Review of The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009) by William H — 30 Jan 2012

Superficial and didactic. The story of the brothers who wrote many of Disney's most famous songs (Mary Poppins, Jungle Book, It's A Small World, their filmography is extensive, etc.). This movie should have been less than an hour.

The brothers had conflicting personalities and despite working together for 40 years and professionally giving the impression that they were inseparable, they were never were close, and their families stayed divided for 40+yrs (even separate receptions after their father's (their kids' grandpa's) death).

But that part isn't really touched upon or drawn out. Instead, you get to hear about 30 minutes worth of Mary Poppins behind-the-scenes, as well as detail about their collaborative process at Disney in the 50's-80's.

Two other Sherman boys, one from each Sherman brother and who hadn't seen each other in 30+yrs, put together the documentary. It's evident in the filmmaking because the kids don't want to push their dads too far or challenge them in a way that would serve the film better; they stay respectful, reverent even, and the film suffers.