Directed by Sean McNamara
Written by Sam Schreiber
Starring Hilary Duff, Lauren C. Mayhew, Oliver James, David Keith, Rita Wilson, John Corbett, Kat Dennings
Release date(s) October 8 2004
Running time 103 min.
OVERVIew
Raise Your Voice is an American drama film released in 2004. It was directed by Sean McNamara and stars Hilary Duff. Oliver James, Lauren Mayhew, David Keith, and Dana Davis co-star. The film tells the story of a teenage girl from Flagstaff, Arizona who spends the summer at a performing arts school in Los Angeles against her father's will.
The film was originally conceived by New Line Cinema music executive Mitch Rotter and pitched as a "Christian Music Project." Evan Rachel Wood was originally cast as Terri, but she had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts. The film features songs from Duff's album Hilary Duff, which was released in the U.S. a week before Raise Your Voice; the songs featured are "Fly", "Someone's Watching over Me" and "Jericho". Raise Your Voice was the first live-action film to air on The CW, having aired on Thanksgiving Day 2007.
REVIew
Terri Fletcher loves to sing. Her older brother, Paul, is her best friend and inspiration. Her father, though supportive, believes there are more important things in life than singing. Terri buys tickets for both her brother and her to see the Canadian band Three Days Grace in concert one night, but Paul is grounded and is unable to go. Terri insists that they should have one last night of fun before Paul goes to college, and they sneak out. On the way back, as Paul is driving them home, they are involved in a major car crash which leaves Terri injured and Paul dead. Throughout the whole film, Terri feels guilty because she blames herself for Paul's death. In an enormous state of sadness and grief due to her guilt, she gives up her scholarship and her dream of going to a popular Los Angeles music school. Johnny Maglone (Nick Wald) shows the true meaning of music in the opening sequence of the film where he plays "Amazing Grace" on the recorder in perfect rhythm.
Later, Terri has a change of heart after realizing that Paul would have wanted her to go, as he was the one who made her admissions tape. Her father stubbornly forbids her from attending the school. However, her mother decides otherwise, wanting the best for her only child remaining. Mrs Fletcher thus sends Terri off to Los Angeles to achieve her dreams. Her father is kept in the dark as Terri leaves under the pretext of going on vacation to stay with her Aunt Nina. While going to Bristol-Hillman Conservatory, Terri experiences difficulty fitting in. Later, she strikes up a friendship with fellow student Jay Corgan (played by Oliver James), an English boy who has a mutual crush on her. The two eventually begin to date, causing Jay's ex-girlfriend, Robin, to become jealous. She tries to win Jay back by kissing him, and the two are discovered by Terri, who runs out in tears. Both then attempt to work separately, but have difficulty trying to finish the song they were writing together. After Jay gets drunk over Terri, the two sort things out, and decide to continue writing the song together. In the end, Terri overcomes her grief, singing a farewell to her brother in "Someone's Watching Over Me", a song she composes with Jay. Denise, Terri's friend, is the winner of the scholarship, which is a pleasant surprise for everyone as Denise needed the money the most. As the end credits roll, Terri sings "Jericho".
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Director: Joel Schumacher
