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The Newcomers More at IMDbPro »
| Index | 7 reviews in total |
9 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Tired and predictable. Seen it a hundred times before, and a thousand times better., 17 December 2003
Author:
ollie501 from Dorset, England
This is a simple, straightforward film, about a family moving away from
the
city, to start a new life in a small country town.
After being subjected to bullying, Sam Docherty, played with absolutely
no
emotion by Matt McCoy, is forced to make the right decision and testify
in
court against them.
Within ten minutes, the family has moved house, and the eldest daughter
is
asking where the nearest mall is. At a small garage, Courtney spots the
guy
who predictably will later become her love interest.
Upon paying for their goods, their credit card is declined, and you know
from that point on that this entire movie is going to be
predictable.
Within 25 minutes we are introduced the customary `best friend', in the
form
of an adorable dog, whom it is decided is a stray, with no apparent
regard
for any owner it may have been fortunate to have.
Enter Sam's new neighbour, `Gil', played by Billy Kay. It is instantly
apparent that he is a troublemaker. He has a the stereotypical pierced
ear
of all young hoodlums. What follows is a feeble attempt at their bullying
of
Sam, followed by a feigned friendship in the hope of becoming closer to
the
beautiful Courtney. We also meet an elderly and slightly eccentric lady
with
a pie to greet the family.
What follows is a tired, formulaic tale of a boy, his bullies and his
ever
faithful dog. `Earring boy', picks on Sam, is chased away by the dog,
which
looks for all the world like it will lick him death. Father of "earring
bully" decides "I don't want you hangin' round new kid"...shortly after
this
point we learn that his mother died...father raises him
alone...blah...blah.
The scene of them climbing the fence, with "scared fat kid being scared"
may well have been stolen from Stand By Me...
The fairground scene equally predictable and nauseating as we see the
"romantic interest" blossom, while bad kids steal fireworks, and you just
know "sumthin' bad is gonna happen"
There's even a "bridge crossing" reminiscent of SBM, at which point "bad
earring boy" falls into lake, is naturally saved by boy, just before they
all go over the waterfall that wasn't there 2 minutes ago, and the dog
has
disappeared only to make the customary reappearance at the end of the
film
when everything turns out happily ever after, the good and bad all become
friends, and while playing chess (the way new best buddies always do),
along
comes baddies daddy, with a peace offering, and a hearty welcome and
along
comes doggie to be greeted with absolutely no emotion by kid, and they
all
lived happily ever after.
From start to finish, this film is tired and predictable. Even the
usually
outstanding Paul Franklin Dano and Billy Kay cannot pull this film into
life, as the scripting and direction are appalling. This is bland,
predictable and formulaic. It is a genuine torture to watch. There are
thousands of movie's in this genre, and nearly all do a much better job.
If
you're looking for a decent `sappy' family film, look elsewhere. Lassie,
with Tom Guiry, is a much more enjoyable film, and while as predictable
as
most of these films are, is at least played out with some passion and
enthusiasm. This film draws heavily on stereotypes, religious beliefs,
and
family values, in a lame attempt to cobble something remotely resembling
a
story. By the end of the film, the only thing more tired than myself was
the
film itself.
Good points? It's a rather nice dog. Most definitely not recommended
viewing; A total disappointment from start to finish.
Ollie
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Never, ever watch this willingly, 5 June 2006
Author:
toucanhige from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Single most god-awful movie ever created. There was absolutely no
characterization at all, let me tell you. The characters? Some father
and mother you barely even remember the names of, some random "hot"
sister and a boyfriend I completely forgot about until now (just thrown
in to keep her out of the way) and a dork of a son. It all starts out
with the son being hit by a car by stereotypical jocks..err..well they
were some stereotype. They move to the country where there were more
stereotypical hicks to pick on him. Or something like that. A few
characters were randomly thrown in so they could pretend it was
intended to make sense (ex. Jamaican, old lady) but I'm not sure why
they were really there. Mainly all you heard was choppy, barely audible
dialog, then crappy background music blaring in the background while
scenes skipped around like the west was won. Absolutely made no sense,
a storyline overused x 10 (but at least the others made sense). By the
end of the movie I still had no clue what was going on. World War Two?
Maybe. Apocalypse? Perhaps. Brain-Eating Zombies? Well then I might
have been interested.
