SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Seventh animated special based on the Charles M. Schulz cartoon strips is also the first aired during the 1970's, and is about Lucy's infatuation with Schroder, but he only loves Beethoven, until Lucy decides to enroll him in the PTA music show, but only if he'll play modern music, something he refuses to do, despite Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Pig Pen already seeming quite capable of going on without him... Strange special is one of the weakest, with a flimsy plot and inconsistent characterizations(since when can poor talentless Charlie play an instrument? Did he take lessons?) Goofy comedy with spray can music and PTA members is cringe-worthy. Entirely forgettable.

Here's an oldie but a goodie...a seldom seen Peanuts special dating from the early 70's that is definitely a product of that time period...but still manages to be a funky little piece of animation even in these modern times. In this special we see Lucy, forever in love with piano-virtuoso Schroeder, try to win his love by arranging for him to play before an assembled audience thus giving him his "big break". The one catch: he has to play rock music....a big no-no to the classically trained musician. He decides to go ahead and perform with a backing band provided by Charlie Brown on guitar, Snoopy on bass, and Pigpen on the drums...all quite skilled players themselves, but at the last minute Schroeder decides to remain true to his art and principals and backs out of the show rather than selling out. A entertaining little gem that keeps the viewers laughing with funny back and fourth banter (mostly between Lucy and Schroeder), funny spoofs on products that were available at the time (remember when everything became available in a can?), and some snappy music both in classical piano form, and hip 70's rock and roll. And yes...Snoopy is there to put his two cents in. Great fun to take you back a few years...younger kids may be lost (or they may love it) but adults will get a kick out of it.

Lucy thinks she's found a way for Schroeder to like her when she gets him a gig at the PTA show at the school but Peppermint Patty tells her something that she knows Schroeder wouldn't be crazy about. I'll stop there and just say that this was another "Peanuts" special that I highly enjoyed watching a few years ago having been one of the few I didn't catch as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s. It happened to be during a few months after director Bill Melendez died and when I originally submitted this, it was dedicated to him. He knew so well how to put Charles Schulz' vision in animated form with great help from Vince Guaraldi's music score. I won't mention any more except just seek out Play It Again, Charlie Brown on YouTube or anywhere if you're in the mood...

I know I'm in a significant minority here, but if I had to single out the one definitive 'Charlie Brown' special that I personally love more than any other, I wouldn't think twice about going for this one. Obviously it doesn't have any of the 'holiday classic' appeal that elevated the likes of 'it's the Great Pumpkin' and 'a Charlie Brown Christmas' into annual syndication and the hearts of thousands - but it can be judged on its own merits, and it's simply a lovely, gentle and very enjoyable little cartoon that focuses on the ambiguous relationship between two of the most memorable supporting characters: Lucy and Schroeder. Pre-occupied Schroeder is content just to sit at his toy piano all day, chiming out tributes to his idol Beethoven, while lovesick Lucy, taking a well-earned break from undermining the self-esteem of the other kids in the neighbourhood, longs to pry his attention away in her direction, but only winds up making a nuisance of herself on every occasion. In desperation, she turns to Peppermint Patty for advice, who comes up with a near-perfect solution - only trouble is, it comes attached with an uneasy moral dilemma for Schroeder. Like most 'Peanuts' specials (the earlier ones in particular) it never talks down to its audience, and manages to deliver a wonderful message that can be respected by kids and adults alike. It's about staying true to your personal principles and not feeling that you have to compromise them for the sake of convention, done in a light-hearted and genuine tone, and you have to admire the conclusion that Schroeder himself comes to. This cartoon confirms my theory that he may just be the most rational and potentially prosperous member of the Peanuts gang. He's a kid who'll go places in his adult life, mark my words.It's all combined with the dry, melancholic 'Peanuts' humour that has you smiling no matter what your age, the ingenious blending of adult philosophy with a child's-eye perspective, and some truly delightful set-pieces, particularly the three-man musical act from Charlie Brown, Pig Pen and, of course, everyone's favourite black-and-white beagle, Snoopy. Not everything about it is entirely timeless (I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that the 'spray can' gags would have seemed a little more relevant in the early 70s when this first debuted, and Lucy's 'saucepan' comments may have a few eyebrows raising), but they're pretty small fry compared to the narrative beauty that dominates this tale. Plus, you have to love any 'Peanuts' special that succeeds in capturing the softer, more helpless side to the usually very mean-spirited Lucy.Get over the scrappy animation quality (which is the only thing this loses marks for), and love it for the many, many things it does right. Like the classical music Schroeder so lovingly plays throughout, it's mellow, relaxing and has a certain appeal that doesn't diminish with time. 'Peanuts' specials just don't get any lovelier.Grade: A