Carol Badaracco

Awesome show!! I love Tia and Tamera’s acting and the humor they bring! IT IS THE BEST SHOW EVER! Lisa is hilarious, and my daughter loves this show as much as I did as a kid! Roger is a pervert (Tia and Tamera’s words) Everyone should watch this show!!

While my husband and I enjoyed the film, we had conflicting thoughts about several scenes that should have either been cut, edited shorter, or simply rewritten. The main family characters were wonderful. The acting on their part, especially between father and daughter, was perfect. I enjoyed seeing the depth of their relationship change as they both realize they need to grow, adapt, and change. The mother character seemed very self centered and against any growth in her daughter away from the family. While there was a mild change of heart, I wish there had been a more dramatic confrontation between the two characters. The scene that made me question the seriousness of this film is the high school choir singing “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. It left me believing the film had taken a huge step away from its main premise and into a late ‘90’s film like “Save The Last Dance” or “American Pie”. The scenes with the choir left me feeling awkward and disjointed from the story the filmmakers were actually trying to make. The idea of Ruby auditioning for Berkeley was her choir director’s idea and only he seemed motivated to make it happen which leaves the viewer wondering if it’s something she even wants to do. Singing is obviously the way she connects with herself, but her path forward with music seems forced. I could have done without the choir director character. The demand to “roll the rrrrs”, his nut milk ruined his mood, and that the choir wasn’t for “fans of Glee” downgraded his ability to be seen as a serious character in the film. Just a slight brush at the fact he might gay without creating any more depth. Even the scene that removes all sound was too long. While important to showing what life is like for those who are deaf, it look a long time for them to get to making that point in that scene. Underneath all of the scenes I felt they could have done without, I thought it was a sweet movie about a young girl figuring out who she is apart from her family. The dynamic of them being deaf simply made the story even more complex. If the filmmakers had kept it simple, it would have allowed for an even more emotional, thought-provoking film to emerge. The father’s performance may be Oscar-worthy, but it’s a stretch for me to see this as such for the complete film.