La musique du bonheur

This is a film rich in good intentions, but they are so Hallmark-cleansed that much of the real tension is gone. The right people and pieces are there in the right order -- right down to the third cow in the barn -- but what was missing was truth, honesty. It is a suitable "feel good" picture if it doesn't take too much to make you feel good.

Another thing: "Sandy Bottom Orchestra" suffers from is what almost all pictures suffer from these days: the sound FX and music are mixed way in front of the voice tracks. That might work for "Terminator" (and I'm not sure it does), but good grief, "Sandy Bottom" is a narration and dialogue picture! Why is the VOX mixed so far back, and therefore hard to discriminate?

One more thing... I find great irony that a touchy-feely picture about a small town in Minnesota (tightly knit and very American, you know) was shot in Canada.

On the other hand, the DP should be congratulated on great lighting, especially for the exterior shots. "Magic time" was used a lot and very well. It gave most of the exteriors a very lush look without reverting to oversaturation during the timing and transfer process. Good job!

I watched this film in dubbed French and it was the first time I've been able to watch a dubbed-film all the way through. I loved the fact that the film moves quite slowly and I felt that it had a certain "Fried Green Tomatoes in the WhistleStop Cafe" (one of my favourite movies) feel about it. It certainly wasn't as gritty as FGTitWC but I was glued for the entire afternoon.

This is a really good movie if you are really hungover or tired and don't need particularly brain tormenting TV to watch. I would recommend it for a group of girls especially if they're already into classical music.

Sandy Bottom is a picture postcard perfect little midwestern town where everyone is perfect right down to their imperfections which, if course, being perfect, they always apologize for having in the most perfect way. "The Sandy Bottom Orchestra" is a dreamy, sweet, sentimental little made-for-tv film about a family of three who infuse the population of Sandy Bottom with a dash of culture by creating a classical orchestra...etc., etc. An excellent little unpretentious "feel good" flick, "TSBO" does what is sets out to do and quits...in a perfect sort of way. Enjoyable stuff for anyone in need of a break from the usual frenetic film fare.

A truly heartwarming "slice of life" drama. Conductor of the local town orchestra of Sandy Bottom, Minnesota quits just weeks before their big concert at the agricultural fair. Resident Norman Green must take over the conducting chores now. Green's wife, Ingrid, is choir director at the Lutheran Church there and is getting grief from the minister and music committee about some of Ingrid's music selections. There is a very touching scene when the pastor of the church lets Ingrid know that he is aware that it was Ingrid who left the weeks supply of food for the minister and his family, after she discovered that the pastor's wife has a very debilitating disease. To make matters worse, Norman Green's guest soloist on the Mozart Piano Concerto storms off one week before the performance. Now Ingrid must step in at the last minute and perform a piece she has not tried in years. Very moving performances by Glenne Headly as Ingrid, Tom Irwin as Norman, Madeline Zima as daughter Rachel Green, and veteran actress Jane Powell as close friend Delia Ferguson. This film will have you laughing in places and crying in places, but the story is never maudlin. A must see film for the entire family.

This movie is a loving look at small town life through the eyes of an offbeat family and their love of classical music. Glenne Headly stars as the musically trained mom stuck in a small town she feels is shallow and parochial, but is reminded of the special place she has in it all the same [yes, the movie is Hallmark flavored sweetness, but it still has truth and honesty to it]. Her husband, a music loving dairy worker, decides to have a classical concert at the next annual dairy festival. Their teenage daughter (a talented musician) is having growing pains of her own -- she's the film narrator, and it's primary voice (we also see some things through the mother's point of view). An interesting subplot involves the mother's role as church choirmaster, and the struggles of the minister. This subplot in particular has some bite, and helps the movie not to be just written off as trite fluff.

An enjoyable movie that honors family, music, small town life, religion, and independence. A small film of a certain kind, predictable in its way, but not so easily written off as standard fare. We need more movies like this... how often do such themes get full length treatment?