This show ran for over 40 years off-Broadway, where I saw it late in its run. It has certainly been done a lot on stages everywhere and often the approach is so heavy-handed that the simplicity and charm of the show are lost. So after all the delays and re-cuttings, the film came out and I had to give it a try. The good news: it worked and worked well. In fact, I can't imagine it being done much better given the difficulty of adapting stage musicals to the screen. "Act One" is full of youthful idealism (with adult plotting going on behind the scenes). "Act Two" is the reality check wherein one sees all the flaws that had been masked by that youthful idealism. A simple love story with some of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's most enjoyable music, this film is a wonderful entertainment.

It's a mystery to me why this film sat on the shelf for 5 years. It's no masterpiece, but it's colorful and entertaining. The songs are beautiful and well performed by ALMOST the entire cast. The story is interesting but gets confusing at the half-way point--I'm assuming it's because of the 15 minutes cut out of the original print. Unfortunately there's one huge problem with the movie--Joey McIntyre. He can sing OK, but sounds bad compared to everyone else. And his acting is horrendous! At one point he's trying to be romantic with his girlfriend on a porch bench--he was so bad the audience I had was in hysterics by the end of the scene. Also, he's not good-looking at all (sorry!) and just unbelievable. Without him this might have been a great musical. Sadly, it just misses the mark. Still worth seeing though.

I have written about this Michael Ritchie fiasco under another name here. Anyone interested in seeing it and who has never seen it performed on stage, should skip this badly constructed movie. I don'l know what Richtie was thinking of, and I don't how much of the blame should fall on the screenwriters and/or the casting director. The movie is pretty awful, as are most of the actors. Joel Grey is the star, but he is just as bad as the rest of the cast. Chalk it up to old age in his case if you must. Some songs from the original play are missing, and the key song is not performed particularly well. You will do better to see a high school production than this movie. I first saw the play in an off Broadway theater in a theater in the round production when I was but a callow youth, and was absolutely mesmerized. I am now in my 60s and remember that production like it was yesterday.