“You’re a punk, and your clock is ticking!” So declares Dustin Hoffman in this saccharine sweet musical melodrama (originally titled Boychoir), about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who winds up studying at an elite private school, with predictably life-changing results. Unable to read music and – worse – showing little flair for discipline, Stet (Garrett Wareing) causes consternation among teachers and pupils alike. But the fact that he might be able to hit a high D means he’s something of a catch, potentially helping the school to “go all the way to New York!”
The notes of this tune are tear-jerkingly familiar, and there’s never any doubt about the final chorus, replete with a descant line of convenient illness and last-minute substitution. On the plus side, Hoffman is clearly passionate about the material, Debra Winger is in fine fettle as Stet’s guardian angel, and there’s some snippy chemistry between Kathy Bates and Eddie Izzard (“Are we some weird cat rescue mission?”), as they argue about the financial/artistic ethics of the school.
