Les Choristes 2004

Les Choristes
2004
Gerard Jugnot
**** of five

I have been meaning to see Les Choristes for a while now
so when my sister rented it, I jumped at the oppourtunity.
I heard someone said, "It sounds like the typical inspiring
teacher saves the day kinda story" and we were both like,
"Well yeah, but it's french!" Not that we are obsessed with
French movies or something. There have definately been some
bad frenchies. It's just that out of all the foreign films
I've watched, I usually quite enjoy the french ones. I have
even seen a couple of good french-canadian movies. I know, I
know, you can't believe it! But it's true. Anyhow, Les Choristes
or, The Chorus, was indeed a story of an inspiring teacher, but
somehow it is not like those other inspiring teacher movies
that make you want to whip the remote at the tv so hard it
breaks the glass and sticks into the screen effectively
releasing you from the torturing cheesiness you were enduring.
(cough, Coach Carter, cough, cough, Dangerous Minds, cough)
But one thing I like that the "French" (yes i am generallizing
an entire country of people) do is they have a pretty traditional
way of looking at things that can just make you feel like you
are in the era they want you to, but then in the same film they can
be incredibly open minded to a modernsim(?) as well. Not that this
film is. Perhaps I should have labeled this post, "Why I Like
French Films". So Les Choristes has all the right ingredients
to make up a cheesy, inspiring teacher movie; a friendly-eyed,
balding, round little man who writes music, a tall white haired
moustache weilding, punishing headmaster, the indifferent staff,
the one rebellious and terrible child, who is, of course, worse
than any other child on earth, the other quiet 'rebellious' child
who truly has a heart of gold if only someone could break through
the wall of ice surrounding it, and of COURSE, the comic relief/
'cuteness' relief. Yes, they are all there, but there is just
something about the way it is all put together. The way they don't
try to force it on you, they just let you take it in. I'm also
fond of movies being told as stories and this follows just such a
route. Sometimes, SOMETIMES you just welcome a wonderful ending.
Oh no! Did I just give it away?! ;p This is a good movie and mostly
okay for families except for some bad language. Definately preferrable
over Remembering the Titans...etc. etc. One other thing that made
me like it, is that the actor who player the teacher was also a
co-producer mortaged his paris apt to fund the movie. Not only did
he make enough back to keep his apartment-he is now the highest paid
french actor ever-yes, even over Jean Reno and Gerard Deperdieu.