hesketh27

I'm a big fan of Hollywood musicals but had never seen "The Music Man" until yesterday. I must say that I disliked it right from the start. The opening spoken "song" to the rhythm of the train is awful and it goes on and on. It's followed by a whole string of tuneless, forgettable numbers, hammy often embarrassing performances & an interminable running length. Why it seems to get so much praise is beyond me. It's wonderful to look at but costumes & sets don't make up for what you want from a musical - good music! I've given it two stars for "76 trombones" & "Till There Was You" - the only notable songs in it. After rewatching "Carousel" "Oklahoma" West Side Story" & "South Pacific" recently, this is real turkey in comparison. Definitely not for me.

I do remember not liking this film when it was first released, but 17 years dulls the memory somewhat & I decided to watch it again. I dislike it even more on second viewing. It opens with a cartoonish comedy atmosphere and an array of British character actors seemingly playing it for laughs. The performances range from good to dreadful with most being somewhere in the middle. As it progresses, it gradually becomes darker until it descends into the most depressing tone imaginable. It's liberally littered with expletives for no apparent reason. It's not possible to connect with the central character because he's so thoroughly objectionable & there's no backstory to show how or why he became this way. The shouting & histrionics soon become very tedious. The switches between broad comedy & serious drama are unsettling & just don't work. It's basically a mess from start to finish. The only reason it's got two stars from me is because the period details are well done. I've now wasted 4 hours of my life on this. Sincerely wish I'd left it, not revisited and cut my losses at 2....

So in "Pompeii" we have a "swords & sandals" meets "disaster" movie. There's a plucky little hero who can seemingly overcome any odds & a feisty yet still vulnerable heroine who doesn't need to mimic a man to show strength of character (Hooray, Cheer!) Then there's the wicked pantomime villain played by scenery chewing Kiefer Sutherland (Boo, Hiss!) Throw in lots of fighting, explosions & general destruction (great effects btw) and what do we end up with? Well I just switched off my brain & it worked because I really enjoyed it! It's not claiming to be great art or a historical documentary, ok - some of the acting is a bit shaky too, but why all the analysis & criticism? For goodness sake it's a popcorn movie. We know we've seen it all before but that doesn't make it any the less entertaining. Please sit back, enjoy the ride & accept it for what it is. The hopelessly romantic final scene even brought a lump to this old cynic's throat! It's a fast paced adventure that can be enjoyed by everyone who's willing to view it as the fiction that it is.