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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Great Music!, 28 June 2002
Author: airlee (airlee@earthlink.net) from Bandon, Oregon

I purchased this video at Wal-Mart in a two for ten bucks basket. For anyone who may have grown up in the 50's and loved the old time rock and roll this movie is absolutely great!

James Walters plays a rebellious teenager who ends up in a home for boys. John Travolta is a music teacher who comes looking for a job which the boys' home needs. His job is to teach them music but he has been introduced to a black rhythm and blues radio station out of Memphis, which is playing some new music which seems to upset the establishment. That music is the birth of rock and roll.

Travolta introduces the boys to this new music by first playing some 45RPM records and then telling them to get a radio and listen to the Midnight Rider. From then on the boys are hooked.

Heather Graham is the daughter of the man who runs this boys' school and is the romantic interest of Jamie Walters. She looks wonderful. Walters is a junior James Dean with a rock and roll soul.

Ultimately the music is bound to clash with the locals and that is what really brings this movie to an outstanding conclusion. Two songs really kept me going back and watching parts of the movie over and over. "Alimony" by a black couple by the names of Womack & Womack is a fantastic piece of music and the final song by Walters called, "Rockin' the Pad" is produced by Dave Edmunds. The guitar playing could very well be that of Edmunds.

Having started high school in 1955 and graduating in 1959 this movie is a real piece of nostalgia.

7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
"Skip it"? Are you kidding?!?, 8 January 2007

Author: cpoet from United States

Here's a chance to see some smooth moves out of John Travolta, dancing with the lovely Linda Fiorentino. There's a great soundtrack that's apparently impossible to find at less than sky-high prices. There's an impressive early performance by Glenn Quinn, who died too young, and a look at Heather Graham and Gwyneth Paltrow when they were still fresh-faced ingénues. The setting is a little bit "Last Picture Show" meets "Cider House Rules" and there's an interesting surface skim of race and class structure in the '50's. The story line could have been meatier, but having spent two hours today with "Ultraviolet," I was grateful enough for the linear progression.

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
I liked this film., 5 August 2006

Author: suchacki

Are you crazy? Any film starring John Travolta is bound to be a good watch, he's such a good actor, the actor playing Jesse was cute as well. The storyline was pretty similar to a few films , bad boy falls in love and turns out to be a good boy really, respecting advice from the older guy, in this case, John Travolta. I loved the music scenes, in fact most films with a bit of music are fine with me. Heather Graham played a good part, and I thought the small guy playing the trombone was good. I think this must have been one of Gwyneth Paltrow's early films, I hardly recognized her. I was entertained, although I haven't figured out why the title was 'Shout' Maybe it wasn't a classic, but hey, it's only rock and roll and I like it.

6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
I was very entertained by this movie!, 24 August 2000
Author: Karen J. Nevins from Carbon Cliff, IL

I was given this movie by a co-worker who said it was the worst movie she had ever seen. If I wanted it, I could have it. So, I brought it home and watched. I had never even heard of this movie. I thought it was very entertaining. James Walters and Heather Graham were really good. Well, it goes to show that we all have different tastes in movies. I really really liked it and will watch it again.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Review of the Movie Shout starring John Travolta, 10 February 2007

Author: cudachick40 from United States

After just seeing the movie Shout for the first time, I came away with a feel good impression. Basic plot but fun to watch. John Travolta stars as a music teacher on a Boys Farm in 1955 Texas. James Walters aka Jamie Walters from 90210 fame, plays a boy sent to the boys ranch who is really a good kid at heart. John's character introduces them to rock n roll while he is their music teacher and the movie takes off from there. There is good music, a good moral and this is probably the first film for Gwenyth Paltrow. Heather Graham is also in this movie and all are young! Fun to watch, not a lot of bad language or violence and it teaches kids they have to pay the piper when they do something wrong but sticking it out gets them what they want in the end, Have fun!

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
great movie ! great music ! entertaining A+, 29 January 2006

Author: jkck8-1 from United States

I found this movie to be fun light hearted and great acting and directing. It was fun to see the chemistry between the teacher and students. Will not go down as one of John Travolta's top ten i am sure, but is is one of mine.Watch this film if you like music,or just a plain good entertaining film. John Travola does a great Job of playing the music teacher. Watching how the students learn to play new music that was in a time when the type of music he taught was restricted. I loved the chemistry between the girl(heather Grame) and i am not sure of the kid she falls for is but non the less very well done! Like i said you have to watch it to appreciate it. Fun fun fun.

Jeff

4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Poor Man's Dirty Dancing, 12 January 2006

Author: Gemima from Australia

When my friend and I stumbled across this video and watched it we were shocked we'd never heard of it before. I later read it was a complete FLOP when it was released (despite some big name actors).

Not only is this film interesting to me as a "spot them before they were stars" exercise (Gwyneth Paltrow, Heather Graham) but a "catch them during their brief period of fame" (Jamie Walters, Becky's boyfriend from Darlene, Jeremy Jackson). I still really don't understand why it was so unsuccessful as it contains all the same clichéd ingredients as most successful 80s teen flicks.

