Truly Dreadful Film

Sorry, this movie sucks

Expected more

Crappy film

For anyone who has actually seen the play or performed in it, both of which I have, this screen adaptation of the Wilson musical is a dream come true. You can read the script to the play to the 1962 and find that the script writers completely threw out the dialogue and left the songs as they are with the exception of "Being in Love", which was created for that movie to replace the stage musical's "My White Knight." I am happy to inform that all of the original dialogue and all of the songs are from the stage musical are present instantly making this far superior to that mockery from the 1960's.Of course, even then the problem it does have is like the 1962 film where a man too old for the role of Harold Hill is cast. Harold's lie is that he graduated from the Gary Conservatory of Music in 1905 and the fact that people actually believes that gives some clue to his age. As the age of graduation would be twenty-two and thus since the story is set in 1912 that would mean Harold is twenty-nine. Robert Preston was forty-four and Matthew Broderick was forty-one. They both have the ability... Okay, the latter has the ability, the former has nothing... But they are both too old.NBC may doe this play someday. It may be just as faithful as this adaptation and thus superior to that mockery from the 60's. If they do, then here is hoping that they get an actor the proper age for Harold.

We absolutely adore this movie. Since we purchased this movie in 2003, my wife, children and I have been able to sit down and actually all four of us enjoy it together. We have two daughters (ages 12 and 13 now) and it is great to have the opportunity to not have to worry about the content of what they are watching. We all definitely recommend it. Additionally, we find that personally Matthew Broderick has had his best performance since "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Sadly, we haven't seen the Broadway performance, but we all have enjoyed this movie countless times through the years and look forward to each time we put it in. Finally, the supporting cast is outstanding as well. Kristin Chenoweth and Molly Shannon are definitely worth seeing. Surprisingly, we were exceptionally pleased with Molly Shannons performance. Having primarily previously been exposed to her on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC), she displayed abilities that we were unaware she had- a plus. Definitely watch and enjoy this movie. It should be brought back every year, as either a broadcast event or on movie channels. It is one timeless watch!

I don't really want to harp on this production too much, because this musical in any form is a favorite of mine. However, though I found this outing to be fair, it also seemed rather run-of-the-mill or paint-by-numbers, & suffered greatly from a lack of charisma in its performances.I'm really trying to not let the influence of the original film color my interpretation here, but there's something missing in the presentation of the two lead characters, as written, that causes a breakdown of the chemistry between them that makes this scenario less believable.Don't get me wrong. Both Kristin Chenoweth & Matthew Broderick are good performers, & have both displayed that in others presentations, but here they really only manage to be cute together. I didn't get the romance, that's supposed to be happening between them, nor any of the other emotional content that's in this story. Chenoweth is really good, and it sucks to bring it to this level, but she has a look about her that makes this character a hard sell for her, & though she makes a better go of it than anyone else in the film, it falls a little flat, especially at the endTo be frank, Broderick was a miscast. He gets completely drowned out vocally by Chenoweth, in "Til There Was You" & he just does not have the charm, confidence, & plain masculinity to carry the part of a character whose mere presence turns a simple town on its emotional ear. Nor does he have the depth to present the genuine change of heart that happens to Harold Hill at the end. He seemed kind of spongy or milktoast, & the result was that the production was like an air filled donut where jelly should be.Hugh Jackman could do it in his sleep, but they ain't getting him for a TV movie. Sadly, I didn't see any performances that really made me feel this story come to life, which I suppose makes the production seem a bit lackluster, literally... lacking in luster

This is truly one of the worst adaptations ever put on film. Could not have been more flat if they had tried to do it as a parody. Honestly, Helen Keller could have directed a better version than this. I worked with a man who was responsible for writing out the score for the original Broadway production. I spent a large part of my life studying this show and never thought it could be this bad. Not only did they butcher the script, the casting was completely wrong.In an interview, Molly Shannon described E.M. Shinn as a woman who had traveled the world and felt it was her duty to impart her knowledge on the community of River City. This is completely wrong. E.M. Shinn is a woman who has read every article in Ladies Home Journal about various places around the world and has imparted her knowledge as IF she had actually been to these places. This is why the Greecian Urn and Indian Language scenes are so hilarious, she has no clue of what she is talking about. That tells me that the Director did not do his job and research who the characters are. If you don't understand the character, you can't direct them in a film.I also agree with a previous reviewer about the racial issue in this film. On stage we have a commonly accepted practice of "blind casting." That does not translate as well to film, especially a period one. I also agree that Mrs. Paroo's accent is horrendous. I'm writing this review while listening to it again and I can't explain it. Someone should have sent her to Dublin for a week before filming. OR, better yet, hire any number of great Irish actresses who could live up to the legendary Pert Kelton who created the role.If you want to see what this show should be, watch the original Warner Bros. Production with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. Preston had the perfect level of Suave and smoothness as a swindler. Jones' voice soars as Marion. Of course the rest of the cast shine under Mort De Costa's direction. The director of this horrible version should never be allowed near a camera again.