Boychoir

It’s a story of boy meets destiny. When Stet, a troubled Texan boy (Garrett Wareing) is orphaned, his principal (Debra Winger) hopes to bring him solace by securing him a place at an elite East Coast boarding school. The catch – he has to sing for his supper. American Boychoir school prides itself on its angel-faced boys with heavenly voices coached by the meticulous headmaster Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman). Stet, a kid who never cared about anything except trying to stop his alcoholic mother from self-destruction now has a second chance in life, friends and family, as well as a chance for fame. His goal – to make the touring choir and prove to himself and everyone else that he’s more than the belligerent dropkick he makes out to be.

Sounds simple right? Well, throw in a prodigal birth father (Josh Lucas) determined to hide his illegitimate son from his family, and some fierce competition from the other boys and you have a real underdog story. Hoffman is on point in his performance, delivering a rousing portrayal of an obsessive perfectionist choirmaster. Kathy Bates sizzles as she deals with precious egos and dreams as the school’s headmistress. Lucas seems to have found the fountain of youth and it’s simply dastardly how dashing he remains in his role as redemptive dad. While the acting is pretty great, the movie’s ending is blindingly obvious from the start. The incredible choir scenes and predictable narrative make this movie more like a musical showcase than an engrossing film. So if you like happily ever afters and you’re dazzled by the fleeting time in a boy’s life before his voice breaks – where a little man can pipe out notes higher than those that would normally sound comfortable – this movie is for you. 

If anything else, just see it for the sublime singing.

In cinemas 23 Apr