It's got the classic set up of good looking, broody male "outsiders" rebelling against the establishment via rock'n'roll and romance. It's set in the late fifties and has plenty of fun, sexy and dramatic montages set to dark rock'n'roll songs.

It's not a great film but it's certainly just as bad as Footloose and Dirty Dancing. If you enjoyed either of those I recommend you check this out (particularly if you're female and aged between 12-16). It's tap your foot to the songs, totally enjoyable fluff.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Nothing is permanent except deterioration, 19 October 2007

Author: salexru2000 from Toronto

You can try to watch and maybe sometimes you'll feel something like an interest and other emotions. However, 1991 is already too far behind us and movie plot is now too predictable and too lame. While you can enjoy looking at your "best actors" in their primes or youth, you can't ignore general shallowness of presented story, which repeats so many stories with happy or semi-happy end about adolescents going the wrong way. In this case delinquency panacea is rock'n'roll music - which will make you puke with laughter especially if your children are doing crack and porno for pocket money.

Especially lame are scenes related to interracial interaction of young delinquents and afro-Americans. Considering lack of funds to spend and relatively unrestrained behaviour with opposite sex and race I can't image how in real life all them escaped with their lives and unspoiled mood.

Maybe there is a place on Earth where it is possible but somehow it doesn't help the movie.

It's a pity that Travolta had to endure these stupid texts and scenes, which seemingly had to symbolize unity and brotherhood of man. Nowadays they look so simplistic and devoid of reality that I got impression this flick was created by some people who don't know what they are really talking about or wanted to show. It's a well known fact that young criminals are sometimes more dangerous and spontaneous than grown up serial killers. But in this case we see a gang which is as fluffy and soft as band of guinea pigs and could be molded by anybody into anything.

If it would be on soapy side more (like stupid comedy about teenager problems with kissing), probably it would be better. Attempt to mix in drama did not work out at all, but killed all the possibilities to make movie livelier.

However, even in this state it is watchable snapshot of the tip of iceberg lacking other better examples. Some slight hints about racial troubles, negative role of church, victimization in correctional facilities, youth leadership issues can make this flick sufficiently instructive for really dumb parents and their kids. But it's impact is deteriorating with time too fast.

As I said before, the story is too old and too sweet. Life has much more bitter taste for most.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
An interesting exercise in futility, 25 July 2012

Author: kidchaos1969 from United States

This is not an awful film but it is really really bad on many levels. It is supposed to be a period piece and yet cares nothing at all about the period or authenticity. An odd mix of Footloose and Dead Poet's Society without any of the pathos that either of those films offer. It is hard to believe that Hollywood made this as a major motion picture. Any producer who was near this should be ashamed for life. This is not an unappreciated gem this is a pile of excrement. IF you want to see a film of no substance with John Travolta and some cute boys and cute girls being silly, go for it. If you are looking for a cute 80's style movie with great music this is not it. There is a reason this film was a flop when it debuted. I cannot stress enough how bad this film is. It is an insult to the era, and to the audience.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Underrated, 12 July 2012

Author: Rodrigo Amaro (rodrigo882008@hotmail.com) from São Paulo, Brazil

"Shout" is another nostalgic tale of when the rock n'roll seemed to corrupt hearts and minds of the 1950's youth with rebel singers, noisy sound and plenty of energy, commonly misunderstood by people of other generations.

In it, John Travolta plays an music teacher new in this small town whose goal is to teach some kids from a juvenile detention to play music for a 4th of July event. Among them there's the most rebel of hearts Jesse (Jamie Walters) constantly causing trouble to everybody and always getting reprehension from director Euegene Benedict (Richard Jordan). What could possibly calm down his behavior? The introduction of the rock n'roll and Benedict's daughter Sara (Heather Graham).

Good spirited, hugely well-intentioned like few films can be in this day and age, "Shout" nicely presents the youth's inconformity under the rigid authority of people who preach decadent values and also the joy in discovering new things, like different music and the first love. Yes you'd probably seen this time in "American Graffitti", "Dead Poets Society" which are excellent and far superior than this small film, but the movie goes so nice, so easy and so filled of good things that one can easily let yourself go with no excessive critics about it. The lack of profundity in the main character annoys a little, I mean, what about Jesse's past? We've only seen him right on the first scene disturbing people's peace and that's it, he's taken (again, probably) to the farm house and more punishment and detention.

Romance is fine, the couple is very good looking and they act well the comedy bits are OK, Travolta is quite good in one of his best films during the awful break of strange projects before being resurrected by Tarantino. However, Richard Jordan is what makes the film worth watching, throwing away all the excesses characters like the one plays here tend to make. He makes of this unsympathetic character someone likable, you really understand why he believes in pushing those boys to hard work, and it's a man who really loves his daughter. He's tyrannic, imposes his authority but he's good in essence. Jordan, who mainly played villains in his career, steps down from this path and makes of Benedict a good character that has his tough moments. Clearly, the best in show.

This is not as bad as people say, it's quite underrated and a fun to watch. 7/10

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