Loved this Movie! Must see for lovers of happy endings and music!

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2007)

I absolutely loved this movie during the free screening in San Francisco this evening. At its end, the film received claps, cheers and shouts of approval by the majority of the audience. The child actors were terrific, especially Freddie Highmore whose facial expressions alone carried more emotion than any screenwriter's words could. The music was amazing...the guitar work, incredible singing by young Leon G. Thomas III, and the gospel singers (especially Jamia Simone Nash). The blending of classical, rock and street-sounds music was phenomenal. The movie was funny, poignant and a tear jerker. Heck with realism...I'm more than ready for a little bit of magic in my entertainment these days! Great film for families with teenage children. Younger ones might be a bit frightened by, as someone else said, the Fagan-like character played by Robin Williams and the intro bullying. So this may be a film to rent on DVD to show the younger ones so parents can discuss scenes with them or provide parental oversight for your particular child. But no bad language, no visible sex scenes (although we do know it occurred), and overall a delightful film. I rarely if ever buy DVDs except for old classics but this will be one of the exceptions. Also, the soundtrack should be terrific. When can I see this again?