The Sandy Bottom Orchestra

Not expecting much, I was very surprised by how thoroughly I enjoyed this movie. It moved me so much I think I am writing my first movie review. Perhaps I should confess that I'm an amateur violist living in a small town with a loving family with daughters, so I identified with the situation in this movie. I felt it had an honest, though idealized, feel to it. Admittedly the story was fairly predictable but the acting was superb. The idea of focusing on talented musicians (mother, daughter) trying to fit into a small town isn't a common movie context. The tension between wanting friends yet needing to be yourself leads to risky decisions. Very worthwhile.

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.

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?

My wife and I thought this was a sweet movie about life in a small town. Maybe because we can relate to the main character who is a square peg in a round hole. We enjoyed the film and it made a nice quiet date night.

If you live in a small town you will recognize many of the characters and themes.

The story revolves around the mother and daughter, their stories intertwined but each stands on its own.

My three teenage boys probably wouldn't have cared for it. But if you have a teenage daughter she'll probably love it.

This based on a book by Garrison Keillor. If you like his "Praire Home Companion" show you'll like this.

I came across this movie on line and , having nothing better to do I checked it out. I'm a lifelong musician myself so I'm always interested in movies with a musical theme. This was a good one. One complaint, some of the scenes that showed the actors playing their instruments were faked so badly it was hard to watch. That's the biggest flaw I could see. One more thing, Interlochen Center for the Arts was mentioned many times. For those who don't know it's a real place in Michigan with an international reputation as one of the finest places of its kind in the world. I personally have known people who have gone there. All in all a worthwhile film.