The Boys
- May 10
- 3 min read
The fascinating documentary THE BOYS details the lives of famed songwriting duo The Sherman Brothers. Suffice to say that everything in this family was not a spoonful of sugar!
I was surprised by the depth of emotion and division evoked by the film. It's an intimacy that owes a lot to the documentary's co-directors, the actual sons of the two Sherman brothers, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman.
I went in expecting some behind the scenes fluff about one of Disney's most prolific movie songwriters. I was constantly surprised, not only by the frank analysis of the brothers, but also by the depth of clips and tales from their non-Disney efforts, like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".
The boys first got the attention of Walt at the studio with their song for a 1961 live action Disney effort. They exploded on the scene with their work on "The Jungle Book" (Bare Necessities, anyone?) and the Oscar winning megahit, "Mary Poppins".
Featuring a deft blend of archival behind the scenes video clips and modern interviews, we see two men that grew up in the same house, but led very different lives.
Richard is the more joyous, bouncy showman of the two, constantly "on" and one of the best pitchmen and composers to ever sit across from Walt.
I spent the first half of the film wondering why Robert always seemed more pensive, deeper in thought. The film then reveals just how different the boys younger lives were.
Robert, the older brother was among the very first American troops to liberate the Nazi Dachau concentration camp at the end of World War II. The effects of that life experience, in ways I can't even imagine, altered Robert's persona for the rest of his days. It gave me a new respect for his work, which almost always inspired joy, peace and happiness.
Say what you will about the ear-worm theme the boys created for Walt's "It's a Small World' ride at the World's Fair and then Disneyland, it's message of global unity takes on new meaning when you hear about Robert's harrowing military life.
It's flat out fun to see them sharing stories of how some of their most famous songs like "A Spoonful of Sugar" were created, but those moments are again balanced by watching these two brothers in their later years.
While their 9 to 5 work was exceptional, their off hours relationship grows very damaged.
Clips and interviews with stars like Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury and Jim Dale are frequent, along with interviews with Disney studio heads and technicians that worked with the brothers.
Barbara Broccoli of OO7 fame talks about her father Albert "Cubby" Broccoli hiring the brothers for his big budget adaption of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and its songs like "Toot Sweets" and "Hushabye Mountain". Director John Landis is hilarious (as always) sharing the influence their songs had on his early years.
The songs these two wrote are part of many generations of children's lives.
"Chim Chim Cher-ee", "Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious""I Wanna Be Like You" "Winnie the Pooh" and so many more.
Their legacy is amazing, but the story of these two men's relationship throughout their lives is an incredible story, beautifully captured by each of their sons. By capturing those lives in all their glory and struggles, it only solidifies The Sherman Brothers place in film history.
THE BOYS gets an enjoyable and inspiring B.
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