Boychoir (2014)

Watched the movie on the 2nd day of TIFF 2014.

Before the movie, the director and several actors showed up and talked about the movie.

Dustin Huffman said,"it's a special movie, we hear that a lot. But you know films can be special and not work. And it can be special and work.... Hope you enjoy."

I did enjoy the movie. It flows very naturally and smoothly. I would not say this is a great movie, but it is still a good one.

Everyone tells Stet," you have the voice. you have the talent. Don't waste it".

I guess this is the point. Do not waster your talent. NEVER.

Even if it only stays for a short period, you gotta use your gift!

Fmovies: It's always inspiring to witness a kid discovering his own voice - something that happens quite literally in the case of Boychoir. Set in the surprisingly cutthroat, uber-elite world of choral competitions for pre-pubescent boys, the film has a few things to recommend it: a strong cast, some stunning music, and high notes you'll have to hear to believe. But it's also a middling mess of clichés, most of which are checked off with frustrating regularity.

The journey undertaken by the young male protagonist is right there in the film's title: Stet (Garrett Wareing) is a troubled, angry kid with the voice of an angel. When his mom passes away, his estranged dad (Josh Lucas) - who has a family of his own - packs him swiftly off to a choral academy. Stet doesn't fit in with most of the privileged kids he must now live with, nor is he disciplined enough to please exacting, irascible choirmaster Anton Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman). But, spurred first by rivalry with the other boys and subsequently his own desire to make his voice heard, Stet begins working hard to earn a spot in the prestigious touring choir.

There isn't much that's original in Boychoir. It coasts along on deeply familiar narrative elements - underdog kid makes good against all odds, grumpy teacher teaches kid important life lessons while recovering his own humanity, kid discovers that he has a voice that deserves to be heard... the list goes on. Some of it is well- handled, particularly when Stet claims the school as his own during a holiday break because he has nowhere else to go. But much of it lumbers by in predictable fashion. It doesn't really bother to convince us about Stet's change of heart, either, instead littering almost laughably cartoonish antagonists like ultra-smug star treble Devon (Joe West) in his way.

The film's greatest crime is that it doesn't make something more of its relatively unique setting. In most other movies about finding your inner voice and hidden talents, the new-found strengths or capabilities don't come with an expiration date. By the very nature of biology, however, Stet's pure, bell-like tones do. His talent lasts for, literally, a few years at best, with no guarantee that it will remain thereafter. Boychoir takes a half-hearted stab at shoehorning this sobering idea into its final act, but it comes a little too late - ultimately, it muddies the message of the film instead of deepening it.

Where Boychoir succeeds is in its cast. Newcomer Wareing plays Stet with a lot of soul and spunk, somehow keeping the character sympathetic even when he graduates into the unlikely role of saviour and star of his school's choir. Hoffman is a gruff, very welcome presence, hinting at an unspecified loss and depth in Carvelle's brusque treatment of his students. Kathy Bates and Eddie Izzard are also delightful in supporting roles - the former nails every exacerbated line of dialogue she gets as a weary headmistress trying to keep the peace, and the latter exudes a stuffy elegance you wouldn't typically associate with him as a teacher keen to take over Carvelle's position in the school.

It's a shame that the efforts of the cast can't quite disguise the fact that Boychoir is walking on overly familiar ground, with nothing much new to say. There's a hard-won truth tucked into this film: the process of learning is as important as the skills you ultimately acquire or hone, if not more so. But it gets buried beneath a flurry of almost painful

This film has been unfairly bashed by a lot of critics because of it's lack of originality. My take on this is the subject matter cannot go in that many directions. You can find similarities in every films about choir boys. Heck even the hit cult French film "The Chorist is far from original and recycle story lines from films that came before it. In most of these films you will get a trouble boy or boys who gets his or their life changed by his or their new found love of singing. This film is no different and if you are aware of that before going into it you will see the good point of that film rather then the fact that it is a very familiar story. Young and troubled Stet (Garrett Wareing) is sent to a Choir school by his father he never met before (Stet is a secret son,the product of a one night stand) following the death of his junkie mother. Things start roughly as Stet is accepted via bribe by his father desperate to put his son somewhere so he can be back to his real family. This causes some students and teachers to only see Stet as a charity case with no real musical talent.However Stet determination pays off and the main teacher Mr Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) finally start noticing that their might be more to the boy then meet the eye. So yes pretty straightforward story and yes it sound like a TV movie from lifetime but you know what it has a good heart and all the actors seems to really enjoy themselves. Kathy Bates as the overworked headmistress ,Eddy Izzard as a competitive teacher , Kevin McHale as the teacher who first notice Stet's talent along with Hoffman creates a very interesting dynamic and they breath life to the school. Garrett Wareing is easy to root for as Stet , he his misunderstood and a victim of his upbringing.The actor convey that sense of wanting to break free from the tag everybody has placed on him all his life and he convey a quiet sort of will power and maturity really well. The only thing that bothered me is Stet's relationship with his father felt rushed and underdeveloped and they wrapped this storyline conveniently.It is a shame as it was intriguing and it could have been explored a lot more. With that said , listen ! Yeah this films has received a lot of bad review for being too "Simple" but people who are interested in theses type of films should not be looking for "Interstellar" they should be looking for a sweet little heart warmer with excellent music and songs and this film do that! (The singing is AMAZING) !!! A perfect little film to watch on a rainy Sunday. I give it a 8 out of 10.

