OK, I may be a country bumpkin, but I was cheered and uplifted by the songs performed by an enthusiastic (really enthusiastic!) group of young Australian Aborigine girls of varying shades of black who (in real life) actually went on a USO tour to perform for the troops in Vietnam in 1968.
I LOVED THIS FILM!
"The Sapphires" started singing country-western style but under the guidance of Chris O'Dowd playing their "white" (not Aborigine) self-appointed manager, they switched over to 60's "pop-soul" songs, which went over big with their Army audiences. Sure, the story line is corny, and certainly not original, but let's face it, I felt great after seeing (and hearing!) this "feel-good" movie! It was very well done in all areas, including the film-clips of Martin Luther King's speech just before his assassination, and President Kennedy's speech, plus actual footage from the war in Vietnam. Despite the fact that in places it's a tear jerker the singing balances it out on the plus side.
I learned that all Aborigines are not half-clad short (pygmies?) dark-black people carrying spears, but come in all shades, and have a history and a culture I'd never heard about.
Unless you're too "sophisticated" and intellectual to simply relax and enjoy the exuberant outpouring of entertainment by these wonderful girls, I highly recommend "The Sapphires."
Special note of appreciation for Chris O'Dowd. Excellent actor who knows exactly how to deliver his lines for maximum effect. I loved him!
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