I didn’t even have to watch or re-watch the new Underappreciated Disney Film, I know it so well. I haven’t seen it in full in years, but back when I was a teenager, I had both the movie and its soundtrack playing almost constantly. In honor of International Worker’s Day tomorrow, this segment’s underappreciated film is “Newsies.”
“Newsies” is one of those movies that almost always gets either one of two reactions when brought up in a group: silence, because someone doesn’t know what it is, or shrieking gasps of “I LOVE(D) that movie!” It’s also a great example of a film ahead of its time.
The movie was Disney’s attempt at bringing back the live-action musical. Its 1992 release seemed like a good idea, sandwiched between the wild successes of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.”
What the House of Mouse failed to realize, however, was there’s a big difference between an animated fairy-tale musical, perfect for the family audience, and a live-action piece about a labor union struggle.
Although “Newsies” is about a bunch of kids getting together to fight against a villainous adult, the complexities of a storyline (with an admittedly weak script) about the early days of labor unions and yellow journalism goes way over kids’ heads. And 1992, the height of the grunge era, is not the time to try to sell singing and dancing teenage boys to a mass audience.
So “Newsies” failed, and faced a quiet retirement on video store shelves. But like many similar stories, it found some traction there. Once the cloud of grunge faded and people were ready for something light again, “Newsies” started to get some notice. Particularly from teenage girls.
From the very first time I saw “Newsies” at the age of 14, I knew it would have been a phenomenon if it’d just come out 6 or 7 years later. Forget the age of “High School Musical,” it’s like “Newsies” was tailor-made for the late-90s boy band craze.
I didn’t really even like boy bands, but I loved “Newsies.” There was just a lot to love about it: a fabulous soundtrack by the always fantastic Alan Menken, a storyline more catered for a slightly older audience, and, of course, a bunch of good-looking singing and dancing teenage boys.
That’s not to say “Newsies” doesn’t have its problems. The plot itself is great for the teenage mind: a bunch of poor or orphaned newsboys (think a kid on the street brandishing a paper: “Extra, Extra, read all about it!”) band together to fight against the evil corporate head trying to cheat them out of the few pennies they own, a compelling story of teenage rebellion.
But the script itself is a mess, taking on far more than it can handle and never really doing that well with what it does have. It does feature a strong lead performance by a teenage Christian Bale, but that’s about it. Bill Pullman is fine as the reporter who takes on the newsies’ story, but let’s not talk about his singing. And Robert Duvall is perplexingly manic as newspaper tycoon and heartless oppressor of street orphans Joseph Pulitzer.
The above are the reasons why, despite how much I loved “Newsies” as a teenager, I can’t usually sit through the whole film as an adult. I regress to a 15-year-old for around the first half of the movie, but once the best songs are over my interest starts to wane.
I realize I’m not selling the movie well for why it’s underappreciated. Here’s the thing: it just needs the right audience. “Newsies” is fantastic for teenagers, particularly teenage girls who love musicals. I spent years of my life obsessed with this movie, so I know its appeal all too well.
“Newsies” is cheesy fun. Watching it is all about giggling and being silly and enjoying the genuinely good soundtrack. It might not be great for younger kids, who can’t really connect to the storyline, but if you’ve got older fans of “High School Musical” (which was directed by “Newsies” director Kenny Ortega) or similar fare in your home, then “Newsies” is the perfect film to introduce to them.
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