The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
While watching “Iron Man 2”, I enjoyed the theme song to the Stark Expo: “Make Way For Tomorrow Today”. I could tell that they were spoofing “It’s a Small World (After All)” but later, I discovered that Richard M. Sherman was the songwriter of “Make Way For Tomorrow Today”. By the time I was born, the greatest works of Robert B. Sherman and his brother Dick had already been done. Despite that, their songs are some of my favorites along with those by The Beatles, Alan Menken and Randy Newman. Funny enough, only "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie songs with only "Mary Poppins" on their list of the top musicals. “The Boys: the Sherman Brothers’ Story” was a great documentary because I learned so much about these two siblings. I consider myself a big Disney trivia buff but the story of “The Boys” explores much more than their association with Disney. The film has heart but also drama. For example, I never knew about the long time animosity between Dick and Bob.
I have seen the Sherman Brothers in many special features begining with “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. I always thought that Dick did all the talking because of how old Bob was becoming. I now know that there was conflict between the two and much of their public persona was an outward show. Of course, much of this conflict was at its strongest after “Mary Poppins”. Other people had to work to keep the boys together like their manager, their father, etc. Before watching “The Boys”, I did not know that the Sherman Brothers wrote such songs as “On the Front Porch”, “Let’s Get Together” and “The Monkey’s Uncle”. I have loved the animated film “Charlotte’s Web” for many years but I did not know until this documentary that the Sherman Brothers were the songwriters for that film. It makes perfect sense now because those songs are amazing. That shows a lot of my occasional ignorance. Even though I did not know that they were the songwriters, those particular songs would still get stuck in my head as a kid. It is also cool that they were the songwriters for David Frost’s “The Slipper and the Rose” and that they worked with John Williams on “Tom Sawyer”. It was great to see Williams on the documentary considering what he has done in his career. Other welcome celebrities in the film were John Lasseter, Randy Newman, Stephen Schwartz, Roy Disney and Alan Menken. The funniest part of the film comes courtesy of John Landis who imagines the Sherman brothers laughing like super villains as the people go on the “Small World” ride. The film seems to explain that the song “It’s a Small World (After All)” is obnoxious in nature because of how good it actually is. The clip from “The Lion King” concerning this song needed to be in the film because it shows how even Disney acknowledges the insufferable nature of the song. The story of Al Sherman is important because it explains the origins of the Sherman Brothers’ talent. I did not know that Bob Sherman was a WWII veteran until I saw this film. I love how the film takes time to compare that with "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and to contrast that with “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” because it is dramatic for me at least. We see a film from our childhood in a different light.
A great thing that the documentary does is illustrate why the songs written by the Sherman Brothers are so good. First of all, they followed their father’s advice perfectly concerning the “3 S’s”: Their songs are singable, simple and sincere. Their songs are also quite original. There are times however when their songs are anything but simple. They tend to make up words for their songs; the most famous being supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Also, their songs work because the brothers’ personalities clash. Dick is fun & goofy while Bob is more reserved & complex. Those adjectives can be said about many of their songs. There is balance. This documentary contains other dramatic moments or subjects that touch my heart. The scene when the brothers reminisce of when Walt Disney hired them to work at his studio is perfectly constructed to portray the feelings of these men. “Feed the Birds” accompanies the tale and both brothers are choked with emotion. They miss Walt very much. They were also so impressed with their success even before they won an Oscar. The same feelings are felt when Walt’s death is addressed. “Feed the Birds” has brought tears to my eyes many times but only in the context of the ending of “Mary Poppins”. Because the song underscores moments in “The Boys” involving Walt, I could feel that same powerful emotion. I also love the story of how the Sherman brothers came up with the song “Winnie the Pooh.” A great concluding moment in the documentary is Dick’s 50th birthday present from Bob. It has an important subtext that becomes a theme for the whole film: love and memory is stronger than hardships.
John Lasseter says in this film that you can not forget a Sherman brothers song for the rest of your life and it is absolutely true. I learned and felt so much watching “The Boys: the Sherman Brothers’ Story”. Despite the conflict between them, the story of these brothers also has heart and love. It is an entertaining film for anyone who likes at least one of their songs.
4 Stars