Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
Screenplay by: The guy who wrote Hook and the original Micheal Myers!
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Terrence Howard
The premise is basically magic Oliver Twist. A seeming orphan, the result of a romance between an Irish guitarist and a classical cellist, feels the power of music drawing him to New York City, where he'll learn to play and navigate an unlikely cast of characters.
Despite that awesome premise, it’s sadly not that great. The script is frankly a mess, and the film feels like it thought its premise was enough and they didn't need to polish the reactions or the pacing or sadly even the music. It's great when there IS music, but when there isn't, it just doesn't hold together.
If you're trying to get your kid to think this stuff is cool, this isn't the worst example. They'll probably understand it and think it's cute. But if you want their expectations realistic, there's a number of better options. Sing; Sing Street; Raise Your Voice. These feel like proper musicals and show the actual process of learning music, instead of just having magically knowing it. If your kid can't become Batman just by wanting it, they can't become musicians either, so you're better off with something else.
I'd half-recommend, but not really recommend. Now you know.
