The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
Encyclopedia
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story is a 2009 documentary film
about the Sherman Brothers
(Richard M. Sherman
and Robert B. Sherman
). The film is directed and produced by their sons, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman, and released through Walt Disney Pictures
. Ben Stiller
acted as executive producer for the film.
The movie’s tag line is “Brothers. Partners. Strangers.” The film deals with professional growth and estrangement between the Academy Award-winning music composing team through the years, who are best known for their up-beat Disney music. It contains interviews with family members and several individuals in the film industry, including actors such as Julie Andrews
and Dick Van Dyke
(who worked with the Sherman Brothers on Mary Poppins
), producers (Roy E. Disney
), fellow film composers (John Williams
and Stephen Schwartz
) and film critics (Leonard Maltin
).
The film premiered at the San Francisco Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival
in April 2009. It opened to limited release (three theaters) on 22 May 2009: the Metreon
in San Francisco, the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City
, and the Landmark Regent Theatre in Los Angeles
.
fans, and mainstream media outlets. As of October 2009, Rotten Tomatoes
gives it a freshness rating of 93%. The New York Times called it "an irresistible documentary portrait of the brothers made by their sons". USA Today
gave it three stars (out of four), stating it was "...a fascinating love story and moving tribute to Disney films, the joys of making music, the bonds of family and enduring partnerships." The San Francisco Examiner gave it four stars, praising the candid interviews of the brothers; while the San Francisco Chronicle
called the film "an excellent film - entertaining and informative and sometimes stunning in its display of the personal demons shared by these two geniuses. "The Boys" is a loving tribute, but it's also like watching the plot of a William Faulkner novel played out in the middle of Disneyland."
While The Hollywood Reporter
praised the film, it believed that the box office potential was modest, as the film would only appeal to "film buffs, Disneyphiles and fans of wholesome movie musicals."
In its first weekend of release (22-24 May, 2009), it grossed $14,682 on five screens, with an estimated $2,292 per screen.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
(Richard M. Sherman
Richard M. Sherman
Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert Bernard Sherman....
and Robert B. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman...
). The film is directed and produced by their sons, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman, and released through Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
. Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
acted as executive producer for the film.
The movie’s tag line is “Brothers. Partners. Strangers.” The film deals with professional growth and estrangement between the Academy Award-winning music composing team through the years, who are best known for their up-beat Disney music. It contains interviews with family members and several individuals in the film industry, including actors such as Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
(who worked with the Sherman Brothers on Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (film)
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
), producers (Roy E. Disney
Roy E. Disney
Roy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...
), fellow film composers (John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
and Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
) and film critics (Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
).
The film premiered at the San Francisco Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
in April 2009. It opened to limited release (three theaters) on 22 May 2009: the Metreon
Metreon
The Metreon is a shopping center located in downtown San Francisco at the corner of 4th Street and Mission Street. It is a four-story 350,000 square foot building built over the corner of the underground Moscone Center convention center...
in San Francisco, the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and the Landmark Regent Theatre in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Reception and box office
The Boys: the Sherman Brothers' Story received overall positive early reviews from both DisneyanaDisneyana
Disneyana is a term for toys, books, animation celluloids, theme-park souvenirs, and other collectibles produced by The Walt Disney Company, featuring such characters as Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell...
fans, and mainstream media outlets. As of October 2009, Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives it a freshness rating of 93%. The New York Times called it "an irresistible documentary portrait of the brothers made by their sons". USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave it three stars (out of four), stating it was "...a fascinating love story and moving tribute to Disney films, the joys of making music, the bonds of family and enduring partnerships." The San Francisco Examiner gave it four stars, praising the candid interviews of the brothers; while the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called the film "an excellent film - entertaining and informative and sometimes stunning in its display of the personal demons shared by these two geniuses. "The Boys" is a loving tribute, but it's also like watching the plot of a William Faulkner novel played out in the middle of Disneyland."
While The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
praised the film, it believed that the box office potential was modest, as the film would only appeal to "film buffs, Disneyphiles and fans of wholesome movie musicals."
In its first weekend of release (22-24 May, 2009), it grossed $14,682 on five screens, with an estimated $2,292 per screen.
External links
- WDW Radio interview with Richard M. Sherman
- Article about the film from The San Francisco Chronicle
- Q: The Podcast for Thursday, 13 August 2009 Interview with Richard Sherman and producers Gregory Sherman and Jeff Sherman