There was so much promise for this film. Some really great actors, the story is heartwarming and the message is clear. I was in tears at the end. However, it felt like a chore to watch. 10 minutes in and I had the urge to fast forward. The musical numbers on their own weren't bad, but they felt forced into the story, with the exception of "work" which was by far the best number. The songs definitely had strong undertones of other musicals to the point I wonder if they were original or actually from other musicals.
The acting- honestly the stars in this film are wonderful in other roles I've seen them in, so I don't know what fell so flat- direction maybe? It was a weird mix of super talent and super horrible acting that made many scenes feel disingenuous and awkward.
The sound- this was the WORST. Sound is one of those things you don't normally notice, so when you do, you know it's BAD. Everything sounded like it was recorded in a studio and placed on top of the film or something. It was disconnected and echoing to the point of distraction.
This is definitely a very low budget movie (or they blew their budget on a few actors and had none for editing/sound). If you like tear-jerker orphan movies with musical numbers spattered about and happy endings, it's worth a watch, but fair warning about the production value.
If it weren't for DVD and Angela Lansbury, I wouldn't have made it through this movie.
Review of Buttons, A New Musical Film
