Enjoyable hokum

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2007)

An odd fish, this; undeniably predictable and bordering on the mawkish, this uplifting tale of a boy and his music is surprisingly watchable despite its profusion of "Oh, come on!" serendipitous moments and a general air of cliché and hokeyness.
However, if you are prepared to overlook the convenience of it all, and the fact it's linear storytelling at its most basic, there is plenty of scope for enjoyment; the script may be corny but the music's not bad and the acting is pretty good. The one thing it does have is a sense of "Hollywood Magic" - it has that in spades.
Overall, then, nothing spectacular but a solid, uplifting piece of entertainment that, on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, I could probably watch again despite my coolness towards it.