Raise Your Voice (2004)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Sean McNamara

Writers (WGA):

Mitch Rotter (story)
Sam Schreiber (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Music | Romance

Tagline:

Don't give up. Don't hold back. (Australia DVD)

Plot:

A girl from a small town heads to the big city of Los Angeles to spend the summer at a performing arts high school.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Performing Arts | Stage Fright | Scholarship | Coming Of Age

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Hilary Duff	...	Teresa 'Terri' Fletcher
Oliver James	...	Jay Corgan
David Keith	...	Simon Fletcher
Dana Davis	...	Denise Gilmore
Johnny Lewis	...	Engelbert 'Kiwi' Wilson
Rita Wilson	...	Francis Fletcher
Lauren C. Mayhew	...	Robin Childers
Kat Dennings	...	Sloane
Jason Ritter	...	Paul Fletcher
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Aunt Nina
John Corbett	...	Mr. Torvald
Carly Reeves	...	Kelly
James Avery	...	Mr. Gantry
Robert Trebor	...	Mr. Wesson
Steven T. Palmer	...	Street Drummer (as Steven '17' Palmer)

Also Known As:

Heart of Summer (Australia) (working title)
Untitled Christian Music Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

USA:103 min | Argentina:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Company:

Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment

Trivia:

Was originally entitled "Heart of Summer", but the film's release date was pushed back from August to October, so the title was changed accordingly.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Lips and instruments are out of sync in several scenes throughout the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mr. Holcomb: Have a very pleasant Summer everyone. Miss Fletcher, rehearsal tomorrow at four.

Movie Connections:

References The Stepford Wives (1975)

Soundtrack:

Take It Back Now

Could have and should have been a contender

Hillary Duff of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 1 and 2 stars in this plodding kids-oriented tale about a young singer who attends a summer music program at a private school in LA. Her father thinks she's visiting her aunt in the desert, since he is dead set against this. What might have been another SISTER ACT 2 or MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, to name a couple of well-known movies about musically talented kids, proves to be a disaster. The director, who clearly was not up to the job, provides only bits and pieces of musical numbers and keeps the focus on Duff, who is not an actress and only a so-so singer. Frankly, she also does not look right for the part but I will be charitable here and keep mum about her physical failings. The big finale is a dud, due in no small measure to the cameraman and editor, who completely screw up the presentation of Duff's recital. A better script might have helped, too, as nothing happens in this movie that we haven't seen a hundred times before. Rita Wilson, Rebecca DeMornay and David Keith are wasted as the adults in Duff's life. Only John Corbett as one of Duff's instructors comes across as interesting and believable, but alas, he is a bit player here. Skip it.