Starring Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Duvall (Best Actor -- TENDER MERCIES, 1983) and screen favorite Ann-Margret, here's the true story of a courageous group of newsboys who become unlikely heroes when they team up to f... more »ight an unscrupulous newspaper tycoon. Determined to make their dreams come true, they find the courage to challenge the powerful! Critically acclaimed from coast to coast -- if you're looking for must-see, feel-good entertainment, NEWSIES delivers!« less
Sarah F. (keanupattinson) from INDIANAPOLIS, IN Reviewed on 8/9/2009...
I loved this movie, I could watch it over and over and over again! The music i.e. the songs & even the dancing, is really pretty good for these young kids. It's definitely a movie about the underdogs, I just loved it. Christian Bale is my favorite part...and he's in the whole thing :)
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Sarah R. (SMR) from LIGONIER, PA Reviewed on 9/26/2008...
i remember watching this movie in 5th grade music class! it was so awesome and all the girls loved christian bale back then. (umm i'm 24 now and i still love him) it has its corny moments, but the songs are great and it is just a feel-good, underdog kind of movie.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Juli P. (Carpe-DVD) from MONTGOMERY, IL Reviewed on 8/15/2008...
Despite the bad review I see written here for "Newsies", it has been one of our family's all time favorite movie. The singing and dancing had us all ready to see it over and over when we first were able to find it on VHS (no easy feat at the time)and after I was able to purchase the soundtrack, we sang at the top of our lungs in the car until we all knew all the songs by heart. The story line is fun and interesting to follow, the kids are great in the movie and it has a great ending. I'd love to see our local school do this on stage. I have this on VHS and DVD but want another copy in case something happens to ours.
4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
From a straight, male reviewer! Wow!
Monty Moonlight | TX | 09/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the looks of it, I MAY be the only male reviewer posting positive for this movie, but of course I only read the first several reviews, not all 300 plus. I saw Newsies when it first came out in the movies. I believe it was a double feature, with Aladdin or something, can't remember which. I guess I was around 17. I've always been a loyal Disney fan, and I do love many musicals. This was an instant classic for me, sort of a male version of Annie, which came out a decade or so before, and is also excellent. And I seem to recall that Annie and Popeye, two faves of mine, sort of marked the end of live-action musicals. A real shame. Newsies proves that great musicals can still be made, but it also proves that it can take some time for most modern people to admit they like it. The story is about the 1899 strike of the New York paperboys. The central characters are Jack Kelly, a streetwise orphan played by Christian Bale(the main reason most females love this movie), and David Jacobs, a kid from a more stable, family lifestyle. Through the course of the strike they put on, the two boys become unlikely best friends, and with the other Newsies, learn about loyalty, friendship, and believing that they can work together to fight for a better life. The songs and music are beautiful. I'm particular about that stuff too. Don't trust professional reviewers like Leonard Maltin, whose reviews are inconsistent at best. Just when you think he's got good taste from reading one review, you lose all faith in him by reading another. Judge this movie for yourself. If you don't like musicals, don't bother. You have to love musicals to enjoy this even a little bit. And I don't mean just stuff like Oklahoma or Dr. Dolittle. If you loved Annie, this might be a good one for you. A little more adult than that, but not much. Don't expect to see many female characters though. Ann Margaret has a small part as one of the kids' few adult friends, and there's the character of David's sister, purely there to present a love interest for Christian Bale, just so someone would have a love interest. She's not spectacular, but she IS cute. Bill Pullman does a great job as a reporter trying to help the Newsies get some publicity. This was the first time I ever saw Bill since Space Balls, though I wasn't really keeping track of his career. I'm so glad to hear this will be on DVD soon. And I hope they release more of Disney's late 80's, early 90's stuff on DVD. Like Dick Tracy! A visual masterpiece! And my favorite movie of all time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, is badly in need of a Special Edition DVD! Such a spectacular film and we didn't even get the movie trailer promised on the box! Anyway, as for Newsies, get the soundtrack too! Great music! I bought the soundtrack back when the movie came out! Unfortunately it was on tape. Gotta replace that with a CD too!"
Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time
alison@a.crl.com | Texas, USA | 08/28/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The world was not ready for a return to the days of the movie-musical when "Newsies" was released in 1992. A box-office flop, it has quickly risen to cult classic status with fans everywhere. Newsies is based on the true story of the New York newsboys' strike of 1899. Granted, Disney is guilty of "improving the truth a little", but doesn't any musical, where people break out in spontaneous song and dance, require one to put reality aside for a while? This film tells the tale of the newsies, led by tough, street-smart Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) and intelligent, reasonable David Jacobs (David Moscow), who form a union when Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) ups the price of newspapers from fifty to sixty cents a hundred. The street children - with names like Racetrack (Max Casella), a compulsive gambler who steals many scenes with his wisecracks - are aided by a newspaper reporter named Brian Denton (Bill Pullman). Together the unlikely company endures many troubles, including run-ins with the police and their leader's betrayal, throughout the strike. The actors are believable as poor orphans and runaways during the turn of the century, and one look at any of them shows that they've poured their heart and soul into this movie. The lack of depth in some characters - especially Sarah (Ele Keats) and Medda Larkson (Ann-Margret), roles that serve no discernable purpose other than sex appeal - is my only qualm with the film. Looking past that and the many continuity errors (some of which are actually quite amusing), this is a highly enjoyable movie for the entire family to share. Not a masterpiece, but plenty of entertainment!"
This movie is a MUST see, works for all ages! =D
Monty Moonlight | 06/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Newsies" is a very fun filled movie based on actual events of the newsboys strike. Its educational, but it does not lack in fun. The choreography amazes , and astounds me. The music is wonderfully put together and catchy. I find myself singing it throughout the day. The lead characters Jack Kelly played by Christian Bale, puts on an astounding performance (The ladies will fall for him quickly, I know I did) as the leader of the Newsie pack who first decides to go on strike, his friend David helps him by giving him the words to say to start it, and stands by his side to help fight for their rights. Its touching and it fills your heart with excitement and joy. Don't miss out on this wonderful musical. One of Disney's absolute BEST! I first saw it when I was 12, and I loved it then, and I LOVE it now! Go see it, You won't regret it."
Disney FINALLY did something right!
Charles S. Houser | Binghamton, NY | 01/31/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a fun musical! Why it was pulled from the theaters so soon after its original release and why Disney back-burnered this visually exciting live-action film is a mystery to me. But they've made their amends. This DVD has TWO featurettes about the making of Newsies and ANOTHER about the real turn-of-the-century newsboy's strike that the movie is based on. Also, it has director's commentary and sing-along lyrics. Some of the plot turns are predictable and Robert Duval's performance as publisher Joseph Pulitzer is a tad embarrassing. Ann-Margaret's as the dancehall performer, Medda, "the Swedish meadowlark" is not (though she inexplicably evaporates from the movie half way through). But the young cast is diverse and energetic. Dance sequences are tightly edited, but not in the annoying and disorienting way MTV videos are. You can appreciate the flow of the movements...and the dances and music in general support the story line and help define the different characters. If for no other reason, Newsies is worth the purchase price just for the opportunity to see Welsh actor Christian Bale (An American Psycho) sing, dance, and speak in a Bowery boy accent."
Closest to the old time musicals.
R. Christenson | Pine, CO USA | 08/01/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Newsies is one of those movies that grows on you, like some of the songs in it. The first time it seemd too corny (a bunch of boys singing, dancing, and behaving like the East Side Kids), but I liked it more with each viewing.
In early 20th century New York, Christian Bale (Batman Begins, Empire of the Sun) leads underpaid paperboys in a musical strike against publishers Pulitzer and Hearst. Bill Pullman (Sleepless in Seattle, Casper) plays a Sun reporter who takes up their cause.
Robert Duvall (To Kill A Mockingbird, Second Hand Lions) gives an interesting interpretation of Pulitzer, and Ann-Margaret (Bye Bye Birdie, Pocketful of Miracles) has a few scenes as a dancing girl. But the best performance, in my opinion, is Kevin Tighe (Emergency, What's Eating Gilbert Grape) as a sinister reformatory warden. He's mastered a patiently mean, calmly austere look that could send chills up your spine.
There are at least a couple very memorable songs: King of New York and Seize The Day. The dancing and choreography attempts to rise to the level of classic movie musicals like Singin' In The Rain, doesn't quite reach that quality, but they've made a noble effort that's entertaining in most of the numbers.
On the whole the movie can be quite effective if you can get past the corniness and get into it."