mebroadway95 I have a long history with "The Music Man". I played Mayor Shinn in a children's community theatre production when I was 11, and I grew up with both this version and the original 1962 movie with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. I've recently revisited both of these movies. The original holds up very well, with all-around stellar performances and a wonderful nostalgic atmosphere. It is in both of these departments where this remake fails. While a lot of people constantly criticize Matthew Broderick for being bland and stiff, I find him to be extremely funny and fun to watch, with this performance being an exception. I don't think it's all his fault, though. It's just a case of very bad casting. He's too nerdy and bookish to play the suave, fast-talking con man. Broderick also has the same problem as a lot of the rest of the cast. They play it too contemporary. Everyone talked as if they were in the early 2000s, rather than the early 1900s. Victor Garber as the supercilious mayor needs to be MUCH more over-the-top, but rather plays it as something out of CSI. Molly Shannon as his wife also underplays the comedy way too much, which is something she has never seemed to have a problem with. She just doesn't have the terminal sense of disdain in her voice that Hermione Gingold had in the 1962 version. Some of the ensemble acting and singing is just BAD. The opening train scene, usually a highlight, is downright cringe-worthy in this version. The highlight of this movie, without a doubt, is Kristin Chenoweth. Though I think she has gone down hill as a performer recently, she is at the top of her game in this otherwise-terrible movie. She seems to be the only one there who understands the time period and the style of comedy this musical requires, and she sings the hell out of that beautiful music!! The only one who comes close to her is Debra Monk as her mother. She just tends to go a little too stereotypical- Irish mother, but her scenes with Chenoweth are the acting highlights of the movie. Overall, I would recommend this to any Kristin Chenoweth fan who wants to see her nail one the great Soprano roles in musical theater. But for anyone who wants to introduce themselves to this great American musical, watch the original.

dmaboyer This is one of the few movies where the remake is at least as good as, if not better than,the original. The dancing is just superb especially the library number. Matthew Broderick does a very good job as the professor. He is a very good dancer. Kristin Chenoweth has a wonderful voice. The new ending really was a delight because it tied the story together more than the original ending. If I had any complaints it is that the mayor is miscast. I see the mayor as a sort of clown. Victor Garber is not really believable as a clownish character. He is too polished to play a clown. This is a movie that I would see over and over again.

maal-1 If the Music Man has fanilows, I am one. I loved the 1962 movie, never having been to Broadway until 1979. In the mid-70's my two brothers and future sister-in-law were in a summer dramatic presentation at our high school(where Richard Gere and I started out) and I know the script nearly verbatim.Matthew Broderick is a handsome, talented young man, but he and his co-conspirators have a lot to learn about delivery. So many lines were blown, being recited far too fast, without proper cadence or emphasis.I found it troubling that the producers tried to put modern political correctness on a scene from the early 1900's. I would bet the farm that, in that day, in a very small town in Iowa, there were no middle- class black people. If there were any non-farming blacks, they would be a guy playing piano in a bordello or saloon or possibly a groom at the livery stable or smithy.When it was over, I called baby brother and exclaimed, "I'm aghast - simply aghast!" to which he replied, "you mean agog - simply agog." I knew he would be watching it, as well. We agreed on all points. Sorry to pan it; I hate vicious critics.

tribblechomper I agree with the earlier poster that said Broderick's style was better capable of running a con than Preston's style was...but this movie held a massive surprise in the 10-foot-tall vocals of 4-foot-11 Kristin Chenoweth...I was so blown away by that voice, I came here to see her other work and got the biggest shock of my life: There was a reason her last name sounded so familiar, and IMDb filled in the missing clue...she graduated Broken Arrow Senior High School roughly 6 years after I did!!! Her older brother was a junior in my senior year!!! Of course, she went on to play the original Broadway Cast role of Galinda (later "Glinda The Good Witch") in the Broadway musical "Wicked"...and now is Olive in "Pushing Daisies" with fellow Oklahoman Lee Pace and fellow Broadway-belter Ellen Greene.Musically excellent...Major-league cute...Oh, I'm so hoping for more "Daisies"...