Posted 2008-05-05 02:32:24: Amazon.com: Meredith Willson's musical masterpiece is such an American classic, it deserves to be known by each new generation--and this sprightly TV-movie version spiffs it up nicely for the young folk. It's a testament to Willson's achievement that this 2003 production can survive a casting flub: the usually engaging Matthew Broderick's low-key charm is an exact mismatch for the brassy energy of traveling salesman Professor Harold Hill. When Broderick sings the words "thundering, thundering!" from "Seventy-Six Trombones," he sounds as though he's murmuring, murmuring. But he wears well (especially in a nifty "Marian the Librarian"), and he has lyrical support from Kristin Chenoweth's crystal-clear singing. Director Jeff Bleckner has a maddening tendency to cut away from the crucial moment of a scene, but the atmosphere of small-town Iowa is ably created. Adding zip is Molly Shannon, hilarious as chief busybody Mrs. Shinn. In short, the "Think System" still works. --Robert Horton > 2 Comments
