?Raise Your Voice? Directed by Sean McNamara New Line
Cinema
When you think of Hilary Duff, Ludwig van Beethoven probably
isn?t the first person who comes to mind. That?s why it?s strange
to find a quotation from the musical genius, (Beethoven, that is),
in the opening scene of ?Raise Your Voice.? In the movie, Duff
plays a character named Terri Fletcher, a small-town girl with a
knack for singing and an itch for big-city living. ?Music is a
higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy? is sprawled out
across the big screen as ?Raise Your Voice? opens, offering a
glimpse of hope that this teenage, feel-good flick might offer
viewers more insight than might be expected at first. But
Beethoven?s words of wisdom are about the only pearls you?ll find
in ?Raise Your Voice.? When Fletcher loses her supportive older
brother, Paul (Jason Ritter), in a car crash, she gives up her
dream of singing and resigns to staying home under the control of
her cold, authoritative father (David Keith) in the small town of
Flagstaff. But Fletcher is surprised to learn she has been chosen
to attend a summer music conservatory in Los Angeles, thanks to an
application tape her brother sent in without her knowledge. After a
push from her promiscuous, artsy Aunt Nina (Rebecca De Mornay),
Fletcher is on her way to the conservatory where she meets a few
new friends and rediscovers her passion for singing. The good thing
about ?Raise Your Voice? is that it?s fun. There?s lots of singing,
and Duff, who spends most of the movie in tears over her dead
brother?s death, actually does a limited amount of real acting.
While her love affair with her floor mate Jay (Oliver James) is
weak and predictable, one can?t ask for too much depth from a
relationship between two 16-year-olds. The problem with ?Raise Your
Voice? is that everything is so sugarcoated that it ultimately
becomes unrealistic. Denise (Dana Davis), the sassy,
underprivileged black roommate, wins the scholarships. ?Kiwi?
(Johnny Lewis), the goofy and awkward class clown, finds true love.
The film emphasizes how Fletcher finds the courage to keep singing,
regardless of the fact that being born with an amazing voice can?t
be too much of a hurdle to overcome. In the end, everyone wins.
Well, at least everyone except the dead brother. ? Justin
Scott