The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)

A documentary about Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman -- aka The Sherman Brothers -- the Academy Award and Grammy-winning songwriters.

Directors:

Gregory V. Sherman, Jeff Sherman

Stars:

Julie Andrews, Roy Edward Disney, Richard M. Sherman

Cast

Credited cast:
Julie Andrews	...	Herself
Jim Dale	...	Himself
Roy Edward Disney	...	Himself (as Roy E. Disney)
Micky Dolenz	...	Himself
Karen Dotrice	...	Herself
Samuel Goldwyn Jr.	...	Himself
Bruce Gordon	...	Himself
Sheldon Harnick	...	Himself
James Jensen	...	Himself
Jeff Kurtti	...	Himself
John Landis	...	Himself
Angela Lansbury	...	Herself
John Lasseter	...	Himself
Gavin Lee	...	Himself
Wendy Liebman	...	Herself

Storyline

A documentary about Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman -- aka The Sherman Brothers -- the Academy Award and Grammy-winning songwriters.

---

Plot Keywords:

songwriter | songwriting team | apostrophe in title | colon in title | six word title

---

Taglines:

Brothers, Partners, Strangers

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, smoking images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boys: L'histoire des frères Sherman

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,875 (USA) (22 May 2009)

Gross:

$54,852 (USA) (4 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Crescendo Productions, Traveling Light Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Robert B. Sherman: [talking about Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers] She was such a witch.

---

Crazy Credits

Clips featuring 'Dick van Dyke' (talking about the Mary Poppins Stage Musical), John Landis (talking about "It's A Small World") and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. (talking about Richard and Robert Sherman's relationship) are shown.

---

Connections

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

---

Soundtracks

"Fortuosity"
Words & Music by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman
Performed by Tommy Steele
Courtesy of Buena Vista Records

User Reviews

A deeply moving insight into the team behind some of the most beloved songs of the past century.

This little shown intimate portrait of the Sherman Brothers seems to have been largely overlooked in favor of the more broadly drawn "Waking Sleeping Beauty". That is most unfortunate because this is much more profound both as a peek into the creative functioning of the Disney empire...and as a fascinating unvarnished love letter to the astonishingly prolific and inspired team that gave the studio product so much of it's sparkle...

This is an exquisite film with the interviews and clips arranged for maximum impact...(the DVD is even more of a treasure trove...the out-takes and extended scenes being just as valuable as the material that made the final cut). The tear jerking moments depicting "The Boys'" relationship with Walt Disney...and his love for "Feed the Birds" has been hinted at before...but this film brings it into a clear focus that makes it a must see for everyone who ever loved one of the studio's films...or ever hummed along to one of the teams immortal creations.

There will be some people upset that this ends up being less of a happily ever after fairy tale than they would expect. This documentary lovingly depicts the somewhat strained relationship between two brothers who were very different people and how they were able to come together in one glorious project...the creation of songs that will live as long as there are children to re-discover them.

Co-directed by the sons of "The Boys" this is also a delicious portrait of the lives of two families...and of Hollywood Magic in the mid 20th century...

The moving reminiscences and archival clips are alone worth the price of the Disc!