Movie Review - The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)

Directed by Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

It's entirely possible I'm looking at the documentary The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story through rose-colored glasses simply because it takes an in-depth look at the inner workings of the Walt Disney company of which I am a rather devout fan.  However, I don't think that's really the case seeing as how the flick details the incredibly interesting story behind Richard and Robert Sherman, the two brothers who together wrote the songs for some of the most well-known musicals of all time -- Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Charlotte's Web to name just a few.  Unlike their rather cheery and whimsical tunes may have caused you to surmise, the brothers didn't exactly have an adoring camaraderie with one another, and this film, directed by their sons in an attempt to make more pleasant their fathers' current relationship, explores that oftentimes contentious atmosphere.

Born two-and-a-half years apart, Bob (the eldest) and Dick Sherman were the sons of a Jewish immigrant named Al Sherman who was quite famous in his own right, crafting a lot of optimistic American pop music in the 1930s.  Al recognized right away that his sons weren't exactly two peas in a pod and would do everything he could while he was alive (which was until the early 1970s) to keep his boys working together helping them to maintain a somewhat civil relationship.  It was Al who convinced the duo to try and work as a songwriting team and, although they found a bit of success, they still were having a difficult time making ends meet for their families in the 1950s.  It wasn't until they created a song that was sung by Mickey Mouse Club member Annette Funnicello that their talent became known by Walt Disney.

Upon hearing several songs performed by Ms. Funnicello and written by the Sherman Brothers, Mr. Disney hired the duo as studio writers and, from then on, history was made as Bob and Dick went on to create such memorable tunes as "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "Winnie the Pooh," and "I Wanna Be Like You," among many others.  In interviews, both Bob and Dick get incredibly emotional talking about Walt -- whose favorite song of theirs was "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins which he would ask them to play for him every Friday in his office before he would leave for home -- a man whom the two brothers respected greatly.

However, through interviews with folks like Julie Andrews, Dick van Dyke, Turner Classic Movies' Robert Osborne, Ben Stiller, John Williams, Hayley Mills, Leonard Maltin, Roy E. Disney, John Lasseter, Jon Landis, Alan Menken (who finds the title song from Winnie the Pooh utterly inspiring in its musicality), and Angela Lansbury, we grow to recognize that despite the pleasant outward appearance of Bob and Dick Sherman in video released by the Disney press, the two were really quite like oil and vinegar at times.  As Roy Disney states, Bob is a little more "Feed the Birds," while Dick is a little more "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."  Much more serious (likely because of his time spent overseas fighting in WWII where he witnessed many atrocities which are touched upon very lightly in this doc), Bob found himself frustrated by the fact that he and his brother simply couldn't get along.  As someone in the documentary says, it was almost like a Greek tragedy -- their success came from working together, but they really couldn't bear the fact that they had to work together to achieve that success.

Still, it's not as if the brothers outright refuse to talk to one another -- they've still managed to come together to work on music for some flicks within the past decade -- and it's obvious that they care for one another, but their contentious relationship is certainly an odd one considering the joy that comes from listening to their music.  At times, the documentary seems a little too "surface" without enough in-depth digging that would come from someone other than the Shermans' sons at the helm -- for example, there's a nice segment on Mary Poppins and how author P. L. Travers found the Shermans' work for the film disappointing causing Bob Sherman to call her a witch which I would've loved to have seen explored more -- but, for the most part, the film is quite successful.  Much like Waking Sleeping Beauty (a highly recommended Disney documentary that landed on my Best of List last year), The Boys is a backstage look at an important part of Disney history.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+