10/10
The Best Movie of 2005
14 February 2006
Forget King Kong and Crash. This movie is last year's real treasure.

I bought the DVD because I've become a big John Corbett fan after watching Sex in the City reruns. He raises the level of everything he's in and I've never seen him in anything really bad. Okay, I did see him in "Elvis Has Left the Building," but his performance and Kim Bassinger's almost saved that movie.

I watched "Bigger than the Sky" and was totally moved to tears and laughter. I watched it again the next night with my wife and 11 year old daughter and we were all moved. It is a really beautiful film that works on the level of the heart.

John Corbett, as I expected was absolutely charming as a talented and outrageous actor. I didn't expect everyone else in the cast to be as good, but everyone was. Marcus Thomas had a difficult lead role to play as a clueless guy who finds himself over his head in community theater. He was absolutely convincing, an academy award caliber performance. I don't remember ever seeing Amy Smart, but she gave as good a performance as Claire Danes did in "Shakespeare in Love." I have to check out everything she's done and will do from now on. Sean Astin was delightful as always. The actor and actress who played Edwina and Kippie were also terrific.

For those who remember the Patty Duke Show, this movie was like a super-episode of that show. Seeing Patty Duke playing twins again in this movie brought me back to my youth of 40 years ago. Truth be told I had a terrific crush on her and watching that show was one of the highlights of my week when I was 12 years old. The show had this incredibly positive liberal and liberating message. It was totally rock and rock and culturally subversive. Only the Dobie Gillis show (which also starred the wonderful William Shallert) was similar. It gave me hope for a positive world of peace, kindness, fair play, love and understanding. This movie brought back those feelings of hope for the future of the human race, something we can all use in these neo-fascist times.

I think anybody who has a good heart will love this movie, as well as anybody who has been connected with the theater in any way. Like "Stage Beauty" and "Being Julia" it is a hymn to the world of the theater.
12 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed