Customer Reviews

Raise Your Voice [VHS]

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I can't believe this movie practically had me crying in the beginning. If the movie does anything right, it's the ability to try and jerk a tear out of it's audience. It worked on my mom! I was totally skeptical at first-- not a huge Hilary Duff fan --but this is a pretty good movie, despite the facts that it employs every single movie character cliche and (at times) has the cheesiest dialogue ever.

Duff plays Terri, who wants to go to a music school in LA. Her brother Paul(played by Jason Ritter-- who's too cute for his own good!) is practically her best friend, he supports her like crazy. Her father doesn't want her to go, but her flaky aunt and cool mom do. When Terri's brother is killed in a car accident, she's not sure she wants to sing anymore, and dad certainly doesn't want her going away to a music school. So when Terri is accepted, her mom and aunt cover her back so she can go. Paul would've wanted her to go. She meets a cute guy (Oliver James, in the same role he played in What a Girl Wants), a cool teacher (John Corbett!), and makes some cool friends. Can she overcome her grieving to perform in front of the crowd and sing her heart out?? Will she win the $10,000 scholarship that the music school offers to the best performance? Take a wild guess... hey, it might just surprise you. (But if you pay attention it probably won't. That's okay, though!!)

The emotion is there-- that of a grieving sister and family. It's well played; I ALMOST cried (I held it in!). The dialogue is so bad in some spots, but funny and original in others. It seemed to yo-yo back and forth. It's a cute movie for teen girls, they'll swoon over Oliver James, and a pretty good movie for anyone else who can see past the cliches (I did) and just enjoy the movie. Of course it's going to be cheesy sometimes, but that's the charm! Check this one out sometime!! RECOMMENDED!!

Raise Your Voice was awesome! It was Hilary's best movie yet! Hilary gives her greatest performance as Terri, a shy girl with a huge talent for singing and writing. When she wants to go to a summer music program, her dad says no, but her brother supports her and secretly submits an application. After a tradgey in her family, Terri doesn't want to sing anymore, but when she gets accepted to the school she finds the courage to believe in herself again.

This really isn't your typical Hilary Duff movie. More dramatic, it really shows how good of an actress Hilary can be. Terri goes through such a wide range of emotions, from happy to dpressed to lonely to sad, Hilary conquers all of these. Hilary's performance is so good that you feel what Terri feels, and are rooting for her until the end. John Corbett's character adds comedy to the movie, and Oliver James's charatcer is there to help Hilary at the school.

I highly reccommend this movie for anyone. It makes you feel good at the end and is perfect for anyone who enjoys a good movie.

The explanation behind this film's very modest success at the box office is really no different than that of any other "teen flick" in its respective genre. Many just depict it as being too cheesy and silly, but when it is viewed by its audience as the lighthearted and enjoyable fluff that it is, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

"Raise Your Voice," stars the infamous Hilary Duff as Terri Fletcher, a 16-year-old girl with a gift for singing and performing. Nobody supports her more than her loving older brother Paul, her only sibling, who is determined to make sure his little sister goes as far as she can. Tragedy strikes the family early in the movie, and with barely enough time to grieve, Terri is accepted into a prestigious music school for the summer, and her mother and aunt are dead-set on making sure she accepts the rare opportunity. Terri wants to go, of course, but with her extremely overprotective father clinging to her harder than ever, the three women may have to conspire together in order to make it happen. So begins Terri's solo trip to LA to pursue her dream, and as she deals with snarky classmates, boys, and overwhelming expectations from teachers, she is also fighting to cope with the pain and guilt of moving on without the one person who believed in her more than anyone else.

This movie has often been likened to "Brave New Girl," a film spawned from Britney and Lynne Spears' co-written book, but this film had its differences. Unlike the title character in "Brave New Girl," Terri Fletcher did not have to change her voice or style to reel in the people at her music school. They liked her for the girl in her application video, and what came out was HER, not somebody who had to conform.

It is true that this film is one of Hilary Duff's most emotional and well-executed roles. One thing I really like about this girl is that she knows who she is as an actress, and she plays to that personal style without ever trying to be anything different. She doesn't try to act like she's 30; she's a teenager, a kid, and that's the vibe she still projects in her acting, even though she has clearly grown and changed so much since her initial breakout as an innocent little middle schooler in Disney's "Lizzie McGuire." There is something very commendable to be said about that. Playing the role of a sweet, innocent, and hard-working young girl suits Duff well, and even as she gets older and branches out to more complex material, I think she will always be one of the special ones. You may love her or hate her, but few can deny that she is one of the better role models in today's world of countless female teen actresses.

As for Duff's love interest Oliver James...I remember seeing him in "What a Girl Wants" alongside Amanda Bynes, and I don't really care for him much, but the scenes between him and Hilary were still good. Everyone did a nice job with their roles, and you may even recognize Terri's father Simon as the dad in "The Parent Trap"--not the Lindsay Lohan version, mind you, but the one way back when with Hayley Mills.

"Raise Your Voice" is a breath of fresh air and the perfect film for its personal audience to watch. We all know what a "chick flick" is, and we all know what sweet fluff is, so if you don't like either of those things, then you really have no reason to watch this movie. But for others, it carries a fun plot and a positive message to appeal to its viewers.

In this sweet,cute,follow-your-dreams themed movie about a small-town girl who wishes to be a singer and attend a music camp in L.A.for the summer but has to lie to her dad to get there since he's a strict thorn.Terri Flecter is a beautiful,talented,and gifted young singer whose only real performances are in her church choir.Her brother,Paul,is her biggest fan and encorages her to pursue her dreams in life,despite her father's wishes for her to work at his restraunt in the local area.After her brother sadly dies in a car crash,Terri decides it's time for her to spread her wings and fly a little and go to music camp and with the help of her kind mother and a nutty aunt Nina she leaves her hometown for L.A. Once there,she struggles to fit in,among popular snob Robin,a geeky funny boy named Kiwi,a sexy British hunk,and gets help from a cool hippie teacher.As the young girl approves on her vocals and starts to believe in herself,she also forms a romance with the ever-cutie pie Jay and makes some new friends,her violn-playing roomate Denise,and Kiwi and his crush,the piano-playing Solane.Terri has to stand up to her father in the end and insist on staying so she can perform and her dad finally comes around in the end.The plot is about a girl who has the courage to follow her dreams despite all the negative people in her life.The message for young girls is to follow your dreams and find some passion in your life to pursue and love.It's a beauitful,passionate,inspiring story and Hilary is beautiful with her golden blonde hair and mega-watt smile.I'd reccomend any young girl who has a dream to see this movie.Hilary's grown-up since her 'Lizzie McGuire'days and it shows.

I bought this movie and I wacht it already 6 times in 4 days, I LOVE IT!!!
I'm a great fan of Hilary Duff...
Is about this girl who is an awsome singer and she wants to go to this summer program in L.A.The problem is that her dad doesn't let her go. Her mother, aunt and also herself invent an excuse, finally Terri (Duff) gets into it. The movie shows the problems that she founds in the summer program and she lives happily ever after!! LOL

Hilary Duff is one of my favorite singers and this movie was great! I watch it all of the time and it never gets old. She is so great in theis movie, I cry almost everytime I see it!

I am 27 years old and wanted to see this movie. I was finally able to rent it and I'm glad I did. I thought this movie was great. I loved the story line and everything about it. I also rented A Cinderella Story and both movies are really good. I'm definately going to add them to my collection.

This movie is great from beginning to end.

Hilary Duff shines at her very brightest in this outstanding motion picture. Her acting is her best yet, and her singing is top-notch. She brings the house down with "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Jericho," and her hit single "Fly." She doesn't disappoint her fans and is sure to win over nearly every viewer of this movie.

The supporting cast is great. John Corbett is excellent as always as Hilary's teacher. Oliver James who previously starred in "What a Girl Wants" gets a better role and handles it like a pro. I had never seen Jason Ritter before, but I will be looking for his movies from now on. His portrayal of Hilary's brother is truly great!

The story is actually quite dramatic. This should not be classified with "Duff Fluff." The basic story is about a girl who has a tragedy in her life and tries to come to grips with it while attending a summer music program. The story is a lot more detailed than that, but I don't want to include any spoilers. It sounds corny, but it comes off as very believable and genuine. There are light moments too, but the overall feel is that of a drama.

So, if it has a luminous star, cool music, great support, and a truly above-average story, why do so many people hate it? There are two main reasons.

The first is the star. Hilary Duff has a lot of people who hate her. A quick search of the internet reveals dozens of sights bashing her in the crudest terms. I have heard nearly every interview she has ever done and several other interviews where other people talked about her. She is always cheerful and sweet. So, why the bashing? BECAUSE SHE ISN'T A TRAMP! Every performance she has given (and I've just about seen them all) has been completely clean. Her music videos are absolutely the cleanest on MTV in the past decade. A lot of people want tramps. That is why another former Disney star whom we all know has put out a video lately that's going to give Britney a run for her money. I, for one, don't think an actress should be hated because she ISN'T a tramp.

The other reason is very similar. The movie itself is very clean. The PG rating turns a lot of people off. Aside from one scene involving teenage drinking, this movie is very clean and has a positive message on dealing with grief. There is no sex, no violence, and only a little very mild language. I'm not saying that any movie that's PG-13 or R is trash; I'm just saying that there is no reason to skip a great movie just because it's clean.

Overall, this movie is a fantastic experience for everyone over about 10 or so. (I only say this because there are some "Thematic Elements" that might bother small children.) So, bring your family and watch "Raise Your Voice." It's very possibly the best movie of the year.

ACTING 10/10
STORY 10/10
MUSIC 10/10

OVERALL 10/10

I saw this movie while babysitting kids, and I completely fell in love with this movie! As a teenage girl, I love the subtle romance and adorable boys! A perfect movie for girl sleepovers and having a girls day out. This movie is a complete chick flick!!!

Hilary Duff's character is practically the same as her character is in every other film she plays in; sweet, innocent and although she is in the background she is always the talented one that everybody falls in love with in the end. This film is no differend from that, and to me it's quite obvious the girl is being stereotyped. I don't know her exact age, I guess it's 18 or something, but she is still playing 15-16 year old characters. There will be a time she is too old to do that and she will have to step over to something else if she wants to remain in the showbussines.
This film, to me, is an attempt to launch Hilary's music career. However, unlike on her records, her voice is sometimes very weak in this film. The whole film is about Hilary and her career, and this certainly isn't a masterpiece if that's what you're looking for. It's just something fun for a younger audience and Hilary Duff fans. But it has it's moments, I guess.

If I could rate it more exact, I would give it 2,5 stars. This film is for a somewhat younger audience than me(I'm almost 16), so I guess that's why I didn't like it as much as some of the other reviewers. The film is quite predictable but it has it's sensitive moments. Sometimes it is very emotional, and sometimes you don't know where to look because of it's crappyness. As I said before the film has it's moments, but it also had it's downfalls too.

Overall, I simply think a lot of people that are not Hilary Duff fans and who are above 13 years of age will think this is a crappy film/release.

I wouldn't recommend it, but that's just me speaking. I mean if you are looking for a film that has a lot of Hilary, a few jokes, and you are able to turn your reasenable thinking off, you might enjoy this ---

Rick - 2005

Please remember this is my opinion about this release. Your opinion can and might very well be differend from mines. This is just what I think about this release and this is my advice. Take it if you want, leave it if you like.