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Christian Bale, David Moscow, Luke Edwards, Ann-Margret, Max Casella ... see more see more... , Ele Keats , Marty Belafsky , Arvie Lowe Jr. , Robert Duvall , Aaron Lohr , Bill Pullman , David James Alexander , Michael Lerner , Kevin Tighe , Charles Cioffi , Ogie Banks III , Christopher Bonomo , William Boyett , Damon Butler , Daxon Calloway , Dee Caspary , Scott Caudill , Joseph Conrad , Gabriel Damon , Jeffrey DeMunn , D.J. Dellos , Bret Dieball , Ivan Dudynsky , Shay Duffin , Chris Dupre , Dak Eubanks , Robert Feeney , Matthew Fields , Tom Finnegan , Brian Friedman , Jesus Fuentes , Deborra-Lee Furness , Frank Girardeau , Tony Gonzales , Michael A. Goorjian , Rob Grayson , Shon Greenblatt , Jo Ann Harris , I.M. Hobson , Michael Irvin , Robert Jaquez , Todd Jenkins , Larry Jones , Gregg Kent-Smith , Terry Kohl , Kevin Kruger , David Larson , Terry Lindholm , Mark Lowenthal , Dominic Lucero , Alan Luzietti , Ryan MacDonald , Dominic Maldonado , Kevin McCasland , Dean McFliker , James Earl Miller , Patrick Lars Olsen , Travis Payne , Eric Pesqueira , Craig Raclawski , Jim Raposa , Michael Rohrbacher , Greg E. Russell , Melody Santangelo , David Sheinkopf , Sylvia Short , David Sidoni , Kevin Stea , Jeff Thysell , Wes Veldink , Michael Warwick , Joshua Wiener , Lois Young , Jason Yribar , Marc Lawrence I , Frank Novak , David Evans , Trey Parker , Kevin Michaels , Mark David

A failed effort to revive the big-budget movie musical, Newsies attempted to create toe-tapping, song-and-dance excitement out of the true story of an 1899 strike by newspaper boys against publishing ... read more read more...magnate Joseph Pulitzer. The "newsies" band together to protest a pay cut by Pulitzer (Robert Duvall), organizing a union to protect their rights and ensure fair wages. They are helped along the way by Medda (Ann-Margret), a local dance-hall performer who befriends the boys and provides an opportunity for an additional song or two. Director Kenny Ortega had previously choreographed Dirty Dancing, and composer Alan Menken had provided the acclaimed scores for Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors, but their work here failed to capture the spark of their popular successes. Unable to connect with older or younger viewers, Newsies gained a reputation as a major bomb that cut short an attempt to bring back the live-action musical, though in the intervening years it has gained a small but appreciative cult. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

87% liked it

48,912 ratings

Critics

32% liked it

25 critics

PG, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Kenny Ortega

Release Date: April 10, 1992

Keywords: feel-good

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DVD Release Date: January 15, 2002

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Stats: 4,341 reviews

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Newsies Gabriel Damon in Newsies Newsies Newsies Santa Fe Newsies Newsies my darling christian bale! Gabriel Damon in Newsies Seize the day jack the dreamer headlines dont sell papes Newsies Christian Bale The Pape Pic Christian mush!! jack!!!!!!!
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Flixster Reviews (4,341)

  • nelsonpickens
    May 26, 2010
    nelsonpickens
    An extremely odd and bizarre musical that still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Why Christian Bale was in this is beyond me.
  • sanjurosamurai
    October 14, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    really the last good musical before a huge death period for musicals in hollywood. great dancing and fun.
  • shiftyeyeddog
    July 13, 2008
    shiftyeyeddog
    Believe it or not, I'm actually a fan of modern movie musicals. But I had never seen this one, and only finally caved out of sheer curiosity to see Christian Bale sing and dance. Boy am I glad I did.

    Watching Bale was every bit as hilarious as I expected it to be. No wonder... read more he's a bit embarrassed by this (in his defense, he signed on before it was changed to a musical, and was none too happy about it). Though he doesn't need to be. Even in something this silly, his acting talent really showed. The movie itself? Wasn't horrible, but probably isn't anything I'll ever watch again either. (and hey, I recognized at least 3 kids that went on to be on Hull High!)
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 8, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    I really enjoyed it.
  • superclerk25
    October 5, 2007
    superclerk25
    A good musical. It's a good movie and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
  • puffchunk
    January 25, 2007
    puffchunk
    Cheesy feel good movie, but I love it. love the dance and music and story.
  • crossbladezero
    August 23, 2011
    crossbladezero
    Read all about it! Read all about it! "Disney" is unbearably cheesy! World in shock! Man, the only thing more annoying than sarcasm is "Disney". Now, that's doesn't mean that this film is bad, but it is certainly damaged by its being so blasted "Disney". It's bad enough that this... read more is cheesy, but it's cheesy in a way that we've seen before.

