Movie Review # 442: Newsies (1992)

Everyone, first of all, happy 4th of July! Second, tonight, we review review a live-action Disney musical film that could be somewhat fitting for this particular holiday. No, not because it takes place around the time of the War For Independence, but because of some of the themes of this film revolving around standing up for what’s right. Released in April 1992, the film is Newsies.

Plot: Set in the year 1899, a group of poor people in New York City, called the Newsies, whose leader is Jack Kelly (Christian Bale), have been delivering local newspapers to the people of Manhattan. But one day, the corrupt governor of New York, Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall), decides to raise the prices for the Newsies to buy, and then sell the newspapers. So the Newsies/Newsboys decide to go on strike as a result. Now, with the help of newcomers David Jacobs (David Moscow), David’s brother Les (Luke Edwards), and the rest of the Newsie gang, and a reporter named Bryan Denton (Bill Pullman), can they put an end to Pulitzer’s plans, and the other corrupt leaders who are involved in Pulitzer’s scheme?

Okay, first of all, how on Earth did only 39% of critics give this film positive reviews, according to Rotten Tomatoes? This film is just so well done, for the most part. But more on the flaws later. First of all, the music is really good. In fact, while you may not find yourself singing, or humming all of them the first time around, you may find yourself doing so with at least a few of them, especially songs like “The World Will Know,” “Seize The Day,” and “King Of New York.” Not only that, but the songs really help to bring out the personalities of the characters in this film. Yes, there are some characters who don’t sing to get better developed, but still. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the songs are written by Alan Menken, who composed music for most of Disney’s animated films in the 1990’s like The Little Mermaid (that at least was 1989, but still), Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and Hercules? Yeah, I can only imagine how busy he was between writing music for Newsies, and Beauty & The Beast, and Aladdin especially. The relationships were also surprisingly handled really well. As the movie progressed, I was nervous about the possibility that some of them weren’t going to evolve much, if at all. Thankfully, they do in the end. The movie, as a whole, also does well with portraying how difficult life was especially in New York during 1899, and maybe after. In fact, it sounds like Newsies seems to have a lot of historical accuracies, and maybe even some inaccuracies as well. It’s also great that we have other historical figures included in this film, in addition to Joseph Pulitzer. The costume designs are also really great, whether it be for the wealthy people, or the poorer people. Oh, and not to mention that even poor people ended up dreaming big from time to time as well. There are also some really great lessons incorporated in this film as well, most notably the whole deal about how, first of all, people need to learn to stand up for what’s right, no matter how difficult that may be. Considering that there was some persecution going on back then, and likely still is persecution going on even today, it’s a good lesson to be reminded of. Not only that, but if the truth is not printed in the news, then people need to find a way to get the truth out there. Oh, and there’s this really great line about how it takes one voice, followed by a hundred, and then a thousand, etc. to stand up for justice, and integrity. Maybe not quite the exact words, but it’s not far from the truth in this case. There’s also the whole deal about how, even though we may have dreams of going to other places in the world, or moving on from one’s current position, you name it, maybe it’s good to wait until knowing for sure that you’ve accomplished what’s needed to be done. I’m not sure if it makes sense now, but I’m sure it will once you see this film. Oh, and another thing! The acting is superb, especially from Christian Bale, Robert Duvall, Bill Pullman, and quite a few others. And just think, Christian Bale was in movies like this one, and the 1995 Disney animated film, Pocahontas, before going on to debut in lives like the Dark Knight trilogy, and quite a few other films.

Honestly, the one thing that drags this film down at least by a little bit is that Jack Kelley, the main character that’s played by Christian Bale, seems to have this character arc around the middle to end, that seemed to feel rather rushed. Well, first of all, some of the decisions that he makes around then aren’t exactly the best. Second, the way that his arc occurs could have maybe been handled a little better than it seemed to be in the end. I don’t know, maybe the writers thought it would be. I wouldn’t call the arc bad, but it could have maybe been executed a little better.

And that’s my review for Newsies. After being absent from the film fir so many years, I am glad to have finally seen it again, especially since it will be turning thirty years old next year. So happy anniversary to the film, come 2022! If you haven’t seen this film, Newsies is most definitely a must-see. The songs are phenomenal, the messages are fantastic, the characters are fun, and the story is well-executed, other than Jack Kelly’s character arc that could have maybe been written a little better. It’s also great to know that Newsies has become popular over the years, so much so that the film got a Broadway adaptation twenty-five years after the film was first released in theaters. How about that? Anyway, again, see this film, and see what you think!

Final Grade: A