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Movies / On DVD / OT: Our Town
OT: Our Town

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OT: Our Town (2003)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:21

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.1/10

Runtime: 77 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: This inspiring documentary tracks the progress of Catherine Borek, a high school teacher in Compton California who is determined to start a drama troupe in a school that is dominated by a champion... This inspiring documentary tracks the progress of Catherine Borek, a high school teacher in Compton California who is determined to start a drama troupe in a school that is dominated by a champion basketball team and is otherwise full of hopeless, helpless kids. Pulling her students together and motivating them by telling them that they are talented and they can prove themselves, she gives them the script for OUR TOWN, the classic play by Thornton Wilder about a small community in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. With frequent cuts to the 1977 television rendition of the play starring Hal Holbrook, OT: OUR TOWN slowly but surely establishes the gigantic differences between the crime-ridden ghetto that is Compton and the idyllic homogeneous safe haven of Grover's Corners. The kids who are to star in the play first approach it with amusement, coloring the actions of the play with their own music, insights, and experiences. But they soon encounter seemingly insurmountable challenges, and that is when the film diverges from the play's production to show the real family and friends behind these struggling students. An inspiring and honest piece of filmmaking directed and produced by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, OT: OUR TOWN is a tale of modern urban struggle and strife with a happy ending. [More]

Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Producer: Mark Pellington, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Composer: Kevin Haskins, Doug DeAngelis
Studio: Film Movement

Reviews for OT: Our Town

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

A documentary guaranteed to leave you laughing, crying and feeling pretty darn good about the transforming power of art.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
02/06/04
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
02/02/04
Paul Sherman
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald

A tiny but wondrous miracle that sprouted despite daunting obstacles, like a dandelion that shoots up in the middle of a sidewalk.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
12/04/03
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

The film makes a convincing case that the seemingly antiquated play may actually be more relevant today than ever before. Who would have guessed?

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
11/21/03
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Director-photographer Scott Hamilton Kennedy's celebratory documentary shows how the students proved the naysayers wrong.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
11/21/03
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

promotes a message that more people need to understand in order to get past false stereotypes

Full Review Source: ToxicUniverse.com | comment Comment
10/12/03
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
ToxicUniverse.com

Though not spectacularly directed, there are enough moments of humor and poignancy to keep you engaged.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
09/19/03
Kim Morgan
Kim Morgan
Oregonian
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/13/03
Boston Phoenix

The connections between Wilder's text and the realities of ghetto existence take on an emphatic, crystalline life all their own.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
09/05/03
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
08/27/03
Premiere Magazine

OT is inspiring, but abstractly so, like a six-part series on arts and education in the L.A. Times.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/23/03
Rex Roberts
Rex Roberts
Film Journal International

Briskly energizing... it’s a delight to watch [these kids] blossom as they come together in an effort none of them had any idea they needed, or wanted, or could succeed at.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
08/22/03
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

A remarkable documentary about some ghetto kids in Compton, California, who rise to the best in themselves in a rousing high school production of Thornton Wilder's famous play.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/22/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

One of the most truthful 'backstage' films in ages.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
08/19/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

Backed by a soundtrack of hip-hop and edited to within an inch of its life, Kennedy’s film has sleek gutter charm to spare.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/19/03
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Wonderful documentary.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
08/15/03
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

For a film about stereotype-busting, OT treads a very worn path.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
08/15/03
Megan Lehmann
Megan Lehmann
New York Post

Director Scott Kennedy parallels the play's universal themes -- community, family, love and loss -- with the students' lives, poignantly illustrating how relevant the material still is today.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/15/03
E! Online

Entertaining and heartening, OT is also an urgent reminder of the importance of arts-related programs in the schools, and could serve as a useful tool tool for those fighting the good fight for such funding.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/15/03
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Boxoffice Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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