The Chorus, 2004 (Grade C+)

Director:  Christophe Barratier 

Cast:  Gerard Jugnot; Francois Berleand, Kad Merad, Jean-Paul Bonnaire, Marie Bunel, Jacques Perrin. Didier Flamand, Paul Charieras, Carole Weiss, Philippe Du Janerand, Erick Desmarestz, Jean-Baptiste Maunier, Maxence Perrin, Thomas Blumenthal, Cyril Bernicot

 SEZ SAYS: In the 1930s Bing Crosby taught the bad boys in his neighborhood to sing and everybody loved it. In this case we have a schoolteacher teaching dispossessed and orphan boys to sing after WW2. When our hero-teacher arrives at his new job he find  a lot of very bad boys but he teaches them to sing and meanwhile he fills our hearts with joy as we see the boys turn their lives around and become  little angels -- of nearly so. As hooky as this sounds it was actually acceptable fare when nothing better is around to watch. At least the music was better in this version then in the Bing Crosby version.  ANd who doesn like a little well done UP-LIFT from time to time.

MJC SAYS:  there was a Very cute kid in this singalong version of the old Bing Crosby singing priest movie. Here at least the hero teacher was bald which made for a slightly more realistic version of life.  Still we rooted for the kid we already knew was going to be a big time philharmonic conductor and sure enough he made it.