Movies From the Hat III – Newsies (1992)

This is my 1,992nd movie review

Thanks to SG for recommending this film to me!

“It’s this brain of mine, it’s always makin’ mistakes… it’s got a mind of its own. ” – Crutchy

Number of Times Seen – 1 (7 Feb 2016)

Brief Synopsis – Disney musical that tells the tale of the newspaper boy strike against the powerhouse publishers in the late 19th Century

My Take on it – This is a movie I had heard about decades ago and for some reason had no real inclination to check it out.

I have been known to enjoy musicals, but for what ever reason, this one just didnt pique my interest to see what it was all about.

Now that I have seen it, I must say that I can understand why this movie was panned by critics and moviegoers and is still known as one of the worse Disney musicals ever.

The songs aren’t memorable and neither are the characters.

There is no Tevye, Evita, Tony and Maria, Roxy Hart, Jean ValJean or even a singing nun named Maria.  I can’t even tell u the names of any of the characters of this movie because I just didn’t care about any of them.

I actually expected more from the talent of Alan Menken when it comes to songs for musicals and he just doesn’t deliver here.

The story itself is pretty bland and doesn’t emit enough passion from the characters and their plights.

Christain Bale (who we all know as an action hero) feels out of his comfort zone as a singing and dancing newsboy

Bottom Line – Pretty bland musical and I can understand why it was panned by critics and viewers alike and is considered one of the worst Disney musicals ever. Weird seeing Bale here in this singing and dancing role since he is now more known for physical kind of roles, but they usually involve battles or fighting.  None of the Menken songs are memorable which is a shame.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – This movie was a critical and commercial flop upon its initial theatrical release. However, it gathered a cult following after its home video release, eventually made its filming budget back on rentals, and was deemed popular enough to be adapted into a stage musical, which premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2011. The musical had music and lyrics by Alan Menken (who composed the movie’s music as well) and Jack Feldman (the movie’s lyricist), and a new book by playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein. This musical moved to Broadway in March 2012 and closed over two years later; a North American tour also launched in 2014. (From IMDB)

Rating – Razzie Worthy

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