Rating: 
Summary: An enchanting little film
Review: I am one of the few people in the world who have never actually seen the stage play of "The Fantasticks". I loved this movie. This is a marvelous, magical, spellbinding story. I felt the casting was well done. Jean Louise Kelly makes an adorable Louisa while Joe McIntyre made a sweetly innocent Matt. Joel Grey was not in this movie near enough, but he pulls off a stellar performance with what he has to work with. I thought the dance segment with Jean Louise Kelly was especially touching. El Gallo portrayed by Jonathon Morris put the magical spin on this whole story. I loved El Gallo having this witty yet sexy side to him in addition to being the mystical and wise mastermind bringing these two naive teenagers together.The extra scenes available on the DVD are terrific. If you watch the "directors comments" you can understand why a few of them were cut. Be sure and watch "It isn't easy to die". This should have been left in. Teller and Barnard Hughes are hilarious, as are Jonathon Morris' reactions to them. The set design and surrounding scenery are breathtaking. This is a very surreal yet enchanting movie, making it easy to slip in and out of the singing segments. I only wish a soundtrack had been made. It would make a great addition to the other two that are available. Beautifully done. Beautifully acted.
Rating: 
Summary: Charming, but flawed adaptation of a classic
Review: The Fantasticks has a unique place in theatre history, being one of the most performed pieces, both in professional and amateur circuits. The simplicity of the story and orchestrations mask the truly philosophical nature of this piece. The challenge of bringing such a unique work to film, then, is to maintain the originals innocence and simplicity while expanding it to the level that can fill a screen. Michael Ritchie, helped along by the the original writer, has managed to do just that, making a piece that is expansive and beautiful, yet siginificantly more simplified that the original. This process was more evolutionary, than revolutionary, however, since the film production bears a tremendous similarity to the author's revised version toured the country starring Robert Goulet as El Gallo. For the Fantastiks purist, however, all is not lost, but available for viewing on the Bonus materials of the DVD. As with most films, looking at these "outtakes" shows how the thought process of editing brings about a better film. I will admit, however, that this film is an aquired taste, and those who have a pre-disposition to hating musicals should avoid it at all costs. I also fault the producers, somewhat, at their selection of Brad Sullivan as Hucklebee -- his portrayal is too gruff to be the father of Doe-eyed Matt and stands in too stark a contrast from the tone of the rest of the characters. Despite this small flaw, I find the film enchanting as ever and it helps to keep in mind that love is sweeter when it is earned.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but requires an open mind
Review: My friend and I watched this for no other reason than to get a sense of the play because our high school was doing a production of it. We ended up getting, respectively, Matt and El Gallo and when we had our read through, we saw the many differences between the play and the movie. In many regards, the contrast is very much like "Chicago" where the concept behind a very simplistic show was given a new aspect (in Chicago, the little dream sequences, and in this the carnival bit) in order to make the film work. Similar to "Chicago" (which I enjoyed, but remain a much bigger fan of the stage show), the movie works in a way that is different than what makes the play work. Outside of Joel Grey (I highly recommend listening to his performance of Amos Hart in the revival album of "Chicago" - I never want to hear anyone else sing "Mr. Cellophane"...ok, I did it once, but that's beside the point) who is just outstanding in anything he does and Jonathon Morris who made me want the role of El Gallo a thousand times more than I already had, I was not impressed with the cast. Honestly, I didn't care at all about the Matt or Luisa, and Hucklebee and Henry were majorly underacted. However, I also wasn't too impressed with Queen Latifah or John C. Reilly in "Chicago". I do think that this is a very interesting experience, and I actually recommend it, however one must bear in mind that this is not at all the stage version.
Rating: 
Summary: My Nominee for worst movie musical of all time.
Review: A complete and utter stinker. Totally lacking in charm. This show has only one good song: Try to Remember. The other songs are the worst show tunes you will ever hear. The clue should be titles like Plant A Radish and The Rape Song. The cast is dismal. Joe McIntyre has no appeal whatsoever. Where did they dig up this guy? I hope to NEVER see him again. There really isn't a plot: two fathers pretend to have a feud so that their children will get together romantically. The children get together but immediately begin fighting. Something vague happens to them and they wind up together. Huh? Boring! It is sad to see a talented performer like Joel Grey completely wasted in a production this pathetic. The Arizona scenery is kind of nice. Avoid this one like the plague. P. S. This one deserves NO STARS!
