One of the most truthful 'backstage' films in ages.
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08/19/03
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OT: Our Town (2003)
88
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:21
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.1/10
Theatrical Release:Aug 15, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: This inspiring documentary tracks the progress of Catherine Borek, a high school teacher in Compton California who is determined to start a drama troupe in a school that is dominated by a champion... [More]
Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy
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Reviews for OT: Our Town
A remarkable documentary about some ghetto kids in Compton, California, who rise to the best in themselves in a rousing high school production of Thornton Wilder's famous play.
08/22/03
A documentary guaranteed to leave you laughing, crying and feeling pretty darn good about the transforming power of art.
02/06/04
Wonderful documentary.
08/15/03
A smart, seamless commentary on race, class and the expectations (or lack of) that are often attached to them.
08/14/03
Briskly energizing... it’s a delight to watch [these kids] blossom as they come together in an effort none of them had any idea they needed, or wanted, or could succeed at.
08/22/03
For a film about stereotype-busting, OT treads a very worn path.
08/15/03
Top CriticEntertaining and heartening, OT is also an urgent reminder of the importance of arts-related programs in the schools, and could serve as a useful tool tool for those fighting the good fight for such funding.
08/15/03
Director-photographer Scott Hamilton Kennedy's celebratory documentary shows how the students proved the naysayers wrong.
11/21/03
Though not spectacularly directed, there are enough moments of humor and poignancy to keep you engaged.
09/19/03
The connections between Wilder's text and the realities of ghetto existence take on an emphatic, crystalline life all their own.
09/05/03
promotes a message that more people need to understand in order to get past false stereotypes
10/12/03
Emotionally involving.
08/15/03
Top CriticOT is inspiring, but abstractly so, like a six-part series on arts and education in the L.A. Times.
08/23/03
... a nice capturing of this wonderful production.
05/27/03
Top CriticBacked by a soundtrack of hip-hop and edited to within an inch of its life, Kennedy’s film has sleek gutter charm to spare.
08/19/03
[A] modest, moving documentary.
08/15/03
Top CriticAs the players themselves struggle with finding what Borek calls 'the line between representing ourselves and stereotyping,' Kennedy takes pains to illuminate aspects and insights that buck cliché.
08/13/03
Top Critic[Kennedy] and his likable 'cast' deserve a standing ovation.
08/14/03
A whole world can be fit into 76 minutes, and that's what the splendid documentary OT: our town manages to do.
08/14/03
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