A Time to Remember

1988
G
1h 17m

IMDb RATING

4.5/10

160

YOUR RATING

Drama Music

It is small town America in the 1950's. Twelve year-old Angelo Villano has one dream: to someday sing like his idol, Mario Lanza. His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his beauti... Read allIt is small town America in the 1950's. Twelve year-old Angelo Villano has one dream: to someday sing like his idol, Mario Lanza. His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his beautiful voice catches the attention of the formidable but kind Father Walsh who arranges for h... Read allIt is small town America in the 1950's. Twelve year-old Angelo Villano has one dream: to someday sing like his idol, Mario Lanza. His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his beautiful voice catches the attention of the formidable but kind Father Walsh who arranges for him to receive formal training. This infuriates Angelo's widowed father, Frank, who wants h... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.5/10

160

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Review

Featured review

Out-of-date sentimentality

My review was written in June 1990 after watching the film on Studio Entertainment video cassette.

Old-fashioned sentimentality is overdone in "A Time to Remember", reviewed here for the record after nominal release two years ago.

Pic was shot five years back as "Miracle In a Manger" in upstate New York. Its abbreviated running time indicates some problems along the way, but filmmaker Thomas Travers simply doesn't demonstrate the chops needed to single-handedly bring back a genre (associated with Bing Crosby) popular over four decades ago.

Donald O'Connor brings sincerity to his role as a priest who encourages young Ruben Gomez in his choral work. The kid wants to be the next Lanza or Causo and is encouraged by mamma Morgana King (excellent in a more ethnic approach than her "Godfather" role) but opposed vehemently by his daddy Raymond Serra.

Told awkwardly in a flashback structure from the vantage point of the hero's concert hall success as an adult, pic lumbers along with an unconvincing central motif of the kid losing his voice temporarily after a fight. Other attempts at pathos fall flat and cast's singing is mediocre.

Give Travers credit for good intentions, but his film falls wide of the mark.