The most charming--and least believable--of the delinquent kid movies

Rating: Null/10 (20 April 2017)

On a scale of charming, with 0 being "Platoon" and 10 being "E.T." I'd say this ranks around an 8.
On a scale of believable, with 0 being "E.T." and 10 being "Platoon" I'd say this ranks around a 5.
So there you have it, "The Chorus" is squarely in the realm of "E.T." not "Platoon". And if you have 2 brain cells to rub together, you probably knew this long before you read this far. The only reason I'm making this point is in case you were expecting something a little more gritty like the excellent "Dead Poets Society" (which, if you haven't yet seen, you must immediately flog yourself with a wet baton before seeing, pronto).
"The Chorus" dives boldly into disturbing territory right at the outset with a scene containing some blood and another reference to suicide. My criticism is, instead of maintaining this malevolent air of drama (which would seem fitting of a corrupt 1940s reform school, every bit as formidable as the asylum in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"), the story instead flips into Disney territory. The dangerous juveniles who initially terrified us are instantly transformed into eager songbirds, reducing the initial drama to little more than a comedic gimmick. The story unfolds to reveal that the conflict of the story rests entirely upon the cartoonish villain, the headmaster.
I felt that was the film's only letdown because the story seemed ripe to explore the complex transformation of criminals to chorusboys through the magic of music. While this did occur, it happened so suddenly that I felt like half the movie had been chopped. But if you can take this shift in stride, you'll have a great time. The kids are cute, and the music is uplifting. The presentation focuses more on comedy than hard hitting drama, so you can sit back, breathe easy and enjoy the ride.
Personally I would've liked to see a bit more of a challenge in converting these juvenile delinquents, like maybe Antonio Banderas converting a bunch of NYC street thugs to twinkle toes dancers in "Take the Lead", or Robin Williams in the aforementioned "Dead Poets Society" struggling to draw the ultra conservative schoolboys out of their shells. To me, that is the draw of a story like this, but here the drama was more focused on the headmaster's antagonism. It might have worked better if the evil headmaster weren't shown to be such a bumbling fool who secretly throws paper airplanes around his room whilst standing on his desk. For that role, NOBODY comes close to Mr. Warfield in Jerry Lewis' "Nutty Professor".
But enough with the comparisons, you're saying. Is this a good movie or a bad one? It's good, very good. So don't hesitate to watch it if you're in the mood for a nostalgic retrospective to bygone days of questionable education systems. "The Chorus" is a nice film for anyone who isn't subconsciously comparing it to every troubled youth flick since "The 400 Blows". Dammit there I go again.