough material to make the film watchable. Hoffman's stern teaching methods mixed with Stets  self destructive attitude was a great mix and the emotional scenes with his father, especially near the end, makes this movie a right tear-jerker. Anyway, it's a well made emotional drama which might look a bit boring to a lot of people but it worth a watch. Watchable! Round-Up: The director of this movie had some top actors to work with, like the Oscar winning Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Debra Winger, Josh Lucas and Eddie Izzard so he was guaranteed top performances. Dustin Hoffman, 78 but still looking good, has starred in over 70 movies in his career which have grossed nearly $2Billion. He has won 2 Oscars in his career for Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer but his biggest earning movie turns out to be an animation film called Kung Fu Panda. Anyway, this film was directed by François Gérard who also brought you the Red Violin starring Samuel L. Jackson.  Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $1.8million I recommend this movie to people who are into their emotional dramas/music about a self destructive boy who is sent to a top music school to pursue his singing career in a choir after losing his mum. 5/10