StrongRex

They had Shirley Jones right there, one of the loveliest 1950s and 60s screen actresses with a gorgeous soprano voice to boot. She will always be my favorite Laurey from Oklahoma and she is one reason for me to visit the 1950s should time travel ever become possible and available. With Marian Paroo's high soprano octaves, this on paper sounded like perfect casting.

So why, oh why did they screw it up? Why in the world did they lower her songs by at least an octave? As a result of them doing so, every time I watch this movie and listen to Shirley Jones singing her parts, she sounds really dull and boring. Even worse than that, they cut My White Knight and replaced it with a really bland, completely unmemorable song written for the movie, and there was no reason for them to do that. I've seen Oklahoma many times and listened to the music, and Shirley Jones is not only one of my favorite performers in that movie, but I know for a fact she could've sung that high without any issues. Just listen to the way she sings Many A New Day and People Will Say We're In Love from Oklahoma. She definitely could've sung Marian's songs in their original key, and she would've knocked My White Knight out of the park for sure. There was no reason to think she couldn't, and there was no reason for them to make those lame changes.

(Oh and speaking of them cutting My White Knight and replacing it with a boring, unmemorable song, here is something actually really infuriating. Upon rewatching this movie recently, they actually included a portion of My White Knight in the middle of that said boring, unmemorable song, drawing attention to the fact that they could've just kept My White Knight instead of writing that whole other song and they chose not to. And like I suspected, Shirley Jones DID hit the high notes comfortably and perfectly, also drawing attention to the fact that she could've done the same with all the other songs, so there was no need at all to tamper with their range for the movie.)

I know there are many people who dislike the remake with Matthew Broderick, but I'm sorry guys. They used Kristin Chenoweth in the remake way better than they used Shirley Jones here, and it's one of the reasons I prefer the remake because Kristin just SELLS it as Marian. And Barbara Cook, I could listen to her ALL DAY. It makes me extremely sad that I can't say the same for Shirley Jones because I freaking love her to death otherwise.

Just...why, movie? You wasted your Shirley Jones. You had her right there and you let her go to waste. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for that - in fact, Music Man is one of my favorite stage shows but this is probably the number one reason I don't care for this movie.

Oh, where to begin with this movie. I'll start with some of the good: Eric Schweig was perfectly cast as the murderous, intimidating, menacing Injun Joe. If I could create my own Tom Sawyer classic movie, I'd recast him. Same with Michael McShane as Muff Potter. Jonathan Taylor Thomas sounds like the perfect Tom Sawyer on paper; he does have a history of playing rambunctious, trouble-making boys, and he has a special place in my heart as Simba from The Lion King, my favorite Disney movie. But here...he's just alright. He doesn't have as much of the edge that made Tom Sawyer such a fascinating, dynamic character. Most of the blame for that goes to the writers though; I'm sure Thomas would have done much better had he been given better material to work with. Everyone else was sorely miscast (i.e Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Polly, Widow Douglas, Joe Harper, etc.), and the characters who did have decent casting (Judge Thatcher, Ben Rogers, Mr. Dobbins, etc.) didn't stand out very much.

No attempt was made to create the atmosphere of Tom Sawyer (the dialect, the plot, the setting, the characters, etc.) Every boy, including Tom Sawyer, went barefoot in the book, but in the movie they all wore shoes. This may not seem like a big deal, but it's part of the edge Tom Sawyer and his friends have in the book; they're not afraid to get down and dirty in the adventures they have, and the boys who do wear shoes in the book are looked down upon as sissies.

In the novel, Tom Sawyer gets whooped at least twice. In this version, he doesn't even get it once.

Huckleberry Finn in the books was carefree, laid-back, and is satisfied with his independent lifestyle. Although he is despised by every "respectable" adult in St. Petersburg, he's envied and friends with most of the children, and he doesn't feel sorry for himself. Brad Renfro's Huck is snide, irritable, sarcastic, and even somewhat of a bully, nothing at all like Twain's Huck. This Huck DOES feel sorry for himself, and often takes his frustrations out on Tom.

Becky Thatcher in the book is a bit too demure and puts on airs. But she isn't a bitch. In the book, Tom gets back into her good graces by taking the hit for her (literally) and their relationship grows even stronger in the cave scene. In the movie, she's portrayed as a bitch plain and simple; in fact she holds a continuous grudge against Tom throughout the movie, which makes their bonding in the cave scene really forced. Not to mention that Rachael Leigh Cook as Becky Thatcher is probably the worst case of miscasting in this movie; she was way too old and was a good two heads taller than Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Disney could have made their own version of Tom Sawyer great, especially with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the lead. What a wasted, missed opportunity.