Standing Ovation (film)

''Standing Ovation'' is a 2010 American musical film written and directed by Stewart Raffill. Produced by Kenilworth Film Productions, ''Standing Ovation'' had a limited theatrical release on July 16, 2010.

During the promotion of ''Standing Ovation'', the cast performed at venues across the US while traveling in a tour bus. Performances included a show before a crowd of 60,000 people at the Dallas Freedom Concert and an appearance on the main stage at Knott’s Berry Farm in California.

''Standing Ovation'' premiered at Universal CityWalk which was attended by Barbra Streisand as well as James and Josh Brolin. After the film's opening, the cast of ''Standing Ovation'' performed a concert raising $60,000 for the children of the Ranfurly Home Orphanage in The Bahamas. The film was panned by critics.

Plot

''Standing Ovation'' tells the story of "The 5 Ovations": five middle school friends who form a singing group to compete in a national music video contest. And much like Dorothy and her music-laden trip down the yellow brick road, the 5 Ovations encounter their own share of ups and downs, Throwing up many of the roadblocks are arch rivals The Wiggies. The group is composed of five talented sisters who will do anything to sabotage the Ovations' chances of competing for the grand prize of one million dollars. Armed with nothing but talent, passion and street smarts the 5 Ovations find something more valuable at the end of their quest: that perseverance, family, and friendship—plus a healthy dose of laughter—are instrumental in fulfilling your dreams.

Cast

* Kayla Jackson as Brittany O'Brien
* Alanna Palombo as Alanna Wannabe
* Pilar Martin as Blaze
* Kayla Raparelli as Cameron
* Najee Wilson as Maya
* Alexis Biesiada as Tatiana
* Joei DeCarlo as Joei Battaluci
* Rocco Fiorentino
* Bobby Harper as Mr. Wannabe
* Austin Powell as Mark O'Brien
* P. Brendan Mulvey as Gramps
* William McKenna as Eric Bateman
* Brooke Feldman as Duet Girl
* Joann Reagan as Nursing Home Dance Captain
* Mario Macaluso as Kenny Rich
* Dexter Darden as MC John/"Diverse" Male Singing Group member
* Sal Dupree as Mr. Wiggs
* Jeana Zettler as Zoey Wiggs
* London Clark as Ziggy Wiggs
* Erika Corvette as Angel Wiggs
* Devon Jordan as Twiggy Wiggs
* Susie Newstadter as Ms. Wiggs
* Ashley Cutrona as Zita Wiggs
* Paula Tramutolo as Jasmine
* Mikey P. as Charity Dance Group member/'Dancing Girl' Rapper
* Brian Jenkins as Charity Dance Group member
* Michael Henriquez as Charity Dance Group member
* Kristen Ferry as Charity Dance Group member
* Shawn Devries as charity dance group member
* Lexi Lukaszewski as background dancer with stunning personality

Soundtrack

The ''Standing Ovation'' soundtrack was released by Kenliworth Films on May 25, 2010 on AmazonMP3. On August 3, 2010, the album was released on iTunes and split into two CDs, one which features The Wiggies, and the other, featuring The 5 Ovations.

The film features a cover of ''River Deep - Mountain High'' originally by Tina Turner and Phil Spector as well as an original song titled ''Blush'' by Billboard hit songwriter and record producer Roy "Royalty" Hamilton III.

Award winning Composer/Producer, Edward B. Kessel, produced and wrote several of the songs on the Standing Ovation Soundtrack including ''Dancing Girls''.

; Track List

# All I Wanna Do Is Sing - The 5 Ovations
# Scream - The 5 Ovations
# Blush - The Wiggies (produced by Roy "Royalty" Hamilton III)
# Thing 4 U - Diverse
# That Boy - The Wiggies
# Superstar - The Wiggies
# Crazy Feet - The 5 Ovations
# Soup to Nuts - Mr. Wiggs and The Wiggies
# The Runway (feat. Daade) - Dacav5 (produced by N Pa)
# The Music Is Dropping You (feat. Daade) - Dacav5 (produced by Daade)
# Dancing Girl - The Wiggies
# Shooting Star - The 5 Ovations
# Turn It Up - Mr. Wiggs
# Our Songs Begins Again - Jacklyne Tasca
# Standing Ovation - Austin Powell and Devon Jordan
# All I Wanna Do Is Sing (Single Mix) - Alexis Biesiada

Reception

Critical response

The film was panned by mainstream critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has 6% rating based on reviews from 17 critics. On ''Metacritic'' it has a score of 22 based on 6 reviews, indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews". Joe Leydon of ''Variety'' magazine called it “at once annoyingly hyper and underwhelmingly dull.” Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' said "Standing Ovation is an innovative film in the sense that every minute or so it comes up with a different way of being annoying." Gary Thompson of ''Philadelphia Daily News'' said "''Standing Ovation'' will have its work cut out for it at the viciously competitive box office, but the film may serve as a springboard for the eager and able talent on display.” ''The Last Airbender'' and ''Standing Ovation'' appear on the Worst of 2010 movie list by Ain’t It Cool News. Chris Hewitt of the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' said that he “had never heard of the people in ''Standing Ovation'' and I hope to never hear of any of them again.” On August 20, 2015, ''Crave Online'' declared the film the 37th Worst Movie of the Decade (So Far).

''Standing Ovation'' received mixed reviews from family-centric critics. The Dove Foundation reviewed the film and gave it their ''Dove Seal of Approval'' for the family audience. Dove said “ This is a comical musical about a group of young singers and dancers as they try to make their dreams come true. It’s an upbeat film geared towards the tween set.” Roger Moore in '' Paradise Post'' said “Director Stewart Raffill (''The New Swiss Family Robinson'') is an old pro who at least makes the laughs work.” ''Scholastic News Magazine'' Kids Press Corps said “''Standing Ovation'' is a rocking and colorful movie about musical competitions, friendship, loyalty, and dreams—BIG DREAMS!“

Some critics praised the cast for their performances. Carrie Rickey of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' said "the cast is full of fresh-faced unknowns ready for their close-ups. Most likely to succeed is Kayla Jackson, an almond-eyed dreamer". William Bibbiani of Geekscape says "''Standing Ovation'' is a film that received a small theatrical run in the middle of the summer. You were probably too busy watching ''Inception'' to notice. The film was written and directed by Stewart Raffill, who also helmed the wonderful 1980s sci-fi action romp ''The Ice Pirates'', and features a cast of dozens of youngsters competing in a music video contest..." "...in theaters around the country audiences are slowly beginning to discover ''Standing Ovation'', one of the must-see movies of the year.” Jack Fitcher of the ''Cape May County Herald'' said “The movie is rich in dance numbers set to music that will be loved by teens and pre-teens which is the target audience. Even though this reporter is about 30 years older than the targeted demographic, I got caught up in the plot and enjoyed seeing so much local talent on the screen.”

Box office

The film was a box office bomb. The film had a limited release and earned a gross of $531,806 in the United States.

Home media

The film was released on DVD format as of November 29, 2010. On November 15, 2011, a companion DVD ''Standing Ovation Dance Party: Keep Fit!'' was released.

References

External links

Official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Standing Ovation
2010 films
American musical films
Films directed by Stewart Raffill
Films shot in New Jersey
2010s musical films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films