Strings (2015) Reviews

• Flushing the wounds

  ferguson-62015-05-07

  Greetings again from the darkness. It's a coming of age film. Nope, it's small town Americana film. Wait … it's a high school dance film. Hold on, it's an anti-war film. Sorry about that, it's a film about families struggling with grief. Not that a film has to be any one type – the best rarely are – but writer Oscar Orlando Torres and first time director Daniel Duron are all over the place with this one. Josh (Lucas Til, Havoc from the X-Men films) is a troubled young man with dazzling DJ skills beloved in the NYC club scene. An unfortunate turn leads to his mother (Maria Bello) and a Judge banishing him to live with his long lost father (Tom Everett Scott) in a small, idyllic place that could be AnyTown USA … or more appropriately, NoPlace USA. Josh is required to go to regular counseling for one year, and of course his therapist (Josh Duhamel) is as unstable as most any patient (as noted by his passion for soccer). As with any new high school student, Josh is quickly befriended by Tony the nerdy little brother of the beautiful dance team captain Mary (Kherington Payne, Fame 2009). Tony is played by Jae Head, who you will remember as the sharp-but-still-goofy little brother in The Blind Side. It's pretty obvious where this is headed when we first see the lame dance routines. In the blink of an eye, Josh's music has elevated the dance team to elite status while he also stumbles into a romantic situation with Mary. We soon learn that this town is hiding something. No, it's not like The Stepford Wives, but in case we can't figure it out on our own, Mary illuminates the War Memorial Tree – filled with military medals awarded to those the town has lost to war. See, the whole town has been touched war casualties, but no one will deal. Laura Dern plays mom to Tony and Mary, but she is so disoriented by grief, that she often thinks her oldest son is still returning home someday. With elements of Footloose and Step Up, the story is continually brought crashing back around us with clips from Platoon – a film Josh so loves that it plays a central role in the film's climax and redemption for all involved. The best parts of the film revolve around grief and pain, but those elements are constantly chopped up with the abbreviated dance contests. Some script doctoring would have helped rescue a film that seems to have too much to say, yet underserves a solid cast (though Til and Payne are too old to play high schoolers).

• Painfully predictable

  drynberk2017-04-28

  Well its the bad kid coming to town,and he has a chip on his shoulder.The high school has a problem also they haven't won the cheer-leading competition in 7 years!Oh no.....now mix in hometown fallen heroes theme from the war you have 2 movies in 1. Its the movie (footloose 1984)but not in a good way.Biggest problem every scene the main characters are upset,angry and painfully predictable.The movie couldn't finish quick enough.

• Emotionally LOADED

  Film-Slave2015-05-09

  What a slog through exhausted, overwrought ideas. This film is chock full of characters with issues, but they're not well-rounded. Lucas Till, who looks like he could be the kid of Randy Travis, gets into all kinds of trouble and is supposed to be 17-years-old. Why didn't the judge charge his mother with neglect, he is supposed to be a minor? Everyone expected shows up in this film, including the small-town girl who is achingly beautiful, and who takes an immediate dislike to our city boy. To make a long story short: An electronica DJ ends up being the savior in a rural school, while an interpretive dance ends up healing survivor guilt, clinical depression, and a host of other issues. This film doesn't employ a single method of emotional manipulation, it uses ALL of them.

• BRAVE for sure

  paulmatthew222015-05-29

  You have to be VERY brave to sit through this horse-crap of a movie,.I feel AWFUL,.How the "really good" cast could try to "act" their way through it is commendable,.I guess actors need money,.But wow,.I think a DJ movie about Zombies with athletic aspirations to become Junkies would have been a better premise,.Ouch,.Worst movie I can remember,.I have a GREAT memory : ) Do yourself a favor and RUN from this movie,.I guess the one positive is that there are a slew of actors in this flick that can look back and say that THIS is the worst movie they were ever in,. Please guys,.Never write a script about post-war trauma and dance competitions ever again,.How it was done ONCE is incredible

• Stop ASKING FOR " The Perfect Film " This one is Entertaining is that the ideas after all ?

  VaRiXD2015-06-18

  It'S cool, Music is fun, make me think of All these contest show The story is family friendly it's simple, the actor are good simple and effective. So STOP believing all these so call EXPECT that come tons and tons of word to justify there genius brain lol WATCH THIS is you like music, Dance and don't want to think about other film alike, it's ENTERTAINING is that the ideas of movie ? or do you prefer all these sic movie with " cliché " that we see over and over These movie that show so many hidden msg, THIS BRAVETOWN Movie is nice Not the movie of the yrs but decent regarding all the crap movie we see. It'S young, entertaining and it's simple The young boy struggle with normal teens problem PS: I'm 55 years old I can imagine what problem teen may have these day how they need to adapt so I find to be a good representation struggle So pls enough with all these EXPERT comment this movie is worth watching if you like dancing and music and specially talent show as I do :)