Boychoir fmovies. You're at the starting point of a walk through many movies (particularly this one and a certain immensely popular franchise) and still more works of Young Adult fiction. It can't contain any spoilers unless you were born yesterday. In that case, it may spoil the whole genre.

This should give you the general, not to say generic, idea. A largely orphaned 11-year-old boy with one or more unsympathetic parent figures is sent to a boarding school for children with a special gift. The school is located far out in the country, in a shadowy stone edifice of medieval design. All of the pupils are gifted, but our hero/surrogate is more gifted than the rest. The squabbling faculty includes a martinet, a mentor to our hero, and a revered Master. The Master, whose eyes may or may not twinkle, will become our hero's super-mentor and ace in the hole.

The pupils learn the arcana of their art in the classroom and practice it on their own till they can accomplish amazing feats. Among them our hero finds at least one amiable buddy, at least one garden-variety tormentor, and exactly one Aryan-looking arch rival whose malice is a bit thick. He gives the arch rival a well-deserved thrashing, but they do not become best friends afterward as in Young Adult fiction of an earlier era. In fact, our hero couldn't keep out of trouble if he tried (he seldom does), but it's all right because he's the most special child on the premises.

Now we jump briefly to another genre. It's the day of the big show, and the star is suddenly out of it. Our heroine (read hero, in the case of Boychoir) must fill in. She'll be all right, they tell her, though they're sweating bullets inside. She's got it in her, she knows the routine by heart. All she has to do is follow the maestro's eyes or the bouncing ball or something. She's going out there a kid, but she's got to come back a star. Yes, she'd blow it if this were only the third reel, but it's almost the end of the movie. So.

Now back to the first genre and the denouement of our hero's story. Through superior talent and a bit of learning, he has risen to every challenge. Even if he doesn't get a letter of recommendation from the Master (you'll just have to watch and see about that), we know he has been recognized as the greatest prodigy that ever passed through Hogw--, er, Boychoir School.

And that, unfortunately, seems to be what matters above all. In Boychoir, the protagonist's worth apparently increases in his father's eyes, as in those of the Master and the Headmistress, in proportion to his achievement. I agree with another reviewer, Stream-it, who comments, "The messages here seemed to be, very loosely, only those who become 'the best' can expect to receive the love of family and acceptance within their institution of choice. Didn't work for me." (Review title: "Entirely predictable...almost.")

The six stars that I've given to this film are mainly for the choral music, which is good as far as it goes, the photography, which is tasteful, and Kevin McHale's performance as Wooly, which is transparently right. Being among the few who haven't seen him in anything else, I don't know whether he's always the same or not. The four missing stars are for the narrative magic that wasn't there.

I'm not sure why this movie wasn't rated beter, its an uplifting movie and guaranteed to make you make you cry. Dustin Hoffman at is best. A must see !

I am a fan of so much about this movie starting with its director François Girard, whose sensitive fingerprints are all over this lovely film, to what a perfect cast, to shepherd Ben Ripleys story which burrows deep into your heart.

This is one of Dustin Hoffman's best roles in ages, and it is a joy to see him again at the top of his game. Kathy Bates is exceptional as always, and the rest of the supporting cast brought life and heart to their performances

The new young star Garrett Wareing is already showcasing serious acting chops in this his first role and manages quite genuinely to evoke the transitory nature of life starting with his parents all the way to the very thing that saves him in this movie Â… the voice of an angel that will ultimately change. But isn't that what life is about? It's not what you deal with but how you deal with it? This film teaches us that lesson with a spoonful of sugar and the heavenly voices of the American Boy Choir. I was brought to tears more than once and the ending was genuinely heart touching and inspirational.

I saw this at Toronto and the movie was a true "crowd pleaser" in the very best sense. It received a sustained standing ovation.

A wonderful family film, and a holiday excursion into the heavens because wait until you hear not only the American Boy choir sing but also Josh Groban's song "Mystery of Your Gift" at the end of the film. It was breathtakingly beautiful and Oscar worthy.

I highly recommend it.