The Flyboys

This movie is powerful on many levels...the character development, the plot, the acting, the special effects, the scenery, the music...it is uplifting and "on the edge of your seat" exciting....you are not just watching this movie..you are involved in it because you are carried away by the story...you are so affected by the plot and the compassion that you feel for the characters...I was especially touched by the development of the friendship between the two boys and the influence of the grandfather and the uncle in this story....and the truth revealed that good things can come from life experiences that, at the time, seem too challenging for words! ...wholesome, funny, thrilling, and touching....you can cry and you can laugh with the audience...finally, a movie for the entire family to watch and enjoy together!!

I saw this film Friday night, April 4, 2008 at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, NJ, and was captivated from the moment it started. "The Flyboys" is a terrific story with well-written dialogue. All the actors turned in believable performances: You wanted to see what their characters would do. The stunt work is phenomenal, and genuine (no gimmicks); so, too, is the camera work. The musical score is good (not over-powering). That commercial Hollywood passed on this film proposal is a telling commentary of just how out-of-touch the studio system is with what middle-class America will pay to see in a movie theater as part of a night out for the whole family.

I saw this film at the Omaha Film Festival where it just won the jury prize for best film and the audience choice award for best film. This film is amazing--a real surprise! This is one of those films that I would have watched 100 times over the summer when I was a kid. Everything about it worked--the performances of the two lead kids, career-making performances from both Stephen Baldwin and Tom Sizemore, great aerial photography and stunt work, an amazing score, etc. There are scenes with both a bully and another with the bully's brother that are awesome. I very rarely get this enthusiastic about a film anymore, but just can't say enough good things about it. Great job, Rocco! I wish you great success and can't wait to see your next film!

Again... Who is writing these reviews?!?! These filmmakers must have a huge extended family, cause each one of them apparently started an IMDb account and reviewed ONLY "Flyboys"

I saw this film with very receptive audience, and I think that helped me enjoy it more. The story is pretty convoluted, but I'll do my best a quick synopsis: Two young boys stow away in a strange plane that gets stolen, flown into the air and abandoned with a bomb on board. The boys then have to land the plane. THEN there's this business about the Mafia and millions of dollars and, well... You get the picture (maybe).

Anyway, the movie had great promise for being an Indie. The acting was better than the average, and the cinematography was great. It had a bigger budget than most Indie's so the production value stands out amongst other unseen films. But, just as I was getting into the story and the characters... WHAM! There's Steven Baldwin! All pretense of an Indie film was gone and his face took me right out of the picture.

I still enjoyed it, though, and you could do a lot worse if you see this one at Hollywood Video.

Saw this movie screened at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, NJ on 3/4/08. The release title is "The Flyboys". This film was the premiere showing at the event.

I loved it. Great storyline and acting, excellent blend of emotion and action. The entire audience was fully engaged from start to finish.

Producer/Director Rocco DeVilliers answered questions from the audience after the screening... two details remained with me... the film was done with a $2M budget, and it has been shopped to the majors with all taking a pass. Big thumbs UP to the first detail, and a big thumbs DOWN to the second. As someone said earlier, somebody should lose their gig for not picking up on this gem!

This is a movie I will buy on DVD for repeated viewing, though I will DEFINITELY have to see it again on the large screen.