    The storyline is both concieved and told in a way that hardly drifts from the traditional "Disney" film. Okay, so the tone is different by a little bit. Of course, that's another flaw, as the tone is just different enough for the cheesy score and forced, overdrawn and musical numbers - which are also too similar to fellow "Disney" films - to not fit. Getting to other flaws, a lot of the acting is really, really bad. Don't worry Christian Bale fans, your man manages to work around that, as we'll discuss later, but most everyone else is embarassing. Really, when you think about it, the film's real problem is that it's just so animated and for it to be in live-action, it makes all of the cartoony themes that work in "Disney's" animated universe, fall flat and not fit.

    Outside of being cheesy and overly "Disney", the film is pretty slow and will often fail to hold your interest, but it's not tedious, because there's still plenty to get you back into the film, such as the cinematography and production designs. The designs in this film are excellent, really capturing the period, but still being very dazzling and fun to watch, mostly because it's captured so well by the cinematography. Also, as overdrawn, forced and overly "Disney" as the musical numbers are, that doesn't mean that they're not very entertaining, being well-choregraphed, fairly well-sung and overall very well-directed. Of course, with the guy who was behind the moves in "Dirty Dancing" directing, what can you expect? I mean, it's a bit embarassing to see the great Christian Bale having singing and dance solos, but it's still pretty fun, regardless. Come to think of it, Batman might not be the best thing to evoke, because not matter how cheesy as this film is, it's almost infinitely less cheesy than any line in "Batman Begins". Speaking of Christian Bale, he also keeps the film going, not just because he can sure bust a move, but because he's still got that charm and charisma to carry the film and keep it rather interesting, because his character, generic though, he may be, is so interesting.

    In the end, in spite of its slowness and being too "Disney", "Newsies", carried by its excellent production value, fun musical sequences and charismatic lead performance by Christian Bale, remains a dazzling-looking and rather charming little number.
  • SunilJawahir
    October 20, 2010
    SunilJawahir
    Ugh. Something about this movie always bugged me. Maybe it was just too campy.
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    November 29, 2007
    Doctor0Quinzel
    I thought this was a good musical. The songs were good and unforced. Upside Christian Bale! Downside you have to hear Bill Pullman sing...
  • cajiggle
    May 28, 2012
    cajiggle
    A young Christian Bale singing and dancing is always something to see. Though, based on a true story it is more about the music than the story. The songs are actually great and the kids dance their butts off. The movie drags a bit, but as a Disney musical, it's decent.

    Grade: B+

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
December 11, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

The writers have created cardboard cutouts instead of flesh-and-blood characters. Full Review

James Berardinelli
June 10, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It's a bit of a throwback and a solid family film and, at the time, represented a well-intentioned leap of faith of the sort that studios rarely take. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

This film's real trouble lies in its joyless, pointless execution. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Although the material does indeed involve young protagonists, no effort is made to show their lives in a way today's kids can identify with. This movie must seem as odd to them as a foreign film. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Its intentions seem fairly modest, and so are its achievements. It's a modestly enjoyable diversion. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It looks like its own rehearsal -- an early one at that. Full Review

Charles Cassady
December 15, 2010
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Kids go on strike in gritty, historical musical. Full Review

March 9, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Making his directorial bow, choreographer Kenny Ortega strains valiantly to breathe life into this misguided musical. Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf
January 26, 2006
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out

If you have a soft spot for feisty, back-talking bambini with cute squints, backwards caps and names like Crutchy, Dutchy and Bumlets, your heart will melt. Full Review

Steve Crum
May 28, 2005
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Overdone, splashy period Disney musical.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • Who played in Newsies, The Prestige, Batman Begins, Reign of Fire, and Equilibrium?  Answer »
  • Christian Bale, star of Newsies, Swing Kids and Batman is a trained ballet dancer?  Answer »
  • Who played Jack (a.k.a. Cowboy) in Newsies?  Answer »
  • Who plays Jack Kelly in the movie musical Newsies?   Answer »
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