A recurring motif in fiction is that "music soothes the savage beast." While that usually refers to monsters such as Frankenstein or madmen such as the title character in "The Phantom of the Opera," it can also apply to the little beasts also known as juvenile delinquents.
Or so says the message of "The Chorus (Les Choristes)," France's foreign language film entry in the 2004 Oscar race. Following in the footsteps of "Dead Poets Society" and, of course, "Mr. Holland's Opus" (as well as any number of other teacher/student flicks), the film also shows a similarity to 2005's "Coach Carter."
That's not only because it's a tale of an adult authority figure trying to inspire a bunch of lazy and/or bad kids to excel in a team and individual fashion, but also because it's so formulaic and repetitive of former such stories that it feels like reheated leftovers rather than something fresh.
Starting with a brief "contemporary" bit where one of the world's greatest conductors learns that his mother has died and then gets a visit from a former pupil (and then some), the story rewinds back to when that virtuoso in the making arrived to be a supervisor at a reformatory for troubled boys.
They, of course, are so bad - in standard movie fashion, albeit with a foreign, art-house type twist - that they've sent his predecessor packing his bags and bloodied another man there. And there's a new outlaw in Dodge - an older kid with a bad reputation, a bigger ego and a penchant for bullying and violence.
Undeterred by that or the overzealous, "action equals reaction" headmaster and his stern, disciplinarian ways, our hero - and the boy's liberator - sets out to break those young broncos. Like many of his cinematic predecessors, however, he does it with compassion rather than the whip.
That means not reporting their indiscretions to the headmaster and introducing them to his art at heart, choir music. In further movie formula, he's a damaged soul whose work with the boys rekindles his passion and turns him into a better person in the process.
Like "Carter," the film would probably seem better if we hadn't already seen similar versions of the story countless times before. Even so, and like that sports flick, this one benefits from a solid performance from its lead actor. Reminiscent of Bob Hoskins, Gerard Jugnot plays his character more like an educator than coach, a point that isn't all that surprising considering that's what he is.
Soft spoken rather than showy, the actor is fine in the role and creates a likable character, particularly when he starts to fall for the mother - Marie Bunel - of one of his young charges. The portrayal of the headmaster, unfortunately, is the polar opposite with François Berleand going too far over the top in making him the villain.
Of course, that's as much a fault of the script (penned by writer/director Christophe Barratier and co-writer Philippe Lopes-Curval), but the character becomes too much of a caricature rather than the real deal. Those playing the boys are generally fine (even if most are underdeveloped) with Jean-Baptiste Maunier getting the meatiest part (he with the attractive mother, face and voice of an angel, but attitude of a devil). Maxence Perrin steals all of his scenes as the orphaned "runt" of this particular litter.
Considering that very factor and other elements designed to be uplifting, I can see why viewers will like this film. Yet, as was the case with "Coach Carter," it's like a debutante arriving late to the dance. We've seen so many like her already that the magic and novelty are long gone.
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