Sing Now or Forever Hold Your Peace (NR)

Indie buddy comedy hits too many wrong notes.

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Movie details

Studio: Bruce Leddy Independent Productions
Directed By: Bruce Leddy
Cast: Mark Feuerstein, David Harbour, Alexander Chaplin
Running Time: 94 minutes
Release Date: 04/27/2007
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: NR

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this indie comedy tackles adult subjects -- namely sex and marriage. For the most part, it does so with humor (or at least an admirable attempt at humor). But it's also quite explicit, with many references that may be confusing, crude, or way too weird for younger teens. There's a fair amount of "locker room" talk, as well as drinking and smoking (both cigarettes and pot).

Families can talk about how the media (particularly movies and TV shows) depicts married life. What assumptions are made? Why does marriage often come across as another version of hell? Is one gender's take balanced by the other's? Are both genders depicted equally? If not, why? Can you think of any movies or shows that present marriage positively? Are they less entertaining than those that take a negative spin? Why or why not?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

Many discussions revolving around dissatisfaction with spouses and, specifically, the lack of sex within committed relationships. A wife propositions her husband's friend. A group of guys attempts to hire a prostitute for their friend, an act that lands them in jail. Some sexist remarks, particularly about women's bodies.

Consumerism:

Some mentions: Kate Spade, New York Times.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Friends smoke pot on the golf course; lots of drinking in and out of bars; one character smokes cigarettes.

Violence

Some fistfights; a gun is shot; a man nearly punches his wife, and she pushes and shoves him.

Sex

Both innuendo and much franker talk (detailed discussion of orgasms, many references to penis length, etc.); suggestive dancing; some sequences depict -- or at least heavily imply (through sound) -- various sex acts. Some dream sequences feature partial nudity.

Language

Locker room talk, with lots of references to genitalia: "p---y," "dick." Also "s--t" and "damn."

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by S. Jhoanna Robledo

Shepherded to Montauk for the wedding of their good friend Greg (Mark Feuerstein), married-but-aimless David (David Harbour), tightly-wound banker Ted (Alexander Chaplin), crunchy-granola existentialist Spooner (Chris Bowers), is-he-gay Will (Samrat Chakrabarti), recently divorced lawyer Richard (Reg Rogers), and blissfully unquestioning reality-TV producer Steven (David Alan Basche) gather for one special performance of their old a capella group. As the wedding day nears, the guys complain endlessly about not getting enough sex and obsess over Steven's sexy Swedish nanny, Elsa (Camilla Thorsson). The pals also recall the glory years of college, when life was rife with possibility and adventure. So what's their beef? David's wife, Dana (Rosemarie DeWitt), wants a baby, which makes him feel like his life is over. Ted can't stand his hostile wife, Trish (Molly Shannon; Richard's marriage just imploded after he cheated on his wife; and nearly everybody else is down on life, too.

Is it any good?

The Big Chill, Diner, American Graffiti -- those were memorable buddy movies. SING NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE, unfortunately, isn't. Which isn't to say that it's hopeless. In fact, some scenes are surprisingly funny and poignant. And the singing's not half-bad.

While writer/director/producer Bruce Leddy shows some talent for dialogue, he reveals a tin ear for originality. We've seen a lot of this material before, and with far less sexism involved. When Leddy has an opportunity to dig into some meaty material, he goes for the quick laugh instead. What saves Sing Now from utter mediocrity is the affinity among the actors. The men exude an easy rapport that sometimes eludes even the best movies. But that alone does not a good movie make -- this one's simply fair.