Today’s quick review: The Music Man. Professor Harold Hill (Matthew Broderick) is a traveling con man who sells band instruments on the false promise of forming a boys’ marching band for the town he is visiting. On a whim, he sets his sights on River City, Iowa, a stubborn town where he hopes to stir up a moral panic that only a marching band can cure. But for his scheme to succeed, he’ll have to persuade Marion (Kristin Chenoweth), the town’s willful librarian, and keep the charade going long enough to grab the money and run.
The Music Man is a remake of the classic musical. Packed to the gills with iconic songs, The Music Man in one of its incarnations is a must-see for any fan of the genre. This edition of the film casts Matthew Broderick as the lead. Broderick certainly has the singing and dancing skills for the part, but his mannerisms give Harold Hill a different flavor than Robert Preston’s. Broderick handles the warmer parts of the role very well, coming across as personable where Preston was stiff, but his patter is lacking. Hill is supposed to be a fast-talking con man, but his sharp lines feel unnatural coming from the more personable Broderick.
The rest of the film compares to the original in similar ways: slight changes that are not strictly worse but change the flavor of the film in noticeable ways. The musical numbers have a little more of a sing-song quality to them than before. A few changes in emphasis clarify the relationship between Harold and Marion earlier in the movie. A few important lines are downplayed. Smaller changes help the film move along better. Any preference between the two versions will ultimately come down to taste: a refined Hill versus an amiable one, nuanced musical numbers versus more theatrical numbers, deliberate pacing versus something with a little more energy.
The Music Man is a delightful musical with an excellent collection of songs, a sweet plot, and good execution. While the original is probably a cleaner execution of the same material, Matthew Broderick brings a charm to the role of Harold Hill that makes this version a worthy substitute. Watch The Music Man if you are in the mood for a light musical with plenty of music. Skip it if you dislike the genre or if you are an ardent fan of the original.
6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a good take on great source material.