Do. Not. Watch. Children of young ages will get bored easily as I have
discovered, and anyone over 12 may jump off a bridge to get away from
said movie. Don't waste your time.
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Family Movie Hell, 16 January 2008
Author:
spgorelick
Every once in a while -- perhaps more frequently than that -- you watch
a movie and marvel at the the notion that someone would spend the time
and resources to transform a stunningly incompetent script into a
feature film. This particular film is so lacking in plot and character
development that it is almost a marvel to behold. The motivations of
the characters are laughably non-existent. And there is a pervading
blandness to the whole affair that would send even the most undemanding
young viewers into deep coma.
I can't imagine why I took the time to slog through this unfortunate
excuse for entertainment, although I did get a little bit of exercise
from constantly shaking my head and wondering how much worse a "family
film" could get. How Kate Bosworth and Jeff Fahey got involved is a
question best answered by their respective agents.
By the way, the packaging on this DVD suggests, perhaps, that this is a
"boy and his dog" movie. It is not. The dog is a random addition that
is every bit as disconnected to the "story" as I was.
Avoid this at all costs, and add 90 precious minutes to your life.
6 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Sappy and Predictable, 7 January 2001
Author:
Sergei Scurfield from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
A big city family that runs into financial difficulties relocates to a small American town to start over. After arriving in the new town the father discovers that he does not have the job he was promised and the wife takes a low paying job despite her husband's objection. The teenage children initially have trouble finding new friends and adjusting to the slow paced life of country living. The antagonist is the extremely unfriendly neighbor from across the street who, for no apparent reason, is openly hostile towards the newcomers. This slow moving film preaches that strong family and religious values will help a family overcome difficulties and prevail over hardship. This is a sappy and predictable film with average acting and no redeeming qualities. Don't waste your time.
a simple movie to pass time..., 18 September 2011
Author:
webpage-1 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
It's not a horrible movie. It's not a good movie. It's a nice, family
friendly movie though. No cursing or such. Just a nice little movie
about moving to a new neighborhood.
Overacting and underacting. Still, it was a nice to movie to watch on a
Sunday afternoon while eating lunch.
A young kid doesn't fit in and the family moves to a small town. He
still doesn't fit in...but by one heroic act he is finally accepted.
Just a story about the struggle of a kid who wants to fit in...but it's
nice.
I guess that's the one word I would use about the movie is "Nice".
Don't expect great acting, or great dialogue, or a fast moving movie.
All they showed could have been condensed down into 30 minutes.
Give it a try if you have the time and like simple good feel movies.
Don't go out of your way to watch it if you have a bunch of others on
the list.
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Competent if lackluster, 18 April 2003
Author:
Brad Hodges (brad461@earthlink.net) from Plainsboro, NJ
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** I rented this DVD because I wanted to see more of Kate Bosworth, the stunningly beautiful star of Blue Crush, and didn't expect much. The Newcomers, though, was okay, kind of like an episode of Seventh Heaven, or the old Davey and Goliath show. A family leaves Boston because the son, Sam, turns in a football player for damaging school property and is harassed by him. If only this were the only problem facing the inner city today! The father is some kind of construction worker and he figures they should pack up and move to the country, but he ends up buying a huge house in Vermont, so they must have had some money. This sad sack family ends up moving across the street from a bitter guy whose dead wife liked the house, and resents strangers because he thinks there after his job. The neighborhood kids terrorize Sam, and Kate Bosworth, who does little in this film except scowl and look good in tights, hates living in the hick town. She does a 180 though when she takes a shine to the gas-pump jockey. Finally Sam and his dog save the mean guy's son from drowning we all learn a lesson in tolerance. The filmmakers seem to look back in fondness to a Norma Rockwell America that doesn't exist anymore. Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh would love it. The kid who plays Sam is pretty believable, and again, there's Kate Bosworth.
3 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
refreshing, 1 April 2003
Author:
refpres from sf
This is a refreshing story and film for children and some adults who would like a somewhat "realistic" film. This film makes you feel almost as though you were sitting right next to the actors while they go about their lives in the movie. Compared to other films, this one is not always "smooth," and some little acts don't always "fit," but you might appreciate the "innocence" and lessons taught by the movie.
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