OT: Our Town (2002) Reviews

• Fascinating characters and story, although generic film-making

  zwirnm2005-04-28

  An interesting documentary that looks at two teachers' attempts to put on a theatrical drama in the context of some of America's most notorious urban poverty, OT: Our Town has a lot of fascinating characters and story, although pretty generic film-making. It's a documentary so it's hard to complain, but in terms of setting up character development, other films (Spellbound, for example) have done better. Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy apparently met Catherine Borok, an English teacher at Compton's Dominguez High School, and fell for her — she's both sexy and smart and committed — and only then decided to make a film about her efforts to direct Thornton Wilder's Our Town as the school's first dramatic presentation in twenty years. As a result, he missed a lot of back story and tries to catch up. The actors in the drama are fascinating - many of them are the school's most dynamic and motivated students, but even they have suffered tremendously from urban poverty, violence, and broken families. Ebony Starr Norwood-Brown, the stage manager in the play, is tremendously charismatic; Archie Posada is a natural comedian. Borok struggles to motivate and direct them all, and by the end of the documentary has successfully held the first dramatic presentation in two decades. In the meantime the director gets in a lot of digs at high school sports, and some funny/sad Waiting for Guffman-like amateur theatre bits. The DVD adds a lot of value with followup interviews of the students, teachers, etc. The high school has now held sold-out annual plays for the past three years, and many of the actors in the production of Our Town have become highly successful in college or elsewhere. The success of the OT documentary brought Hal Holbrook — the Stage Manager of a 1960-era TV production of Our Town — to meet with many of the students, which is a nice scene in the bonus footage.

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• They Laughed; They Cried; They Stood and Applauded

  mandy-12003-07-24

  This documentary about kids in a really tough L.A. school attempting an unlikely production of Thorton Wilder's "Our Town" rocked the 2003 Palm Springs Film Festival. Throw out any preconceptions you have about dry, dull documentaries. This one plays like a well scripted, well cast comedy/drama only it's real. The audience laughed; they cried; they stood up and applauded at the end. Then they awarded this low budget gem the Audience Favorite Award out of 180 films including Golden Globe and Oscar submissions from near and far. I understand it will be out on DVD in August from The Film Movement. This one is worth searching for if want to be inspired, touched deeply, and cheering for the good guys.

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• Compelling and fun to watch

  joesorce2006-01-22

  Totally enjoyable documentary about all the joys and tribulations of attending high school in south Los Angeles. Anyone who's ever been a part of a school play can relate to these kids, and will root for them, while at the same time realizing how the deck is stacked against success. The DVD has extra footage and bonus material that is well worth watching. GO DOMINGUEZ! D H rules! You cannot come away from this movie without hoping for the best in the future for Archy, Ebony, Jackie and everyone involved. This movie should be seen by anyone who has ever voted to take arts-funding away from our schools.

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• Great story, well-told

  WriConsult2003-02-25

  A truly heartwarming story about the value of arts in schools. In troubled Compton, CA, a high school which has not staged a play in 20 years decides to put on a production of Our Town. It's fascinating to watch how the kids and culture of the school deal with the challenges of theater and the rather stark contrast between the play's setting and their own lives. Very well done. Only criticism: without giving away too much, there are a couple of incidents of implied (not directly viewed) violence that are juxtaposed in a manner that leads the view to think they are the same incident, when in fact they are not. A little more time in the editing room could fix this.

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• Our Town: 2005

  freakyfreak052005-02-17

  the smallest haven of hope... ...in a self destructing world. the delicate and impressionable lives of teenagers are being molded into who they are going to be. a door has opened for them, giving them another choice, other than being swallowed up by the ghetto. a hand full of students and two teachers have made a choice and learned there is a better way of life. it's a real life film, documenting the lives of kids in a compton highschool trying to put on the play "our town" by thornton wilder. they learn how to work hard for what they want, that life is a struggle!!! and as the teacher in the film said, the only reason for putting on the play was that it was coming from love. Film Movement knows how to pich their movies. those kids made this world a better place.

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