Rating:
Summary: An enchanting little film
Review: I am one of the few people in the world who have never actually seen the stage play of "The Fantasticks". I loved this movie. This is a marvelous, magical, spellbinding story. I felt the casting was well done. Jean Louise Kelly makes an adorable Louisa while Joe McIntyre made a sweetly innocent Matt. Joel Grey was not in this movie near enough, but he pulls off a stellar performance with what he has to work with. I thought the dance segment with Jean Louise Kelly was especially touching. El Gallo portrayed by Jonathon Morris put the magical spin on this whole story. I loved El Gallo having this witty yet sexy side to him in addition to being the mystical and wise mastermind bringing these two naive teenagers together. The extra scenes available on the DVD are terrific. If you watch the "directors comments" you can understand why a few of them were cut. Be sure and watch "It isn't easy to die". This should have been left in. Teller and Barnard Hughes are hilarious, as are Jonathon Morris' reactions to them. The set design and surrounding scenery are breathtaking. This is a very surreal yet enchanting movie, making it easy to slip in and out of the singing segments. I only wish a soundtrack had been made. It would make a great addition to the other two that are available. Beautifully done. Beautifully acted.
Rating: 
Summary: The kind of September, when grass was green...
Review: This film version of the wildly popular musical was very nearly scrapped, but the intervention of Francis Ford Coppola gave it a limited release on the big screen followed by the video release. Is it any good? Well, yes and no. The plot concerns the machinations of two next door neighbors who pretend to have a feud in the hopes that their children will fall in love (the lure forbidden fruit and all that). They enlist the help of a strange traveling circus to aid them in their plan. The first half of the movie is quite decent and somewhat sweet, and I enjoyed it very much. And then, for some reason, the movie completely derails, gets flat out bizarre (and earns its PG rating) before ending on a weird note. If you are a die-hard fan of the original musical you will probably hate this movie, because the music has been basically butchered. The performances range from good (Joel Grey) to lame (Joe McIntyre) to inexplicable (Vegas magician Teller). But then there is Jonathan Morris. I've never seen him in anything else, but he has an incredible, mesmerizing presence. The script changes his character completely halfway through the film, which is annoying, but his performance continues to stay with me, especially his gentle rendition of "Try to Remember" (which, despite being the most famous song in the musical, is given about one minute of screen time. Grrr.). He made the movie worth seeing (once) for me, but all others beware. It's really too bad; there was great potential here but the filmmakers muffed it. Maybe they'll try again someday, but until then you can check out the original Broadway soundtrack to see what all the fuss was about in the first place. I give this film version 2.5 stars, which I rounded down to two. Morris is really the only reason to catch this one. Movie Grade: C/C-
Rating:
Summary: Not the play, but good
Review: Although the movie has a different feel than the play...and trys to drag more realism into this story than there should really be, its still totally worthwhile. The overall story of the play is timeless and the movie captures it beautifully. Also the songs are so amazing and i love Joey from new kids as Matt, the boy!! If you love this play i'd recomned seeing this movie- just dont expect a carbon copy of the stage show and u wont be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Some bombs never explode
Review: The film version of this play has so much wrong with it that it's almost easier to say what's right. Here's what's wrong
1. Musical cuts make no sense.
2. Costumes...Matt looks like a nerdy college professor in a cardigan for half of the film and Pee Wee Herman for the other half.
3. The actors playing Matt and Louisa are too old for the roles.
4. The first half should be in the moonlight, the second in the dark.
5. The innocent freshness in the play is completely missing from this version.
6. The "Bawdy carnival humor" adds NOTHING to the story. The only thing that I can think of is that they were afraid of a G rating and wanted to bump it up to a PG13.
7. Brad Sullivan CANNOT sing! I look forward to the day when someone will do a film version of the play. This DVD was a complete and total FLOP and disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing take on an old classic!
Review: Instead of simply filming the stage show, the movie makes use of cinematic techniques... and used people who can really sing and act to fill the few roles.
Joel Grey still sings, dances, and acts circles around the rest of the cast, but the former New Kid on the Block manages to add a bit of naivete and humor to the role of the son. The rest of the cast is quite good as well.
The special effects, while not required, add rather than detract from the story. The rest of the technical stuff is good, too.
It's a good example of the new generation of the Hollywood musical: think this season's Chicago, and if you must, Moulin Rouge.
The only thing I dislike is the pacing: if this was live in the theatre, the audience would be rustling their programs before the cardboard moon even appears.
Rating:
Summary: A MUSICAL TREASURE
Review: One of the most beautiful musicals ever made. Great cast, memorable songs, amazing cinematography and a wonderfully simple love story. Exellent DVD transfer, exceptional audio track, tons of extras and deleted material. Why it was considered unmarketable, left on a shelf for five years and never released on the big screen is just plain sad.
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