Don't expect a spoonful of sugar from this candid and moving documentary about the songwriting team of Richard and Robert Sherman, whose contributions to popular culture include the scores for Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, as well as the iconic Disney tune, “It's a Small World.” More than a little irony lies in the fact that the Oscar and Grammy-winning duo responsible for some of the most joyous songs ever written (“A Spoonful of Sugar,” “I Wan'na Be Like You”) harbored a deep and bitter animosity toward each other. The filmmakers—Richard's son Gregory and Robert's son Jeff—may not get to the heart of their fathers' division (fleeting comments about “different lifestyles” and sibling rivalry aren't particularly insightful), but as a celebration of the songwriters' careers, The Boys is pitch perfect. Archival stills and footage set the context for excerpts from interviews with the two men, as well as with Roy Disney, Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Pixar's John Lasseter, and other colleagues and fans. Succinctly capturing the disconnect between the personal and professional sides of the story, one commentator notes, “In life, not everything turns out like a Sherman Brothers musical.” DVD extras include a number of deleted scenes (on the casting of Mary Poppins, the songwriting process, Robert's artwork, and more testimonials from admiring colleagues and Hollywood A-listers), and a “Jukebox” feature with additional footage on specific songs. A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (D. Liebenson)
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
(2010) 102 min. DVD: $29.99. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 2
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
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