Boychoir (film)
| Boychoir | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | François Girard |
| Produced by |
Carol Baum Judy Cairo Jane Goldenring |
| Written by | Ben Ripley |
| Starring |
Dustin Hoffman Kathy Bates Debra Winger |
| Music by | Brian Byrne |
| Cinematography | David Franco |
| Edited by | Gaetan Huot |
Production company |
Informant Films |
| Distributed by | Mongrel Media |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Boychoir is a 2014 American drama film directed by François Girard and written by Ben Ripley.[2] The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Debra Winger, Josh Lucas, and the American Boychoir School.[3]
Plot
Stet is a troubled and angry 12-year-old from the wrong side of the tracks. His single mother dies, after which his father brings him to an elite music academy, the fictitious National Boychoir Academy, which is a boarding school, because Stet can sing well, and because the father has a new wife and two daughters, and keeps it secret to them that he has a son from another woman. Stet is admitted due to his talent but also the generous amount of money the father pays them.
Stet doesn't fit in very well, because the other pupils are privileged children, and because Stet is not disciplined enough for some of the staff. However, he works hard and becomes one of the best singers, which allows him to join tours.
Stet's family receives tickets, anonymously sent by the academy, for an important performance of the choir. The father does not want to go because of his secret, but the others want to go, so the father feels forced to go with them. After the concert he decides to transfer Stet to a school in Switzerland, but Stet, encouraged by staff member Carvelle, does not want to go, after which Carvelle threatens the father to expose his secret, and the father keeps Stet at the school. Finally the father tells his family, and his wife accepts this. Stet starts living with them.
Cast
- Dustin Hoffman[2] as Carvelle
- Kathy Bates[2]
- Debra Winger[4] as Ms. Steel
- Garrett Wareing[4] as Stet
- Eddie Izzard[4] as Drake
- Kevin McHale[4] as Wooly
- Josh Lucas[4]
- Joe West[4] as Devon
- River Alexander[4] as Rafael "Raffi" Abrams
- Grant Venable[4] as Andre
Production
Hoffman stars in Boychoir as the choir master Carvelle, with Bates as the school's headmistress; the director is François Girard with a script by Ben Ripley. Originally, the cast was to include Alfred Molina, but he left the project.[2] In February 2014, Debra Winger, Eddie Izzard, Kevin McHale, Josh Lucas, and newcomers Garrett Wareing, Joe West, River Alexander, and Grant Venable joined the cast.[5] Wareing plays a young man who joins a boys choir; Winger plays the boy’s Odessa, Texas school principal; Izzard, replacing Alfred Molina, will play Drake, the choir master’s right-hand at the school; Lucas plays the boy’s estranged father. McHale will portray a young music teacher who champions the boy and West, Alexander and Venable play other boys in the chorus.[4]
Filming
Principal photography began in February 2014 in New York and in Stamford, New Haven, and Fairfield, Connecticut, some at Fairfield University.[2][6]
Reception
Boychoir received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 61% rating based on 23 reviews for an average rating of 5.9/10. The consensus states: "Boychoir rests heavily -- and not always comfortably -- on the shoulders of Dustin Hoffman, whose typically excellent work isn't always quite enough to compensate for an overly predictable drama."[7]
References
- ↑ "BOYCHOIR (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Dustin Hoffman To Star In ‘Boychoir’; Alfred Molina, Kathy Bates Round Out Cast". deadline.com. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter. "Toronto Film Review: 'Boychoir'". Variety. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Kilday, Gregg (24 February 2014). "Debra Winger and Eddie Izzard Join 'Boychoir'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ↑ Kilday, Gregg (24 February 2014). "Debra Winger and Eddie Izzard Join 'Boychoir'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ↑ Dunne, Susan (13 February 2014). "Dustin Hoffman To Film 'Boychoir' In Connecticut". courant.com. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ↑ "Boychoir". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
External links
- Boychoir at the Internet Movie Database